Give yourself the gift of entrepreneurship

By Scott Meacham

It’s Christmas Eve, and many of us are in full gear, carrying out one of the greatest traditions of this time of year — giving gifts to the people we care about.

We’ve been bombarded with lists and suggestions for just the right gift, and now that our choices are made, I’d like to suggest adding one more name to the list … yours.

Give yourself a gift and make 2014 the year that you explore the possibilities of becoming an entrepreneur.

Perhaps you will be graduating from college into a corporate job market that is less than stellar. Your energy is high; you don’t have much to lose. You are of an age and generation ready to challenge the status quo.

Or you might be midcareer or later. You’ve always had the itch to be your own boss, or you’ve been downsized, or you have retired but aren’t ready to quit — energetically or financially.

Entrepreneurs who start when they are over 55 are two times more likely to launch high-growth startups than those who are 20 to 34. On the other hand, younger entrepreneurs tend to start businesses that require less capital and often have higher impact — consider Facebook, Google, Twitter or Microsoft.

No matter your age or circumstances, if you really want to generate wealth, there is no better way to do that than through entrepreneurship.

If you have passion for the things you believe in. If you have ideas that others haven’t thought of yet. If you like to problem solve. If the thought of trying new things and finding out what works and what doesn’t appeals to you. If you want to follow your own path, not the path someone else lays out for you — then maybe 2014 is the year you give entrepreneurship serious consideration.

If you’re on the fence, you won’t know until you try.

And it’s not only wealth that entrepreneurs gain. It’s the satisfaction of creating something from scratch.

It’s the opportunity to take an idea that you believe in and make it real, to build a company from the ground up. To gain independence, and to create jobs, career opportunities and wealth for the entrepreneurial-minded people who join you.

Entrepreneurship — a great gift for you this holiday season.

Scott Meacham is president and CEO of i2E Inc., a nonprofit corporation that mentors many of the state’s technology-based startup companies. i2E receives state appropriations from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology. Contact Meacham at [email protected].