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    Entrepreneurship Major

    by on May 20, 2010

    I’ve been having a good deal of conversations lately with students about the concept of the “entrepreneurship” major.  More specifically, whether or not I believe it truly prepares you for start-up life.  I posted my thoughts over on my personal blog.  Feel free to chime in.

    Read the full post here.

  • 278

    Pennsylvania Middle of the Road for Small Business Survival

    by on December 11, 2009

    The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council released their small business survival index for 2009.  Coming in at 27th was Pennsylvania.

    According to the SBE Council’s chief economist Raymond Keating, “The ‘Small Business Survival Index’ helps business owners and investors understand the public policy burdens placed on entrepreneurship and small business, with the states ranked accordingly.”

    Factors considered included various taxes (everything from income, gas, internet, through death taxes), health care costs, crime, utility costs, and various workers’ rights.  Clearly hurting Pennsylvania’s score were corporate taxes.

    The top ten friendly states were:

    1. South Dakota
    2. Nevada
    3. Texas
    4. Wyoming
    5. Washington
    6. Florida
    7. South Carolina
    8. Colorado
    9. Alabama
    10. Virginia

    The least friendly was the District of Columbia followed closely by New Jersey.

  • 31

    Philadelphia Lagging Behind Other Areas in Entrepreneurship says Kauffman

    by on October 14, 2009

    The Kauffman Foundation in their recent summary on entrepreneurship for 2008, highlighted both Pennsylvania and Philadelphia briefly, in a not so positive light.

    The states with the lowest entrepreneurial activity rates were Pennsylvania, Missouri, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Iowa and Ohio.

    Among the United States’ fifteen largest metropolitan statistical areas, Atlanta had the highest entrepreneurial rate (0.74 percent) in 2008. Philadelphia had the lowest rate (0.16 percent).

    There has been a lot of speculation over reasons for this amongst various groups in the area.  Everything from the Philadelphia business tax situation to the historic industry of this area has been suggested as potential reasons for us lagging behind, but the report itself perhaps details some possible reasons.

    U.S. entrepreneurship rates increased for the lowest-income-potential and middle-income-potential types of businesses from 2007 to 2008; it decreased for the highest-income-potential types of businesses.

    Perhaps we’re just in the highest-income-potential category.  I know optimism and perseverance  in the area and on the street couldn’t be stronger.

 
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