Posted by Molly Nelson - Should you be looking for an apprentice to work with you in your business? Are you (and your clients) disrespectful of your personal time? What's the deal with "user entrepreneurs"? Read these articles to learn more.
The Return of the Apprentice - Inc.
"Instead of college, German students enter training and apprenticeship programs—many of which begin during high school. By the time they finish, they have had a far better practical education than most American students—equivalent to an American technical degree—and, as a result, they have an easier time entering the work force."
Also of interest is a "new Hacker School aimed at ending Silicon Valley's perpetual struggle to find enough trained engineers. The school, which is based in New York, joins several other ventures aiming to train techies, including Code Academy and Dev Bootcamp, but with some key differences from the other options. It lasts three months, has no classes and charges zero tuition....[The founders] make money through Hackruiter, a separate arm of their venture, when companies like Airbnb snap up the participants. (The average recruiting fee is $20,000, the industry standard.)"
Good Boundaries Are Good Business - OPEN Forum
"My actions spoke louder than my words. I realized that by being responsive and available 24/7, I set the expectation that I was responsive and available 24/7. Not only was I not respecting my own boundaries but, by allowing work to invade my personal time, I was training my clients not to respect them either."
Nearly Half of Innovative U.S. Startups Are Founded by 'User Entrepreneurs,' According to Kauffman Foundation Study - Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
"A study released today by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation shows that "user entrepreneurs" have founded more than 46 percent of innovative startups that have lasted five years or more, even though this group creates only 10.7 percent of U.S. startups overall.
"Who Are User Entrepreneurs?" is the first study to quantify the prevalence and characteristics of user entrepreneurs – those who have created innovative products or services for their own use, then subsequently founded firms to commercialize them – and identify how the firms they start compare to other U.S. startups in terms of revenue growth, job creation, R&D investment and intellectual property."
Read more about a real user entrepreneur, NASE Member Kim Overton, here and check out her website at spibelt.com.