Pittsburgh Nonprofit Entrepreneuring Youth Helps Ignite Students' Dreams

Pittsburgh has been getting all kinds of accolades recently for being a hotbed for entrepreneurs.

If you're a Pittsburgh-area middle school or high school student with a great business idea and aspirations of soon being your own boss, one nonprofit wants you to envision yourself among them.

Entrepreneuring Youth (known as E Youth) is a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit organization that helps young people learn about business creation and experience ownership. By partnering with educators, parents, and youth work professionals, they use entrepreneurial learning to help students create opportunities, build abilities and gain confidence.

It's a wonderful nonprofit organization here in our city, giving students opportunities to think about a future that they may have otherwise believed to be out of reach. When I first moved to Pittsburgh, E Youth President Jerry Cozewith was one of the first people I met. We sat next to each other at a Pittsburgh Technology Council conference, and Jerry was extremely gracious, helpful, and supportive to me as I began to find my way professionally.

A few weeks ago when my new friend John Chamberlin of Rock, Paper, Scissors Chute LLC asked me to consider writing a blog post to help promote what E Youth does so well and their upcoming Ignite Possibilities event, I eagerly agreed.

At the Ignite Possibilities business expo, scheduled for 4 to 7 p.m., Thursday, June 6 at The Rivers Club, Downtown, some of the area's brightest middle school and high school entrepreneurs will have the chance to showcase their businesses to Pittsburgh's civic leaders and business people. It's all part of the George W. Tippins Business Plan Competition, sponsored by the Tippins Foundation and named in honor of one of Pittsburgh’s most successful entrepreneurs, inventors and financiers. (That would be George W. Tippins.)

Most importantly, says my friend Jerry Cozewith, it's about what the possibility of owning a business can represent to someone exploring what they want to do in life and the skills needed to get there.

"The Ignite Possibilities event serves as a celebration of youthful entrepreneurship and the positive life lessons it fosters," he said. "Each year our attendance grows as more adults learn about the initiative and spirit of self-motivation being cultivated among our young people."

"Constructive competition is an integral component of E Youth's innovative programs," Cozewith continued.  "The competitions provide entrepreneurship students a unique opportunity to hone their marketing, presentation and communication skills, network with local business leaders who serve as competition judges and coaches, and compete for seed capital grants to support their business or academic goals."

During the pre-event reception, several young business owners will receive seed capital awards to launch or grow their business. The first-place finisher will earn a trip, sponsored by E Youth, to a national competition conducted by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)  in New York City later this year. Last year, that distinction went to brothers Jesse and Josiah Council, ages 14 & 15, co-founders of J&J's Soothing Cream. They finished as national runners up, earning $5,000 to invest in their education and their business growth.

Learn more about Entrepreneuring Youth by visiting www.eyouthamerica.org. The Igniting Possibilities event is free, but registration is needed. To register:
http://www.showclix.com/event/IgnitePossibilities2013

Book Review: Spark and Hustle: Launch and Grow Your Small Business Now, by Tory Johnson

Spark and Hustle: Launch and Grow Your Small Business Now
by Tory Johnson 
Berkley Books
2012
287 pages 

I have this thing about books I'm reading and the New Year.

I absolutely, positively cannot be in the middle of a book when the clock strikes midnight. A brand new year means a brand new reading year, too. Sometimes this means I'm bookless on December 31 and sometimes this means I'm reading right up until the minute the ball drops in Times Square.

And, as if that's not crazy enough (although I see most of you nodding your head in self-recognition), my first book of the year can't be just any book. Oh, no. It needs to be something inspirational and motivational. Something that will hold meaning for all the 365 days ahead.

A tall order, I know.

In the past, I've ushered in January with a volume or two of poetry, which was fine. This year, as I spent the waning days of the calendar glued to fiscal cliff news and worrying over how much further I was going to fall off my own fiscal cliff, I wanted something that would set the tone for the year.

So I picked up my signed copy of Tory Johnson's Spark and Hustle: Launch and Grow Your Small Business Now. 

I met Tory back in August when I attended her one-day conference here in Pittsburgh. I didn't do a highlight reel of 2012, but if I did, meeting Tory would be on it.

As I wrote back in August after the Spark and Hustle conference, I could relate to Tory's story of being laid off and her fear - even after getting another job - that she would find herself in the same situation again. I could understand the desire to start a new venture, which was something I admittedly had been wanting to do for quite some time.

What the Spark and Hustle conference does well (among many things) is to show real life examples of women's success as entrepreneurs in a fun but professional atmosphere where there is absolutely "no selling from the stage." Sure, I bought Tory's book - but that's because (hello! it's me!) you know I was going to buy the book regardless. If the chick sitting next to me had written a book, I would have bought hers.

My point is: there wasn't any pressure to do so. (In fact, I didn't even know they were for sale until more than 3/4 of the way through the event.)

When you leave the Spark and Hustle conference, you leave believing you have the capacity to start a business - but you're still a little wary and unsure about how, exactly, this is going to happen. Spark and Hustle: Launch and Grow Your Small Business Now highlights some of Tory's key messages from the conference (namely that your success is "all about the hustle" that you put in each day), but also gives the reader the practical tips, strategies, and ideas for putting that into a well-defined action plan that leads to success.

That's what I appreciated most about Spark and Hustle: Launch and Grow Your Small Business Now. There are more than a few people who do similar work as Tory who simply espouse platitudes like, "Your strengths will lead to your success!" and "Follow your passion every single day!" Those sentiments are all fine and well and good if that's what you want.

Sometimes you need more concrete advice.

Like, how exactly following that passion (and figuring out what the hell that is in the first place) can lead to a fuller bank account.

You need advice on how to best determine pricing strategy.

You need someone (Tory) to say that they love Suze Orman (I do too, just so we're clear on that, because Suze sometimes scares me), but that it is OK if you start a business without 12 months of savings in the bank because most people can't wait that long. Especially when we're teetering on a fiscal cliff.

You need to hear what is involved in designing and manufacturing and licensing a product, if that's what you have in mind for your business, or where you can find clients for your service-related business.

You need to know how to maximize the social media world, if you're unfamiliar with it and the potential it has for you and your business.

You need funding - but how much? And from where? And with what business plan?

You need pointers for getting over the fear of selling.

All that - and more - is what Spark and Hustle: Launch and Grow Your Small Business Now tells you, right from the very first lines.

"We both know why you're here.

You were downsized.  Your hours were cut. Your employer went bust. You need to make more money to get by. You've graduated from college without a job and your career path isn't clear. You want to use your own smarts and creativity to take charge of your working life." (pg. 1) 

Tory Johnson makes you believe that you can do exactly that.

Blog Post: "To Immigrate is an Entrepreneurial Act": Partnership for a New American Economy in Pittsburgh

I'm the first to admit that mine is your fairly typical, Caucasian, suburban (this-could-be-anywhere) kind of life. Single family house on a cul-de-sac, two cars in the garage, livin' what we all thought was once the American Dream.

There is not, I'm sorry to say, much diversity in my life. (I'm working on that.)

Since moving here over a year ago, I've learned that this is a characteristic I share with my new city of Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh's working on that, too.

Yesterday I headed Downtown, where One Young World was in full gear (and you could definitely sense the Summit's energy and excitement). I was just a few hundred yards away from the OYW action at the Partnership for a New American Economy, hosted at the spectacularly gorgeous August Wilson Center by several partners including Vibrant Pittsburgh, the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, and the Pittsburgh Technology Council. At the event, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl signed a pledge supporting national immigration reform.

Partnership for a New American Economy is an initiative headed by several prominent business leaders and mayors, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City. Robert Feldstein was representing Mayor Bloomberg's office at the Pittsburgh event yesterday.

Feldstein compared the immigration experience as similar to starting a business.

"To immigrate is an entrepreneurial act," he said.

That resonated with me. Deeply. At first I was confused as to why it would. After all, it has been generations since my family immigrated to this country.

But then I realized why.

I'm still trying to get better connected here in Pittsburgh. And, since being laid off in June, this is very much of a career transition time for me, of exploring new opportunities and all options.  Either way, it feels extremely entrepreneurial, of forging my own way, of deciding what path is the best fit.

I was at the Partnership for a New American Economy event helping out Melanie Harrington's team from Vibrant Pittsburgh. Since August, I've been a participant in Vibrant Pittsburgh's New Arrivals Bridge Program, which aims to connect newcomers in Pittsburgh with key business, civic, and social contacts to fully embed them into the community.

The New Arrivals Bridge Program is a pilot program, now in its second year. It is probably one of the most diverse initiatives I have ever been involved with. It has led to discussions at the dinner table with my kids about the interesting people I'm meeting, the countries they hail from.

In our house, this is a good thing. Dare I go so far and say it's a needed thing.

After arriving back home from Downtown to my little suburban cul-de-sac, I was still thinking about the remarks we heard yesterday at the Partnership for a New American Economy event when my 10 year old daughter announced that she made a new friend at school yesterday.

"Oh, really?" I said. "What's her name?"

"Adni," she answered. "She's from India. She was sitting all by herself on the swings, so I went up to her and said hi. I told her I was the sort of person that didn't judge people."

"And what did she say to that?" I asked.

"She said, 'I can tell that about you.'"

Yeah, I think we're onto something here, Pittsburgh.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl addressing a crowd of business and civic leaders gathered at the August Wilson Center for The Partnership of the New American Economy press conference event and pledge signing. 

Panel discussion at The Partnership for a New American Economy event at the August Wilson Center in Pittsburgh. The discussion was moderated by Robert Feldstein of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Office. 

Some press coverage of the event: 

Pittsburgh Mayor Ravenstahl Supports National Immigration Reform, Attraction of Foreign born Entrepreneurs to Spark Economic Growth and Job Creation - Global Pittsburgh News, 10/19/2012

http://globalpittsburgh.blogspot.com/2012/10/pittsburgh-mayor-luke-ravenstahl-today.html

Mayor calls for immigration reform, 10/19/2012
http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/2805206-74/pittsburgh-immigration-business-economy-foreign-mayor-percent-born-brightest-leaders#axzz29oDfJuXR

Ravenstahl joins national push for immigration reform - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 10/20/2012
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/ravenstahl-joins-national-push-for-immigration-overhaul-658368/

Mayor Ravenstahl supports national immigration reform - 90.5 WESA Pittsburgh's NPR News Station, 10/19/2012
http://wesa.fm/2012/10/19/mayor-ravenstahl-supports-national-immigration-reform

Finding My Spark and Hustle - part 1

At first glance, you wouldn't think that Tory Johnson and I would have much in common.

Yeah, that Tory Johnson, the one pictured with me here. That Tory Johnson, she of the bestselling author fame (more on that at the end of this post) and of the Good Morning America contributor, and founder and CEO of Women for Hire, and Spark and Hustle and more.

But as I listened to her story yesterday here in Pittsburgh during her last stop on her national, 20-city Spark and Hustle tour, I quickly realized we had much more in common than I thought - right down to being mothers of twins.

It has been an ... interesting summer, one that I've spent reflecting, questioning, writing - and yes, job-hunting as a result of The Layoff back in June. That layoff made the answering of the "so, what do you do?" questions yesterday at Spark and Hustle a bit awkward, but I realized that a good many of us were in similar positions as mine.

Even someone as successful and as accomplished as Tory Johnson.

"Sometimes you don't voluntarily give up the paycheck," Tory said in her opening remarks, referencing being fired 20 years ago as a publicist from NBC News. "Sometimes the paycheck gives up you."

Even after subsequently getting another job, there was always a sense of "a nagging panic" which was "the pain of a pink slip." The thing that Tory couldn't shake was that she would always be working for someone who had the power to say that she wasn't needed or wasn't good enough.

She knew that she had to make a change, which led to her founding her company Women for Hire and then Spark and Hustle.

Yesterday, in her fast-paced, no-nonsense style, Tory dispelled many of the common myths about starting a business:

you don't need to have an MBA (Tory didn't finish college);
you don't need to have a fat Rolodex (Tory didn't know many people)
you don't need to be tech-savvy and have a fancy office (she had an AOL dial-up account and baby twins crawling afoot)
you don't need a lot of money ("we've all seen people with a lot of money not be a success.").

What you do need is a spark, an ember of an idea, something that awakes your passion - and the hustle.

It is "all about the hustle - the decisions you make each day," Tory said.

That led into Dr. Vonda Wright as the perfect first speaker. In a separate post, I'll talk about her and the other speakers (which included one of Pittsburgh's most inspiring and well-regarded business leaders, Rebecca Harris of Chatham University's Center for Women's Entrepreneurship; the awesome Rachel Blaufeld from Back'nGrooveMom who was instrumental in bringing Spark and Hustle to Pittsburgh, and Stacy and Dawn, two absolutely hilarious ladies who made accounting systems seem downright fun). Intermingled between the speakers were remarks by Tory - it was a jam-packed day - and I'll cover it all in my next few Spark and Hustle posts. But one more thing!

One of the things we learned was that we have to take risks and to ask for things we want. So ... I asked Tory if she would consider providing an autographed copy of her book for me to give away to one of my blog readers. She gladly agreed, and I am incredibly grateful.

You will want to read this if you are a small business owner or considering becoming one. Simply leave a comment on this post to be eligible to win an autographed copy of Tory Johnson's latest book, SPARK AND HUSTLE: LAUNCH AND GROW YOUR SMALL BUSINESS NOW.

More to come.