Page 182 - 1-Entrepreneurship and Local Economic Development by Norman Walzer (z-lib.org)

Effective Entrepreneurship Education Programs 171

John W. Altman further illuminates the need to look beyond those stu-
dents who show an initial interest in business. In a presentation to the Sin-
gapore Legislature titled Mapping the Territory, Altman (2003) identifies
what he calls the requirements for entrepreneurial success—six prerequi-
sites that improve an entrepreneur’s odds of success. The first three—knowl-
edge, networking, and experience—can be taught and practiced in an aca-
demic setting. The last three—passion, commitment, and energy—are the
students’ responsibility to bring to the table. This dichotomy provides an
important clue about identifying students who might be candidates for an
entrepreneurship course of study. The potential entrepreneurship students
are not necessarily those who started a business at an early age. Rather, they
are students who display passion, commitment, and energy in any under-
taking.
Ewing Marion Kauffman tested and proved this concept when he was
approved as owner of a new baseball franchise, which became the Kansas
City Royals. Conventional wisdom suggested that he should field a team
comprised largely of experienced players available through the expansion
draft.
Instead, Kauffman scoured inner cities and rural areas across America in
search of superb athletes who had showed no previous interest in baseball.
He then established the Royals Baseball Academy at which these dedicated
athletes were trained in baseball fundamentals. Graduates included all-stars
such as Frank White and Willie Aiken, who were part of the World Series
championship team in 1985 (Morgan 1995, 251–56).

Focus on Attitudes and Behaviors, Not Facts
The emphasis on human development in entrepreneurship education
suggests that school administrators and instructors should consider the fol-
lowing three overarching principles as the cornerstones for any entrepre-
neurship curriculum. First, entrepreneurship is not about formulas or
processes. In contrast to other business disciplines, the study of entrepre-
neurship rests on an understanding of the individual. As Guy Kawasaki
(2004) suggests in the introduction to The Art of the Start, “The reality is that
‘entrepreneur’ is no longer a job title. It is the state of mind of people who
want to alter the future” (xii). In Kawasaki’s world, “mind-set” is multidi-
mensional, ranging from self-confidence to becoming a lifelong learner.
Thus, the existence of an entrepreneurial economy or community does not
rely on traditional economic factors such as land, labor, capital, and tech-
nology. Instead, it depends on the identification, education, and encour-
agement of individuals who deploy these factors of production in new and
innovative ways.