GEW

A fan of interesting tidbits of information, I’ve always found Guinness World Records fascinating. Not that I’m interested in growing the world’s longest fingernails or being the fastest crab walker (a feat recently achieved by an ISU student), but I do think it would be kind of cool to be a world record-holder.

So I wonder, if we could get millions of innovators, job creators, business owners and community leaders all celebrating entrepreneurship across the world at the same time, would we break a record? This isn’t as hard as it may seem, because during Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) November 14-20, that’s exactly what will be happening.

Originally launched in 2008 by former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Carl Schramm, former president of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Global Entrepreneurship Week now spans the globe with nearly 25,000 partner organizations planning more than 37,000 entrepreneurial activities and engaging over 10 million people. These local, national and global events stem from large-scale competitions to small networking gatherings, all geared towards celebrating entrepreneurial success.

So why do 10 million people worldwide turn up at these events?  Because the world still needs more entrepreneurs!  Become part of the movement and plan an activity in your area to help celebrate entrepreneurship. This year’s GEW themes center on Investors, Women, Youth, Cities and Scale-Ups.  You can put some creative thinking around planning events in these areas, or come up with your own unique experience – the sky’s the limit! Not only can you help inspire potential entrepreneurs as well as show your support for your region’s existing businesses, but your organization will also benefit by reaching new audiences within your community and raising awareness of the good work you do!

I’m not sure Guinness can count all the events taking place around the world during GEW, but you can always keep up-to-date with what’s happening across Iowa on the IASourceLink calendar, and don’t forget to post your event as well!  You’ll hear more about GEW happenings in the weeks to come, so get ready to celebrate.  Maybe we’ll help break a record!

-Amy Kuhlers, IASourceLink