Open Source Stimulus

I like a good idea. And today I discovered at least two great ones.

My entrepreneurial friend Scott Yates, who sold his start up a few years ago to Traffic.com, detailed his close encounters with Dallas Maverick's owner Mark Cuban. It seems that Mark wants to create an economic stimulus plan that actually creates new businesses. He has invited aspiring entrepreneurs to post their ideas open source style to his blog. He will commit to funding the best ones.

Scott took the challenge and posted an idea called Second Saturday Science. Mark liked the concept and has been communicating with Scott throughout the day.

By the way, Scott was a valued participant during our second Faithventure Focus Event this past fall. I wonder if Mark Cuban would have any interest in a venture idea that would use a sustainable business to create opportunity for individuals rebuilding lives? If you have such an idea, maybe it is time to share.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Good Job is the Best Way to Fight Poverty

Image
That fact has formed the foundation of my career leading Belay Enterprise's over the last 18 years. I have seen first-hand how good jobs in faithful organizations transform lives.

Employment helps people move beyond the problems of being disadvantaged. It ends homelessness and prevents individuals from returning to prison. It allows people to support their families and engage in the creativity God intends for all to enjoy through work.

Work also provides the environment for people to learn about God in faithful businesses.

Since 1994, Belay Enterprises' mission has been to partner with the church to start businesses that employ and job train individuals rebuilding lives from addiction, homelessness and prison. Over the past 24 years, Belay has incubated six projects in Colorado that have hired hundreds of individuals.

At different points over the years, Belay has set various goals of starting a certain number of businesses by a future date. But increasingly we realize that t…
Read more

Catherine Rohr's Excellent Argument for Hiring Ex-Offenders

I was excited to see Catherine Rohr's essay "Why You Should Hire Ex-Cons" in Inc today. She makes a wonderful case that I hope many employers will read. I've long hoped the case for ex-offender employment would start getting a wider audience.

As I've written before, employers need not fear hiring ex-offenders. They provide a excellent source of dedicated workers desiring to move beyond the mistakes of their past.

And while you are at it, check out the great work Rohr's organization Defy Ventures is  doing in NYC.

Many business owners have overlooked a great source of untapped talent: former inmates. Many former drug dealers and gang leaders have skills and attributes you value most in employees, including charisma, resourcefulness, resilience, a willingness to take calculated risks, and strong management skills.  "Why You Should Hire Ex-Cons," Catherine Rohr in Inc, June 25, 2012 Read rest of the story here.
Read more

The Golden Rule for Business as Mission

Image
"What’s the nicest thing someone has done for you?"
With that question, we opened a recent Bud’s Warehouse morning staff gathering. 
Someone shared about the time he was arrested but the officer arranged to have him released quickly. The policeman waited two hours for him to be processed and then drove him to get help. It was the one caring act that changed the course of his life.
Another staff member told about how a counselor in a drug treatment program went out of her way to help him get into a long-term program. “She single-handedly gave me a shot at having a life again,” he said.
Several others talked about how friends and parents selflessly helped them when they were in need. Everyone quickly realized that sacrifice and selflessness is always behind those nice actions.
But when we changed the question to what was the nicest thing you did for someone else, the room grew quiet, mostly because it’s hard to talk about such things because ex-offenders have been conditioned …
Read more