Grasshopper Group, the company that created and promoted the petition to make National Entrepreneur Day a reality, celebrated with this image on their homepage. Image from grasshoppergroup.com.
From the Silicon Prairie to the Silicon Valley and all around the world, today is a day for entrepreneurs to celebrate. And President Barack Obama says so!
It’s true, November 14th through November 20th has been proclaimed National Entrepreneurship Week with November 19th being the designated day for entrepreneurs. President Obama stated the following in his official address:
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NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 14 through November 20, 2010, as National Entrepreneurship Week. I call upon all Americans to commemorate this week with appropriate programs and activities, and to celebrate November 19, 2010, as National Entrepreneurs’ Day.
Read the full proclamation at whitehouse.gov
So how did all this entrepreneurship stuff come to be? David Hauser (left, photo from twitter.com/dh), co-founder of Grasshopper, and his team started a petition in May 2010 for entrepreneurs to be recognized. The Grasshopper Group felt like it was time for our country to sit back and simply recognize the importance and value of entrepreneurship and the brave people that pursue it.
Certainly today is not a holiday and entrepreneurs will probably still be working away hard at the grind, but across the world this week millions of events will occur in over 100 countries and all 50 states to tip the hat to our entrepreneurs. Thanks to the Kauffman Foundation which co-founded Global Entrepreneurship Week in 2008, young people all over the world will hope to “develop knowledge, skills and networks to inispire them to grow sustainable enterprises.”
After Grasshopper’s grassroots campaign to collect signatures it was a big deal to have President Obama recognize this movement and make a statement commending entrepreneurs and highlighting their role in today’s economy and our future. So, how are you going to celebrate entrepreneurship day?
Grasshopper suggests four ways to celebrate in their blog post on the subject:
- Thank – If you know and entrepreneur, thank them. If you are an entrepreneur, thank the people that help you get to where you are today.
- Mentor – Someone probably mentored you in becoming an entrepreneur, now it’s time to return the favor.
- Give – Step up and help another entrepreneur get started. Grasshopper recommends an organization like Kiva.
- Pay It Forward – Whether it is products, services, or simply your time taking the extra step and paying it forward can go a long way for entrepreneurs.
So now that you know how to celebrate today, get the party started!
To learn more, see Grasshopper Group’s blog post: The President Proclaims November 19th as National Entrepreneurs’ Day.
David Hauser spoke at Big Omaha 2010. To view a video of his presentation, visit: Big Omaha Video Series: David Hauser of Grasshopper.
