Apemag

  • #MyStartupStory
  • tech
  • maker
  • Startup Lessons
  • In the South
    • Tennessee
    • Alabama
    • Arkansas
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Kentucky
    • Louisiana
    • Mississippi
    • North Carolina
    • South Carolina
  • Startup Support
    • Accelerators
    • Coding Bootcamps
    • Colleges and Universities
    • Incubators
Diversity and Inclusion, Startup Lessons

Go Beyond Startup Slogans to Empower Would-Be Entrepreneurs

- Matt Bennett -

My involvement with Startup Southerner has exposed me to a lot of people, experiences and information within the entrepreneurial community all across the South. In that time I have concluded that startup culture is just that—a different culture from other business pursuits, irrespective of the industry or field. A fundamental belief in this space is that anyone can start a business, with a good idea and enough hard work. I hear some variation of those themes uttered repeatedly at talks and events.

Here’s the thing: Everyone can’t start a company, at least not yet.

Starting a company entails numerous risks for anyone. For example, you will likely work for some time (often a long time) with little or no consistent income. You may lose advancement opportunities that affect your career position later if you want to get a job working for someone else. Network-building will become a part of your DNA whether you like it or not. This is to say nothing of the tremendous time commitment—if I think about the people I know who work the most hours, almost all of them are entrepreneurs. Moreover, this is just the beginning. Success brings a whole new set of challenges, like funding, hiring, etc.

Can we who are familiar with those risks and sacrifices say honestly that we believe it is all just a matter of hard work? If we take time to think about it, do we believe that the stakes are even remotely the same for the young white man graduating college and the single parent, the woman, the person of color? What about background? Certainly it is hard to quantify, but what are the effects of having successful parents, of getting into top-tier schools? Trying to identify these differences is where inclusivity goes beyond acceptance and into something messier and harder to fix. But that is where real progress comes from.

If we take time to think about it, do we believe that the stakes are even remotely the same for the young white man graduating college and the single parent, the woman, the person of color?

If we are simply telling our fellow would-be founders to “Go for it!”’ without being candid about the financial risk and the time demands, then we are only repeating an empty mantra, and ultimately setting them up for failure. Further, if we genuinely believe in entrepreneurship as a vehicle to greater personal success, then we have an additional responsibility to help narrow the gaps that society and circumstance create all too often for smart, hard-working would-be founders.

When we fail to acknowledge the fundamental inequalities both within the entrepreneurial ecosystem and larger society, then we are instead (whether we mean to or not) blaming the individual—whether for a lack of courage, or a lack of hustle. This is why it is so important that we acknowledge the privileges (or lack thereof) which factor into startup success, so that we recognize that some people will fail, or never start, because of circumstances that have nothing to do with the quality of their ideas or their drive to realize them.

Inclusivity is a core value here at Startup Southerner, and one that I personally believe in as well. I know from meeting and talking to our supporters that it is for a lot of you, too. So I challenge you to be aware of all the help you received in starting and sustaining your entrepreneurial journey. Not just direct financial support, but things you might have taken for granted—like a spouse who makes enough to cover the mortgage, or parents who kept you on their insurance while you hustled and bootstrapped. Consider intangibles, too, like the jump-start your network got by going to graduate school (because you could afford to), or the advice your family member gave which became a touchstone.

Because here is the thing: Someone is going to ask you for advice, for lessons learned, for mentorship. If you acknowledge those pieces then you can go beyond the easy advice to actually identify the missing building blocks, and start plugging in resources. You cannot merely encourage a person to become an entrepreneur, you can empower them to be successful at it. Cheerleading is great, but helping someone find pre-seed money, or that first customer, or even affordable day care, that can make a startup happen, and change many lives—including your own.

We all have a responsibility to steer our unique and shared startup culture. Let’s take that seriously and make sure we are going beyond the slogans and helping everyone have opportunity. If we work together, we can destroy barriers.

Apr 5, 2017Matt Bennett

Staying Healthy for the Sake of Your StartupDistributed Team Success Starts With the Leader
4 years ago Diversity and Inclusion, Startup LessonsentrepreneuriALL, minority founders116
retro
Matt Bennett

Matthew Bennett is a corporate IT auditor, freelance information security consultant, and evangelist for small business security awareness. He is a founding partner of Startup Southerner.

Website Twitter

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Share It!
0
GooglePlus
0
Facebook
0
Twitter
0
Linkedin
Posts
Recent Comments
  • East Tennessee Startups Have Chance to Win $15,000 on 2017 Startup Day « Startup Southerner on #MyStartupStory: Start a Beer Fund With BrewFund
  • East Tennessee Startups Have Chance to Win $15,000 on 2017 Startup Day « Startup Southerner on Ed Pershing, CEO of PYA, Reflects on Entrepreneurial Journey
  • Salemtown Board Co.: Scaling a Social Enterprise « Startup Southerner on Entrepreneurial Thinking for Nonprofits
  • Salemtown Board Co.: Scaling a Social Enterprise « Startup Southerner on The EntrepreLingo Series: S Is for Scalability
  • Domonique Townsend on The Unbalanced Reality of Work-Life Balance for Working Mothers
Be up-to-date!
  You Might Also Like  
Diversity and Inclusion, In the South

Startup Scene in the South Lacks Diversity: A Q+A With Eyona Mitchell

A candid conversation about diversity in the region's entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Diversity and Inclusion

Two Asian-American Female Founders Walk Into a Slack Channel

A frank conversation about being Asian-American in the South.

#MyStartupStory, Diversity and Inclusion, South Carolina

#MyStartupStory: Tiny Techz Provides STEM Exposure to Underserved in South Carolina

Startup focuses on connecting youth to ideas and careers in science, tech, engineering and math.

Diversity and Inclusion

#entrepreneuriALL: Crowdsourcing Experiences for an Inclusive Ecosystem

Today, we officially introduce #entrepreneuriALL—a celebration of the voices that are already woven into the fabric of our ecosystem but may not have always been told. While we have been committed to bringing a variety of stories and first-person accounts since our launch in February, we want to reaffirm our commitment to having an honest, […]

Diversity and Inclusion, Incubators, North Carolina, Startup Support

The Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship: Diversifying Startups in Greensboro, NC

Diversity is a cornerstone of this startup support organization.

#MyStartupStory, Arkansas, Diversity and Inclusion, Funding

Funding for Minority-Owned Startups a Challenge, Says Arkansas Founder

K. Clarence Lawrence had more than proof of concept, but he still had trouble securing funding.

Diversity and Inclusion, In the South, Tennessee

Diversity and Inclusion in Nashville: Complex Issues Worth Solving

Kelli Nowers heads up the diversity and inclusion initiative for the Nashville Entrepreneur Center.

#MyStartupStory, Diversity and Inclusion, In the South, Louisiana

New Orleans Startup Provides Opportunity for Youth in Creative Economy

Alberta Wright takes her experience in Teach for America to create opportunities for New Orleans youth in the creative economy.

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
Most Viewed
FOUNDING SPONSOR
your-image-description
2016 FOUNDING SPONSOR
2023 © Startup Southerner