Entrepreneurs See the World Differently; It's All About Creating Opportunities

Photo credit:  Pascal Muradian.  All rights reserved.

The 7th Annual World Entrepreneurship Forum, held in Lyon, France October 19-22nd, brought good things to life for anyone who is an entrepreneur or aspires to become one.  Forty countries were represented with more than 200 members attending from five continents!  Ideas and opportunities came from everywhere - speakers, moderators, members, sponsors, workshop presenters and partners.  Here's a sampling on some of the talented people we heard from over a three-day period:

• Tony Meloto, Founder of Gawad Kalinga, The Philippines on "pitching for social entrepreneurship."
• Abdallah Absi, Founder and CEO of Zoomaal, Lebanon on "pitching for crowd funding."
• Atef Alshabrawy, Founder and CEO of the Islamic M&SE's Bank and SME's advisor to the Federation of GCC Chamber of Commerce, Bahrain, on "pitching for Islamic finance."
• Arnaud Mourot, Co-director of Ashoka Europe, France on "inventing the future of entrepreneurship at the BoP.
• Aishwarya Mahajan, Regional Head Livelihood Education and Regional Manager of Jaipur Office, Aide & Action International, India on "inventing the future of entrepreneurship at the BoP."
• Dylan Wilk,  Founder of HumanNature, United Kingdom, on "inventing the future of entrepreneurship at the BoP
• Colin Jones, Senior lecturer of entrepreneurship at the University of Tasmania, Australia on "Entrepreneurship 3.0:  Critical knowledge and skills for entrepreneurs and how to develop them."
• Mohammad Reza Dayyani, Founder and Chairmain of the Board - Iran Entrepreneurs Forum, Founder and CEO of Entekhab Investment Development Group, Iran on "doing business in Iran."

Other impressive speakers included:

• Letizia Molatti introduced the socio-economic enterprises concept to bridge the gap in society. 
• Richard EU narrated his experience of handling failures in his family business while inducing family values in his organizational hierarchy. 
• Marita Chang, recipient of the young Australian entrepreneur 2012 award, described her journey from a simple university workshop on robotics to starting-up her company Robogals Global. 
• Chief Nyamweya, spoke about how he embedded happiness as one of the core values of his business.

And that's not all.  There were more terrific speakers and awardees from The Award Ceremony Gala Dinner - too many to list here.  To learn more on who else participated at the amazing World Entrepreneurship Forum, see pictures from each day and become a member, visit:  World Entrepreneurship Forum.  Press kits and news releases, go here.

In closing, entrepreneurs see the world differently.  We are all about creating opportunities, especially ones that can change the world. Thomas Edison is a great example of an entrepreneur who went on to create thousands of ideas that created value over time.  In their own right, the World Entrepreneurship Forum members and participants are all budding Edisons.

Note:  I am in the photo above with all the other participants at the World Entrepreneurship Forum 2014 in Lyon, France.  Next year's Forum takes places in Hangzhou, China.  Watch for more details soon.

Entrepreneurship 3.0: Creating Unlimited Opportunities

iStock/Thinkstock

I am really looking forward to returning and participating in the World Entrepreneurship Forum 2014 held in Lyon, France (as shown) October 19th-22nd.  It's such an amazing experience to reconnect with entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, political decision-makers and international experts from all over the world.  This year’s forum is about no limits.  According to the World Entrepreneurship Forum's website:

Entrepreneurship 3.0

Entrepreneurship is heading towards a new paradigm, a third industrial revolution based on renewable energy and hyper-connectivity.

Unlimited

Today, with skills and motivation, entrepreneurs of any age, experience, gender or background can reach beyond the old frontiers.

Opportunities

New rules and new leaders accelerate the transition toward the new world order. While traditional employment markets shrink, entrepreneurs seize new sources of opportunities to generate positive change.

To learn more about the World Entrepreneurship Forum and to become a member, visit here.   Check out the brochure.

Related posts to the World Entrepreneurship Forum.  Here's one of the first posts I wrote back in 2008.

5th Edition of the World Entrepreneurship Forum 2012

iStock/Thinkstock

As a charter member, I'll be attending the 5th edition of the World Entrepreneurship Forum in Lyon, France from October 24-27, 2012.

Topic of the 2012 edition: Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: How to create entrepreneurship friendly ecosystems and foster the development of locally efficient entrepreneurial communities.

More than 200 participants will generate ideas and recommendations through the forum's think tank.

It is well recognized that entrepreneurs cannot succeed in a vacuum. They need customers, partners, suppliers, employees, legal, financial and educational institutions, as well as governmental bodies and proper infrastructure.

Ecosystems are made of environment, actors and interactions.

This year the participants of the forum will discuss this thematic through a round-the-world tour of ecosystems highlighting:

• Highly resource-endowed ecosystems
• Resource-constrained ecosystems
• Specifics of education within a sustainable ecosystem
• Territorially-constrained ecosystem (regional or local identity)

Learn more here.

10 Notable Photos From the World Entrepreneurship Forum 2010

Mr. Inderjit Singh, Member of Parliament (Singapore)

World Entrepreneurship Forum Team (France)!

Mr. Claude Robichaud (L), President, Falpaco Plastic and Rubber Inc. (Canada) and Dave Frood (R), Author, The Thinking Corporation (Australia)

Innovation and the Development of High-Growth Organizations Workshop Team

Prof. Riadh Zghal (microphone), Senator, Tunisian Chamber of Councillors (Tunisia) and Ms. Lisa Fecteau (right front), President, Groupement des chefs d'entreprise du Quebec (Canada)

Mr. Antti Kangaslahti (microphone), Founder, Finntastico.com (Finland) and Mr. Dan Evans (right), Chief Innovation Officer Executive Education Emlyon, Professor in Entrepreneurship (France)

Mr. Liu Chuan-Zhi (L), Chairman of the Board of Directors of Lenovo Group (China), Interpreter (China), Ms. Bhatt (India) and Mr. Steve Strauss (United States)

Ms. Ela R. Bhatt, Founder, Self-Employed Women's Association (India)

Mr. Yves-Henri Robillard, Director, World Entrepreneurship Forum (France)

Mr. Steve Strauss, The Strauss Group, Inc., United States

Photo credits: Laurel Delaney, Founder, GlobeTrade.com; pioneering member and appointed Board member of the World Entrepreneurship Forum.  Watch for recap of the World Entrepreneurship Forum 2010 coming soon.  Quick take here.

Heading Back To France for the World Entrepreneurship Forum 2010

iStock/Thinkstock

As a pioneering member and appointed Board member of the World Entrepreneurship Forum, I am excited to return to Lyon, France this week to attend the World Entrepreneurship Forum 2010 -- 3rd edition running from November 3-6 -- which will focus on the following:

To design innovative and entrepreneurial solutions to address some of our world’s most pressing challenges at the horizon 2050.  More than one-hundred members (entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, experts, academics and politicians) from 55 different countries will share their insights and experiences over a three-day period.

Four major topics will be discussed and will lead to a set of concrete proposals of actions on:

• Developing Entrepreneurship at the Base of the Pyramid
• Innovation and the Development of High-growth Organizations
• Entrepreneurial Cities
• Entrepreneurship Education

In case you don't recall, the World Entrepreneurship Forum is a worldwide think tank devoted to the entrepreneur, creator of wealth and social justice.  For more background, refer to a couple of our older posts here, here and here.  The founding members are Emlyon Business School and KPMG France.

The event will be webcast live on www.world-entrepreneurship-forum.com so stay tuned for key moments!  I will also do my best to Twitter about it over at:  http://twitter.com/laureldelaney -- make sure you follow me in France!

Pictured:  World Entrepreneurship Forum 2009 Members

Posted by:  Laurel Delaney, The Global Small Business Blog

Cruising Along in Our World

iStock/Thinkstock

A view of Lyon, France, where I am attending the World Entrepreneurship Forum.

Posted by: Laurel Delaney, The Global Small Business Blog.

10 Photos: World Entrepreneurship Forum 2009, Lyon, France

iStock/Thinkstock

World Entrepreneurship Forum
Lyon, France • 2009

Blogging LIVE at the World Entrepreneurship Forum in Lyon, France

iStock/Thinkstock

I had the great honor and opportunity to listen to Minister Lee Yi Shyan, the State Minister of Trade and Industry, in charge of Entrepreneurship, Singapore talk about Singapore's strategy on entrepreneurship development.

Here are twenty (20) highlights:

1. How can government be a part of entrepreneurship (big question he was faced with)?

2. Ten percent (10%) of all businesses in Singapore are small businesses.

3. World Bank named Singapore the easiest place to do business.

4. Businesses in Singapore can no longer compete on the basis of low-cost pricing.

5. Projected growth for Singapore is 2-5 percent.

6. After a recession year, Singapore always bounces back.

7. Singapore involves the private sector to encourage and develop entrepreneurship.

8. They set up structures and the environment for entrepreneurship to thrive.

9. They also set up an action committee for entrepreneurs.

10. They set up a PRO enterprise panel to cut red tape and reduce regulatory burden; they seek and act on suggestions by the public.

11. Private equity platform; access to private equity financing (for those companies with high growth potential); micro-loan program -- up to $5 million dollars.

12. State Minister gave an analogy of how a tree grows in 10 years whereas a person takes a century.

13. Will check into his comment about a BlueSKY Festival which encourages SMBs to try out entrepreneurship and reach for their dreams.

14. Has a YES! School which helps schools develop entrepreneurship programs (ten percent of Singapore's schools reach 1,000 students).

15. Eighty-four percent (84%) of people would NOT give up business for better job!

16. There were 50,000 start-ups in 2009.

17. Launched a IES (International Enterprise Singapore) program.

18. Considered most innovative nation according to International Innovation Index.

19. Moving ahead: Innovators, Entrepreneurs, Scientists and Venture Capitalists = dollars + knowledge + market connections.

20. They participated in Global Entrepreneurship Week (this week) with 40 different programs.

Based on Minister Lee Yi Shyan's comments along with his high spirit, it is easy to understand why Singapore is flourishing with entrepreneurs!

Guiding Principles of World Entrepreneurship Forum

iStock/Thinkstock

On my way to the World Entrepreneurship Forum in Lyon, France (November 18-21) and our 2009 main topic is:

How can governments, at all levels, support the development of entrepreneurship?

We will also review the nine (9) recommendations we proposed during our 2008 Forum, aimed at enabling and fostering the development of the various forms of entrepreneurship. They are as follows:

World Entrepreneurship Forum Guiding Principles

1. Reform Regulations

To promote a truly entrepreneurship-centered business climate, reform tax and regulatory environments so as to make it easier, faster, and less costly for entrepreneurs to set up enterprises, grow them if they are successful, or close them if not; minimize the time they spend on licenses, tax procedures, litigation and other similar activities.

2. Create New “Entrepreneur-Friendly” Institutions

Introduce new-style entrepreneurship-friendly support institutions that provide technological knowledge, market information, business know-how, certification services, access to capital, and other essential business support.

3. Promote Proper Governance

Set forth a governance framework which unambiguously encourages risk-taking, while also ensuring that ethics lapses, corruption, and neglect of environmental sustainability carry a high cost to reputation.

4. Foster Positive Entrepreneurial Attitudes

Foster a cultural context where entrepreneurship has a positive image and where entrepreneurial success is publicly celebrated.

5. Create an Early Education Entrepreneurial Curricula

Include within schools a curricula that promotes the development of the skills and attitudes that are the hallmark of entrepreneurship, such as: Creating a vision, perseverance, creativity, spotting needs, empathy, leadership, dealing with ambiguity, risk-taking, and follow-through.

6. Develop Young Adult Entrepreneurial Curricula

Include within an education curricula practical elements of entrepreneurship and business development so as to increase the entrepreneurial IQ within the community.

7. Promote Lifelong Entrepreneurial Education

Provide entrepreneurs lifelong learning and development platforms for sharing of experience and best practices, coaching and mentoring, mutual support, and international networking, with the strong support of key stakeholders from business and civil society.

8. Empower Entrepreneurial Women, Minorities and the Disadvantaged

Support programs must also specifically target women, minorities, and the disadvantaged. Further, governments should implement laws and policies that ensure that entrepreneurs are sensitive to gender empowerment as well as diversity promotion.

9. Understand Entrepreneurship

Make it known that entrepreneurs are positive agents of social change, wealth creation, transparency, sustainability, and innovation.

Formal Guiding Principles can be found here.

I hope to have a chance to report out to you while in France but if I get too busy, which is very likely, I will wait until after I return to provide you with key takeaways. However, in the meantime, catch a LIVE broadcast of key moments here (http://www.world-entrepreneurship-forum.com).

By the way ... here's why I am a member of the World Entrepreneurship Forum.