A note from our editor,
Elizabeth MacBride:
Everyone I talk to right now is reassessing their jobs. I thought the Great Resignation was a Zoom-enabled flight from the stress of the pandemic and the bad behavior of big companies, especially toward women. But this latest wave of dissatisfaction is hitting in my cohort, among over-achievers who largely were unscathed by the pandemic. The CEO of a big company is thinking of resigning. My housekeeper is thinking of opening a florist shop. A wealthy man I know is cutting back to part-time. What gives, among the entrepreneurs, the self-starters, the changemakers?
I’m not a psychologist, so take my words with a grain of salt. But I have been writing about you for many years — and I’m one of you, too.
Many of us, those gifted or cursed with a combination of ambition and altruism, have constructed a very convincing illusion that it’s possible to change, i.e. possibly control, the world. The pandemic has busted the illusion of control repeatedly. Lately, it’s been laying hints that the world, for all our efforts to make it a better place, is pretty much moving backward. More than 30% of Americans do not even have the bare education, trust in the health care system, and common sense to save themselves by getting a vaccine.
I think it’s hard for people who like to see the world in a rational way to accommodate this fact, along with all the others we’ve absorbed in the past few years.
So what I’m seeing now is a shifting of priorities and a scaling back of ambition to a more domestic scale. A few years ago, I was helping a client with a potential TED talk, which was rejected because it was too “domestic.” I do not think it would be rejected today.
I’m not quitting my job,
Times of E, anytime soon. But one thing that made me feel better this week was walking down the street and giving a scented candle to an ailing neighbor. She helped remind me that when the world feels stuck, I can still move.
Times of Entrepreneurship Stories of the Week
A Wealthy Activist Becomes a Venture Capitalist
David Magerman, the man behind Renaissance Technologies’ algorithms, says, there’s a hole at the heart of today’s AI.
Read the Story »
Q&A: Two-Thirds of Restaurant Owners Turned Away From Restaurant Revitalization Fund
Calls continue for revitalization fund to reopen after money runs dry; Independents left with ‘mountains of debt.’
Read the Story »
Changemakers: A Potter and a Jeweler Found their Form Together
Indiana-based MudLOVE donated $500,000 to clean water causes and outsources production via a nonprofit in the Dominican Republic
Read the Story » 
How to Establish Sponsors for Your Startup: An Outline for Success
‘Sponsorships are highly creative products that must be rigorously defined and closely managed to succeed’
Read the Story »
You may have missed: From A Tavern in Chattanooga, to a Cuban Cocktail Bar in Portland, to A Family-Owned NOLA Restaurant, Owners Struggle to Keep Businesses—And Customers—Alive. Redemptive entrepreneurship has found footing in the evangelical community.
Read it here.
You may have missed: This Couple Bought A Kayaking Business During the Pandemic. They Couldn’t Be Happier. Plus: London Is Better for Women Entrepreneurs, and $4M for education innovators.
Read it here.
You may have missed: Report: Black Americans More Likely to Start A Business Than White Americans Global Entrepreneurship Monitor also found women entrepreneurs were more likely to stick it out during the pandemic.
Read it here.
Living the Dream
Best Practices: A lack of coding skills holds back many would-be startup founders. But it doesn’t have to be that way. New York-based Bubble, a platform for web development without coding, is accepting applications for its pre-accelerator Immerse. The free virtual program is designed for people of color, who often run into barriers while building their companies, such as finding funding, resources and mentorship. The program will teach founders how to build their web products themselves and connect them to the ecosystem. The winner of Demo Day at the end of the 10 weeks will receive $5,000 in cash as well as $5,000 in Bubble credits.
Applications are due at the end of this week.
Buzzworthy: Stop the Killing, a new
podcast, offers expert insights on how members of the public can help prevent mass shootings. The hosts are Katherine Schweit, a former FBI executive who now teaches law classes at Depaul and Webster Universities and Sarah Ferris, who previously launched the popular podcast Conning the Con.
Rathskeller
The 4.5 hour workweek: A productivity hack Burned out and can’t seem to get anything done?
LifeHack offers some great tips on streamlining your schedule, like a time budget, similar to one you might use for your finances. That can help you avoid wasting time on social media or other non-satisfying activities instead of hanging out with your family, exercising or doing all of the other things you wish you had more time to do.
Wanderlust : a restaurant or activity from our Top Ecosystems list If you’re headed to Austin, make time for a side trip to
The Shady Llama in Wimberly, about 45 minutes away, where llamas roam the 35 acres. The onsite bar, along with two foods trucks — Gringa’s Grub Shak and Kelly Hill’s Country BBQ — make it easy to spend the day. (Check the website ahead of time to see if there’s a wait.)
Made in the USA Artifact, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is a purpose-driven company that makes its artisanal products in America. Its carefully crafted woodworking aprons, which start at $58 for adult sizes, are a perfect gift for the DIYer on your holiday gift-giving list.
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This story and others on New Builders Dispatch are made possible by a sponsorship from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that provides access to opportunities that help people achieve financial stability, upward mobility, and economic prosperity – regardless of race, gender, or geography. The Kansas City, Mo.-based foundation uses its grantmaking, research, programs, and initiatives to support the start and growth of new businesses, a more prepared workforce, and stronger communities. For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect with www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.
