Entrepreneur Spotlight - 2008 Summary

I spoke with six different founding entrepreneurs in the Charlottesville area during 2008. Most had at least one partner. Most run companies that are about a decade old, although Wendy Brown (The CNE) and Michael Pritchard (WillowTree Consulting Group) have relatively new enterprises.

The entrepreneurs are either very focused on their one single endeavor, or like Jeff Gunther (Meddius and Intalgent), work on several entrepreneurial ventures simultaneously.

Each of the entrepreneurs who graciously agreed to be interviewed talked about areas or issues for which they had been unprepared or otherwise found particularly challenging. They all seem to thrive on facing those challenges and learning how to overcome them. Jason Hull (OpenSource Connections) was particularly clear about this. Both of the graphic design and marketing firms (Birch Studio Graphics and Optipop Design and Marketing) were founded by husband and wife partners, who especially valued the creative freedom of their entrepreneurial venture.

Several of these entrepreneurs have news to report at year-end. In January, The CNE is relocating to offices just behind Cville Coffee, and welcoming their new Director, Cristine Nardi. Intalgent has just added a new office, a new website, and hosted the nation's largest student mock election for the UVA Center for Politics. OpenSource Connection co-founder Eric Pugh is speaking to the Central VA Ruby Enthusiasts Group in mid-January, a repeat of his recent presentation in Spain. At the moment, he is puzzling over the need for time axis for people searches.

I took several things away from this series of interviews. These entrepreneurs value their independence, both for creativity and for figuring out how to solve the business problems facing them. They occasionally use consultants to strengthen their own capacities, but primarily as guides to help them learn more quickly. These founders were primarily self-funded, mainly with revenue. Each entrepreneur is engaged with the larger Charlottesville community in some fashion, sharing their skills with for profit and nonprofit groups and networking with other entrepreneurs. As Jenny at Birch Studio notes - "it's always so much fun to reconnect with friends and business contacts over the holidays."

I have received many positive comments regarding the 2008 Entrepreneur Spotlight from the interviewees and the larger business community. As we all know, 2009 will be a year of many challenges especially for the small business entrepreneur. However, entrepreneurs are driven problem solvers with a close connection to their customer base so I expect great things from them as the year unfolds. So stay tune for more Entrepreneur Spotlight posts in 2009!