Experts on small business growth say urban entrepreneurs are crucial to the nation's economic recovery.
Providing them the tools they need to succeed was the focus of the Urban Entrepreneur Summit at Rutgers University's Newark campus on Monday, where government officials, business people and aspiring business owners discussed ways to continue diversifying America's workforce.
Conference speakers from the Obama administration said the government was working to encourage a new generation of home-grown entrepreneurs, the kind that once made the United States a global powerhouse of industry and innovation.
"An entrepreneur can truly change the fortunes of their families," said Marie Johns, deputy administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. "We need to find them, connect with them and put them on the path to making their dreams a reality."
Johns and others said the government was working to reduce barriers for small businesses in many areas, including access to capital and information on available financial assistance, applying for federal contracts or expanding a business to overseas customers.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and the co-founder of the travel website Priceline were among those offering advice and encouragement.
"We believe urban markets are a gold mine," Booker said. "They are places where people can create an enormous amount of wealth. The future of our cities is entrepreneurialism."
Conference attendee Peter Learmont, who has run a small Newark-based publishing company for more than three decades, said he started Porta-Print Publishing Inc. with just the $10 dollars required to open a bank account and family members as employees. He's grown his business and weathered the recession, but went at the entrepreneurial summit to learn about applying for federal contracts and to see whether financial help was available to small business owners to provide better benefits packages for employees.
"After 35 years, one thing I tell people is you have to stick with it," Learmont said, referring to the advice he gives other aspiring entrepreneurs. "If you love doing it, it's not a job."
Providing them the tools they need to succeed was the focus of the Urban Entrepreneur Summit at Rutgers University's Newark campus on Monday, where government officials, business people and aspiring business owners discussed ways to continue diversifying America's workforce.
Conference speakers from the Obama administration said the government was working to encourage a new generation of home-grown entrepreneurs, the kind that once made the United States a global powerhouse of industry and innovation.
"An entrepreneur can truly change the fortunes of their families," said Marie Johns, deputy administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. "We need to find them, connect with them and put them on the path to making their dreams a reality."
Johns and others said the government was working to reduce barriers for small businesses in many areas, including access to capital and information on available financial assistance, applying for federal contracts or expanding a business to overseas customers.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and the co-founder of the travel website Priceline were among those offering advice and encouragement.
"We believe urban markets are a gold mine," Booker said. "They are places where people can create an enormous amount of wealth. The future of our cities is entrepreneurialism."
Conference attendee Peter Learmont, who has run a small Newark-based publishing company for more than three decades, said he started Porta-Print Publishing Inc. with just the $10 dollars required to open a bank account and family members as employees. He's grown his business and weathered the recession, but went at the entrepreneurial summit to learn about applying for federal contracts and to see whether financial help was available to small business owners to provide better benefits packages for employees.
"After 35 years, one thing I tell people is you have to stick with it," Learmont said, referring to the advice he gives other aspiring entrepreneurs. "If you love doing it, it's not a job."
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