Are you tired of working for someone else? Do you feel that you have a great idea that can be the start of a great business? Do you see opportunities everywhere you look? Well, then, you might just be an entrepreneur.

Before you can know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur, however, you have to understand just what an entrepreneur is. That is not quite as simple as it sounds since the definition has been changing for nearly 100 years!

The first definition was simply someone who invented something. Eventually it turned into someone who owned a business. Neither one of these definitions really got to the heart of entrepreneurship. The best definition I have found, and the one used most often today is this:

Someone who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks for a business or enterprise.

This description shows that not only does a person “invent” something, but that they see the opportunity and build a business around it. An entrepreneur has a vision and builds around this vision.

[While mayor of Indianapolis] I [Stephen Goldsmith] engaged in a ten-year battle with the independent school board—and the even more independent school bureaucracy—to reform the city’s public school system. Despite tens of millions of dollars of social programming and countless hours of professional and volunteer service, we could claim nothing but consistently awful results.

Many years later the issue popped up again with a call from the respected innovator J.B. Schramm, whom I knew from my work as chairman of CNCS [the Corporation for National and Community Service]. Schramm, the inventor of the College Summit program, wanted my advice in his effort to bring the program to Indianapolis. College Summit claimed it could help generate enough change to improve the city’s dismal high school graduation rates (at that time less than one-third for young men of color).[1] I knew Schramm was succeeding in other cities and assumed he could change the future trajectory for many Indy students.

The story of how College Summit ended up in Indianapolis provides hope not only for the city’s youth, but also for thousands of Americans who aspire to make a transformative difference in their communities and in the country. Just after Schramm graduated from divinity school in 1990, he started tutoring students at a teen center in a low-income housing project in Washington, D.C., in the hope that they would pursue higher education. Over and over, Schramm watched capable students fail to matriculate to college for lack of the institutional and family support and social networks available to most middle-class youth.

Entrepreneurs are often accused of being "married to their work." And no wonder: Just like a marriage, running a company requires time, energy, and devotion. But there is one big difference. While marriage is all about maintaining a healthy relationship with another person, being married to a business is all about maintaining healthy (and profitable) relationships with several groups of people. Indeed, smart entrepreneurs know their success is intertwined with a complex network of other people and organizations, says Ty Freyvogel, founder of Freyvogel Communications and author of "It's Not Your Smarts, It's Your Schmooze" and founder of EntrepreneursLab.com. "All of those relationships must be constantly tended and nurtured."

In "It's not your smarts" Freyvogel identifies the five critical relationships every entrepreneur needs to nurture:

CUSTOMERS

Every business owner wants his customers to be happy. But you need to ask yourself, "Am I really going that extra mile to ensure that my customers have the ultimate positive experience?" Not only do you want them to be happy, you also want them to go tell someone else that they loved the experience they had with your business. Learn as much as you can about your customers, so that when their needs change, you can be the one to provide them with the new services they need -- not one of your competitors. Constantly ask them, "How can we continue to provide value for your company?"

How IBM, Hallmark, and Apple get innovation right—but not for the reasons you might think

As the economic environment stabilizes, there's a temptation to return to business as usual. And although much about the future of the economy is uncertain, I can say with some confidence that a return to the recent status quo would be a colossal mistake.

GE (GE) Chairman Jeffrey Immelt said it best in a speech he gave to the Business for Social Responsibility conference in November 2008. "This economic crisis doesn't represent a cycle. It represents a reset. It's an emotional, social, economic reset. People who understand that will prosper. Those who don't will be left behind." Immelt's remarks constitute nothing less than a challenge to his peers: Reinvent your business, or go home. Organizations that wait for solutions to fall from the sky fully formed will be the next to fall. Even a casual observer can see that the challenges facing GE are an object lesson for the rest of us.

How do you navigate an enterprise through uncertain times? By getting back to fundamentals. That goes for innovation, too, which doesn't mean novelty for novelty's sake. Innovation is about growth, and growth takes empathy, creativity, and executionEmpathy, on an organizational scale, is a shared intuition for what people outside the company really need and value. Creativity is the ability to come up with new ideas for products, services, and businesses that are different and distinct. And execution is the art of getting things done. These aren't feel-good ideas for easy times. They're the secret to surviving a storm.

The successor to the 7th Framework Programme (FP7) needs a new name, says the European Union’s new Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Maire Geoghegan-Quinn. “Talk to any man or woman on the street, they wouldn’t know probably what FP8 or FP7 or FP6 was,” she said. “People have to understand what you’re communicating.”

No decision has been taken as yet on the name or look of the next Framework programme, but on day one of her term, the new commissioner says she’s ready to make changes. And rebranding Framework is just one of many issues that Geoghegan-Quinn – who has spent the last decade at the European Court of Auditors – pledged to tackle as she starts to put her mark on the research and innovation portfolio.

Also on Geoghegan-Quinn’s to do list:

• Broaden the remit of the proposed European Innovation Act, for which Geoghegan-Quinn will have responsibility, beyond industrial innovation alone;
• Set new research investment targets to replace the 3 per cent target in the Lisbon strategy and get the private sector to contribute more;
• Get small- and medium-sized companies more involved in Framework research projects.

I spend a lot of time talking to small business owners and startups. I speak with them through my SEO consulting company, during phone calls about social media projects and even just while I’m on my way to and from conferences and taking the train. It’s something I enjoy doing because I like hearing their stories, their successes and the struggles that they’re facing. Often it’s nice to know you’re not the only one going through something and to have a chance to commiserate. I work out of my apartment. I’m not exactly overflowing with social interaction these days.

Through talking with people, I’ve found there are often common factors in the startups and businesses that do well compared to those that struggle. Here are some things I think small business owners should strive to do or remember when working in their business.

In This Week's Issue

• Tech Talkin' Govs, Part IV
  
• Florida Gov. Wants $100M for Innovation Incentive, $32.6M for Space Florida
  
• Oklahoma Governor's Budget Consolidates OCAST and Commerce
  
• Connecticut Gov. Proposes Economic Recovery Initiatives, Cuts TBED
  
• Still #1, U.S. Patenting Falls 11.4%; China Jumps to #5 With 29.7% Growth
  
• NSF: U.S. R&D Spending Continued to Grow in 2008
  
• Obama Administration Announces Plan for Biofuel and Clean Coal
  
• NSF Director Leaving for Purdue Position
  
• Job Corner
  
• TBED People
  
• Staff Picks
  

USTAR is publishing a new kind of annual report, one that’s in “bite-sized” pieces you might have time to read. We’ll be adding chapters over the next few weeks. Today’s edition covers the USTAR Technology Outreach and Innovation Program.

$1.6 mm investment by state yields more than $10 mm in outside grants

In just two years, University of Utah life science research teams led by John White and Hamid Ghandehari have demonstrated high productivity. Based on a $1.6 million USTAR investment to date, the teams have secured more than $10 million in federal and industry-sponsored research funding, leveraging the state’s investment more than six to one. The teams have also filed seven invention disclosures (a preliminary step to patent applications).

Neural devices take aim at epilepsy, Parkinson’s

Next-generation implantable electrodes and other “smart” stimulation circuitry hold the promise to help millions affected by epilespy, Parkinson’s Disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder and other neurological conditions.

ST. PAUL, Minnesota– In a packed State Building Office hearing room Tuesday, witness after witness rose to speak in support of H.F. 2750, a bill that would grant $32 million in tax credits over three years to angel investors who fund risky, high tech start-up companies. Entrepreneurs, investors, university officials, industry groups warned lawmakers that the lack of early stage capital meant innovative start-ups in Minnesota would either die or move to another state.

Rep. Ann Lenczewski of Bloomington, the powerful Democratic chair of the House Tax Committee and a vocal opponent of the bill, listened politely. Then she called her one and only witness: Joel Michael, a House Research staff coordinator who helped authored a report, at Lenczewski’s request, on Minnesota vs Wisconsin venture capital.

Michael, whose gray hair, spectacles, and low droning voice proved fitting for a numbers cruncher, began his report by saying it was not a report, even though the report begins with “This report…” Ooookay. He then offered the following caveats: he was not a venture capital expert and there was little data to draw on.

Its deep problems not withstanding, the Great Lakes region has formidable assets that will necessarily provide the foundation for future economic growth, including substantial research and development capacities, a strong existing industrial base, and growing prowess in key economic sectors and technologies. But this isn’t enough: The region still lacks the venture capital investments needed to help translate the huge amount of innovation these assets generate into the high value firms, products, and services that, as the Great Recession recedes, will define the next economy.

Unlike most social networks, Twitter started out being more popular with adults, before it caught on with younger users. Last year that changed as celebrity tweets caught on, and mainstream media started talking about the service more.

At the end of 2009, more than 30% of Twitter's visitors were under 25, this chart suggests, up from about 20% of its visitors at the end of 2008.

When the Private Investors Forum asked Valerie Gaydos, a Harrisburg-based dynamo with a background in public policy, publishing, technology and entrepreneurship, to help with its annual Angel Venture Fair, the group wasn’t just interested in holding a trade show and sending out a news release.

Good thing, too, because Gaydos’ expertise in helping startup companies find funding and develop a strategic vision is one of the reasons the 12th annual angel fair is among the most meaningful angel investor gatherings in the region. The fair has helped emerging growth companies raise $16 million since Gaydos took it over in 2004. It provides a unique training program that screens, prepares and grooms best of class entrepreneurs for accredited investors over three months prior to the fair. Up to 50 semifinalists will present their companies on March 4 and be narrowed down to 30 finalists for the April 6 capstone event at the Union League in Philly.

From Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network with respect to the 2010 Index of Silicon Valley:

The economic recession has stalled Silicon Valley’s vibrant innovation economy and left its global competitive standing at risk as never before...

With respect to jobs:

Between November 2008 and November 2009, employment in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties dropped 6.1 percent, compared to 3.8 percent nationally. Silicon Valley lost 90,000 jobs between the second quarter of 2008 and 2009, bringing total employment down to 2005 levels.

Asked to name the European country least favourable to small business creation, most people would probably not hesitate before saying France.

Tough labour laws, high taxes and a dominant state sector have all been a powerful deterrent to economic self-starters, with many choosing to relocate abroad.

But consider this: in 2009 the European country with the highest number of new businesses was none other than France.

A total of 580,193 enterprises were created over the course of the year, some 60% under a new government status called auto-entrepreneur.

In our startup practice, we see a number of common mistakes entrepreneurs make as they establish and grow their companies. Not surprisingly, many of these are made in the course of compensating employees and other service providers, which is a key area of activity early in a company’s life cycle.

Compensation-related pitfalls can be easily avoided if you know what to look out for. Once made, though, these five mistakes can put your company in a thorny legal predicament that can be difficult and costly to resolve.

Wage Deferral. One of the most common mistakes an early-stage startup makes is deferring founder wages and other compensation to save costs prior to raising a financing round. Unfortunately, this can lead to significant legal and tax liability.

Once thought of as the epitome of environmental devastation and atmospheric pollution, green activists have grown to embrace engineering as a means of curing the ills it once wrought. In all its varied incarnations – technology, architecture, civil, construction, materials science, transportation, energy, computers, and product design among them – the field of engineering has something to offer mankind’s quest to keep the planet as clean, safe, and sustainable as possible. The following blogs wonderfully illustrate how creative, innovative engineers are synthesizing their studies with the environmentalist movement as a means of bettering Earth for current and future inhabitants.

1.  Green Engineering Blog at Design News : Design News editor-in-chief John Dodge weighs in on how engineering and technology can incorporate environmentally-friendly elements into as many projects as possible. Many of the other blogs on the site feature similar valuable content as well.

2. Environmental Engineering Diary : Environmental engineer Arie Dipareza Syafei covers numerous aspects of his chosen field, serving as both a primer and introduction for newcomers and a sounding board for professionals. Many posts concern his graduate research into membranes.

3. Environmental Engineering Blog : This multidisciplinary blog relates environmental issues and green initiatives back to engineering and technology, and posts touch upon a wide variety of related subjects. Politics, law, geology, and real estate all determine how environmental engineers develop products for a healthier planet.

We can see it reflected in our search trends at Google: Too many people are out of work, and the fear of unemployment is changing the behavior of millions more. In the fall, searches related to back-to-school shopping and holiday travel bookings peaked weeks later than usual, as families put off spending as long as possible. At the same time, queries for payday loans have gone up a third in the past two years.

To spur job creation and alleviate the fear of unemployment, the United States will need to tackle what Commerce Secretary Gary Locke has called our "innovation deficit." We have been world leaders in innovation for generations. It has driven our economy, employment growth and our rising prosperity. But much of the cutting-edge research and development in key areas such as renewable energy now takes place outside the United States. There's a real chance that the "green Silicon Valley" will take root in Germany or China. We can't afford to let that happen.

InformationWeek (Hoover) - The Obama Administration is turning to crowdsourcing to identify "grand challenges" to support as national technology innovation goals.

The White House this week issued a request for public input on potential game-changing technologies the administration might pursue with research and development dollars. The quest to identify innovation goals for the next century is modeled at least in part on President Kennedy's commitment to send man to the moon in the 1960s.

More specifically, the White House appears to be looking to set up a number of "grand challenges" for inventors and scientists to solve over coming years, which the country could use as "an organizing principle for America's science, technology and innovation policy" in order to address key national priorities, spur economic growth, and catalyze interest in the sciences.

As I've been digging deeper into the data I've gathered on 210 million public Facebook profiles, I've been fascinated by some of the patterns that have emerged. My latest visualization shows the information by location, with connections drawn between places that share friends. For example, a lot of people in LA have friends in San Francisco, so there's a line between them.

Looking at the network of US cities, it's been remarkable to see how groups of them form clusters, with strong connections locally but few contacts outside the cluster. For example Columbus, OH and Charleston WV are nearby as the crow flies, but share few connections, with Columbus clearly part of the North, and Charleston tied to the South.

Some of these clusters are intuitive, like the old south, but there's some surprises too. For instance, Missouri, Louisiana and Arkansas have closer ties to Texas than Georgia.

To make sense of the patterns I'm seeing, I've marked and labeled the clusters, and added some notes about the properties they have in common.

Click on the map to learn more:

Pete Warden is the founder of Mailana Inc, a startup building tools to help people connect. This post was first published on his personal blog, and is republished here with permission.

The role of the federal chief technology officer is poorly defined and Congress may want to act to codify the CTO's responsibilities, according to the Congressional Research Service, which prepares official reports for Congress.

"There is currently no formal position description for the CTO," says the report, written by CRS science and technology policy specialist John Sargent. "Accordingly, the official duties of the CTO remain largely undefined. If the position or office of the CTO is not established by Congress and provided with statutory authorities and a dedicated budget, it may be difficult for the CTO to affect change in individual federal agencies or systemically throughout the federal government."