Jim Correll, director Fab Lab ICC at Independence Community College, Independence Kansas 

Entrepreneurs have a special way of viewing problems as opportunities. They look at life as an opportunity to solve problems for others in new and innovative ways. They realize making life better for others in turn makes life better for them. Think for a moment about the philosophy of solving problems to help others in innovative ways. Isn’t that what we’re all supposed to be doing? Whether in business for ourselves or working for others, in businesses, governments or community organizations, we’re all supposed to be solving problems to help others. 

When we speak of entrepreneurial mindset or the Fab Lab ICC experience, we’re really talking about a different way of thinking for people of all ages and from all walks of life. If we could all think in terms of solving problems for others, our communities would become even better places to live, work and play. 

Once or twice each year, in addition to all the activities at Fab Lab ICC, we offer a “class” (it’s very different from any class you’ve ever experienced) in Entrepreneurial Mindset. We use a revolutionary approach called the “Ice House Entrepreneurship Program” to help instill this kind of thinking. We look at interviews with successful entrepreneurs from all over the world as a way to begin to understand how they think. We bring in some of our great local and area entrepreneurs to tell their stories. We find some common threads in the thinking of these entrepreneurs, many of them ordinary people that are doing extraordinary things. 

Ice House is organized around eight of these common threads referred to as eight life’s lessons. Think about what our communities would be like if everyone ascribed to these eight principles. 

1. The Power to Choose: Life is not a lottery. We learn to recognize that our choices not our circumstances will ultimately shape our lives. 

2. Recognizing Opportunities: Problems are often opportunities in disguise. Entrepreneurs are problem solvers and the secret to their success lies in their ability to identify problems and find solutions. 

3. Ideas Into Action: Think big. Start small. Act fast. Entrepreneurs are action oriented and they tend to focus their time and energy on things they can change rather than things they cannot.  

4. Pursuit of Knowledge: Our effort can only take us as far as our understanding. Entrepreneurs are self-directed, life-long learners who understand the power of knowledge combined with effort. 

5. Creating Wealth: Spending or investing? For most, it’s not the lack of money that prevents us from prospering. Entrepreneurs manage their expenses, handle credit and leverage their abilities to create sustainable wealth. 

6. Building Your Brand: Actions speak louder than words. Entrepreneurs are problem solvers and reliability is the key to their success. 

7. Creating Community: Entrepreneurs understand the power of positive influence and they learn to surround themselves with others who have been where they intend to go.  

8. The Power of Persistence: Entrepreneurship is not “get rich quick” and expecting it to be easy is a mistake. The “secret” behind every entrepreneur’s success is hard work, perseverance and determination. 

We believe that instilling this mindset in small, rural communities is essential in order to create an environment in each one where businesses and organizations can grow and prosper, thus attracting people to make the communities grow and prosper. 

The next Entrepreneurial Mindset class at Fab Lab ICC will begin on August 17 on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00. 

Jim Correll is the director of Fab Lab ICC at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship on the campus of Independence Community College. He can be reached at (620) 252-5349 or by email at jcorrell@indycc.edu. Archive columns and podcasts at www.fablabicc.org.