In March 2016, Madison College officially established its Center for Entrepreneurship. The primary mission of the center is to “plant the seeds for entrepreneurship all across the college,” according to Bryan Woodhouse, Executive Director for the Center for Entrepreneurship.

It is the collaboration between faculty, staff, and local business owners who came together to establish a place where students could share, develop and establish their business and product ideas. It’s a great place to tap into the knowledge of what it takes to run as business as well as getting you into the entrepreneurial mindset.

Entrepreneurship isn’t just for students enrolled in entrepreneur or business classes. In fact, according to faculty adviser Jilene Huizenga, “There is no prerequisite for becoming an entrepreneur. A lot of entrepreneur characteristics are learned and there are no barriers to entry, entrepreneurs come from all backgrounds, majors, ethnicities, and genders.”

“It’s not just about starting a business, it’s also about being a better person, communicating effectively, it’s about problem solving. And workforce development shows that problem solving and communication skills are what’s needed in our workforce. So, even if someone wants to take these courses or learn more about it, it doesn’t have to result in starting a business. It’s about being more passionate about what you’re doing, it’s about effectively problem solving, and communicating effectively, and just being an overall better person,” explained Huizenga.

Starting in January the Center for Entrepreneurship will be located at E1874 on the first floor. In the meantime, workshops are scheduled throughout the academic year and the dates and times can be found online. Each of these workshops provide students an introduction to different areas in regard to getting a new business venture off of the ground and getting into the entrepreneurial mindset.

Some of the topics covered in the upcoming workshops include finance, marketing, social media, business models and business structure information. There is also a Chef Series which provides an in depth look at the journey of a few entrepreneurial chefs. By searching the upcoming guests, you can see how these seemingly ordinary people became so much more in the kitchen and how they were able to bring their passion to life.

The Madison College Challenge will be held on May 2018 and will give students the chance to pitch their business ideas. Students will work to cultivate a business plan and will present them in front of a panel of judges for the chance to win $5,000 to help get their business off the ground.