Dream Big or Go Home

Andy Meisner…A State Representative who really cares about making a difference on issues that matter. Meisner, living in Ferndale Michigan is a Democrat who truly cares about boosting entrepreneurism in Michigan and providing incentives for small businesses to be the future of our State. Meisner joined us along with State Representative Gabe Leland to discuss these issues and receive feedback from our class. Andy is desperately striving for a State that supports Entrepreneurs and will provide the necessary resources for individuals to start businesses. His proposal is the “Michigan Spirit of Entrepreneurship Initiative” which includes incentives such as the following:  

o       The proposal would provide a personal income tax credit for the health care coverage of a new business owner and their immediate family for the first two years

o       Make research and development tax credits transferable

o       Allow for an income tax credit for any personal income used to start up a new business

o       Open the state’s bulk purchasing program to businesses for a small fee

o       Creating grant and reimbursable tuition programs for students who take entrepreneurial classes

o       Provide state universities with $250,000 to create entrepreneurial degree programs

o       Use tourism promotion funds to advertise the tools available for small business owners

o       Set up a statewide center for entrepreneurs within the Michigan Economic Development Corporation 

Andy’s initiatives and proposals hit close to home with our class in regard to Entrepreneurs starting businesses in Detroit and the importance of this. Andy is a strong believer that forming people into becoming business owners starts at a young age and needs to be stressed into the educational system to students at a young age. I’m a huge supporter of Andy Meisner and I think that he will be an integral role in the redevelopment of the city of Detroit and that he has a vision of the success of Detroit, and he will execute on that vision.

Talk about a powerful presence! Bob Lanier was filled with passion, enthusiasm, motivation, and drive when he came to speak to our class last week. Among all the guest speakers we have had thus far, his words of wisdom were the most meaningful and I truly took a lot out the discussion.

There were many topics that he touched on that I shared similar beliefs on. Lanier truly cares about making a difference in people’s lives and some of his business ventures truly exemplify this. One example in particular was his involvement in publishing four children books. He said to us “the reason I was part of that was to make a difference in people’s lives”. That is truly admirable considering that someone in his financial situation can just throw in the towel and live a life of luxury and not be involved in business and or people’s lives. There were so many philosophies and beliefs that Bob shared with us that it’s difficult to summarize it here. The main points that he said that stuck out in my head and that I won’t forget are the following:

·   “If you have a negative attitude, you will always live up to your expectations”.

·   “Work harder, and work twice as hard”.

·   “If you want to get somewhere, remember where you came from”.

·   “If you’re a leader and no one is following, you’re just talking a walk”.

·   “There are three places where you can earn respect. Your employees, your competition, and the community”.

In addition, Lanier stressed the point multiple times about making sure that your endeavor truly fits your personality. It’s important for people to not forget what their passion in, and to make sure that our businesses revolve around that. If you do what you love to do, and you do it better than anyone else, the money and numbers will follow. Although the world knows Bob Lanier as a famous Basketball player, we had the luxury to see another side of him that most others wouldn’t be able to see. We got to speak with him one on one about his entrepreneurial endeavors and pick his brain. It was an amazing experience and one that I won’t forget. Thanks Bob!

 Last Friday our class had the privilege to go to Eprize, which is an online promotion agency. By the sounds of that it seems like it would be a place full of computers and nerds. It was quite the opposite. The culture, philosophy, and energy in Eprize is what truly separates Eprize from other companies. It was apparent how much of an influence Dan Gilbert and Quicken Loans were on the development of Eprize.  Both companies have so much culture and excitement resulting in employees performing at a much higher level than they would elsewhere.

Eprize resides at an old brewery in Pleasant Ridge MI. The layout of the interior is extremely cool and vibrant. They have Playstation 3’s and Nintendo Wii’s set up in the coffee lounge so the employees can take a break from work and have some fun. The idea is that the employees can relieve some stress by playing these games resulting in more productive work. This idea was brought forth by CEO and founder Josh Linkner. We had the luxury to have lunch with Linkner and discuss his philosophies and what makes his company so great. He is extremely innovative and I learned a great amount from him. One thing in particular I liked a lot was his concept of “ Linger Land”. I have worked with multiple companies and school groups in which “ Linger Land” is very prominent. “Linger Land” in nutshell is this concept of people getting together, brainstorming a brilliant idea, have a meeting about it, and then don’t execute on it. The concpet then stays in “Linger Land” and never comes to fruition. This is just one example of the creativity of Josh and his business.

The experience we had Eprize was phenomenal and I look forward to working with them in the future.