Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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Calling Local Entrepreneurs by SHARON VALENTINE Not all employment requires working for a major company, contractor or agency to be "gainfully" employed. I remember the old advice given to me — "Don't have a job or don't like the one you are in? Create One!" I remember that gut wrenching feeling fresh out of graduate school, single and facing a job market almost as bleak as it is today. It is obvious from my graying hair that I have survived and even thrived to tell the tale. And perhaps, I can offer up a few suggestions to the young veterans and military retirees who are walking into that unknown future of "what comes after" the uniform is packed in mothballs. Lesson One: If you meet the criteria in Lesson One and still want to march to your own drummer, creating your own job may be the ability to recognize a small opportunity and fi nd a "way to make it happen." The classic academic training in entrepreneurship is: knowing your business idea, writing your business plan, identifying your fi nancing and launching your enterprise. Given, that advice is not for everyone. It is risky business and at a time when banks aren't thrilled about lending money to a small start-up, following your dream also requires a solid grasp on reality. Be certain to have experienced advisers and know the stress tolerance on you and your family before opening a restaurant serving local, fresh foods. Lesson Two: There is a growing trend to build sustainable communities that rely on locally grown food that is nutritious and safe. with 2,000 other applicants or having a four-year college degree. The chance to do some "visioneering" or talk to successful business owners who have been thinking out-of-the-box is the reason behind the N.C. Farm Center's Entrepreneurial Opportunities in Sustainable Agriculture for veterans, retiring military, reserves and their spouses. There is a growing trend to build sustainable communities that rely on locally grown food that is nutritious and safe. Within that movement may be job creating opportunities or employment for our military. On Monday, June 4, a variety of "green careers" that may wipe out farming stereotypes will be offered to attendees. Presentations on quantum (True Green Organics) crop application, chemical- free landscaping and household pest management, innovative rain catching and containment, solar-drip irrigation and solar farms and solar pumps are on the agenda. An explanation of community- supported agriculture, what it is and how to be part of it will be explored. Attendees will have a chance to meet local entrepreneurs who have transitioned their love of the outdoors to successful businesses. Presenters include the owner of Green Biz, a family- owned business that is more than just a nursery. Also on hand will be the owner of LuMil Winery who took a vineyard and built an entertainment destination. Small business entrepreneurship is different from technological entrepreneurship, although both create wealth. Small business entrepreneurs often rely on a "hunch" or guess factor (i.e. I have a "hunch" this could really work) and then take that "feeling" and turn it into a plan of action as quickly as possible. Sometimes that "aha" moment comes from being introduced to something you never really thought about as a real- world job that you could enjoy while making money. And even better, some of those opportunities are out there in the "new trends" space and do not require standing in line Plowshares project funded by Wal-Mart and with the assistance of the Veterans Business Outreach Center at Fayetteville State University. The event will be held at the Cumberland County Agricultural Extension auditorium at the Crown Coliseum Complex and is free to military veterans and retirees. For more information, call the North Carolina Farm Center for Innovation and Sustainment at (910) 630-6232 or register at svalentine@ncfarmcenter.org. The workshop is part of the N.C. Farm Center's Swords to SHARON VALENTINE, Contribut- ing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MAY 30 - JUNE 5, 2012 UCW 5