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Growing up on a farm in Mayetta Kansas, north of Topeka, Alli Winter did not want a life of farming, nor did she dream of becoming a well known entrepreneur, Chef Alli, but that's what happened. See her Fab Food Lab cooking videos at www.fablabicc.org/FAB-Food-Lab From ChefAllis.com: “I wanted to help more families and get more people cooking. I love to organize and deliver cooking campaigns that help families conquer dinner time. I long to share the wisdom of my experiences, cooking advice, and insider tips that will guide you to regularly prepare delicious meals for you and your family. I want you to know that it’s not nearly as hard as it seems, and that you can conquer your kitchen and be victorious. “I remember being a busy mom and so intimidated and overwhelmed with how to prepare wholesome, nutritious meals that my family would actually eat and enjoy. I had limited time and a limited budget. “I am no diet guru. I’m not trying to get you to lose weight or follow any strict rules or guidelines. I cook with all the food groups. My approach is simply about combining whole foods with real natural ingredients and creating delectable dishes to be enjoyed.”

Abby Emert, as a young mother of two, was a member of the spring 2019 Entrepreneurial Mindset class and is one of a growing number of mom’s in our area and across the United States who have left full time jobs to be stay-at-home moms with the benefit of participating in independent commercial activities so that when the kids are napping or in school they can use their talents to solve problems for customers i.e. be a MOMpreneur.

Jeane Hains became the owner of Natural Food Center in Coffeyville in quite an unexpected way becoming “natural” by necessity after a childhood illness almost claimed her life before she could become an adult.

Coffeyville’s Doug Misch has been an entrepreneur and entrepreneurial thinker even early in his career when he worked in his family’s office equipment and supply business. Today, at 77 he can’t stop thinking--when he sees something, he starts thinking about how he might improve it—even five years after selling his business, Misch 4 x 4 Products. We call that entrepreneurial thinking, a way of looking at life’s problems as opportunities for solutions. Part 1- Prior to year 2000 including the brass paper brad that led to the contract to provide office fixtures and furniture for the Phillips Petroleum building in Bartlesville Oklahoma mid-1980s. Part 2- Year 2000 and after, the need for a more comfortable Jeep ride leads to the invention and patent of the world's first aftermarket Jeep armrest followed by many other Jeep products.

Coffeyville’s Doug Misch has been an entrepreneur and entrepreneurial thinker even early in his career when he worked in his family’s office equipment and supply business. Today, at 77 he can’t stop thinking--when he sees something, he starts thinking about how he might improve it—even five years after selling his business, Misch 4 x 4 Products. We call that entrepreneurial thinking, a way of looking at life’s problems as opportunities for solutions. Part 1- Prior to year 2000 including the brass paper brad that led to the contract to provide office fixtures and furniture for the Phillips Petroleum building in Bartlesville Oklahoma mid-1980s. Part 2- Year 2000 and after, the need for a more comfortable Jeep ride leads to the invention and patent of the world's first aftermarket Jeep armrest followed by many other Jeep products.

When I was growing up, let's just say it was several years ago, battery operated toys were just coming into existence. In those days, batteries (technically, energy cells) were expensive enough that most electric toys were sold without them. Hence, the phrase we still sometimes hear today "Batteries not included.”

Beth Shinkle has learned to be persistent in pursuing her life’s journey. After at least two major life-changing experiences, she’s had to become persistent and her participation in a recent Entrepreneurial Mindset class has helped her renew her focus on finding her path.

A remix of a radio segment called "Entrepreneurial Minute" in 2017, the principles still apply today. For many people, the term "entrepreneurship" implies business ownership or business "start-up". Certainly, that is true sometimes, but entrepreneurship can be interpreted as a way of thinking of new ways to solve problems for others, many times with limited resources.  Successful entrepreneurship includes continuous innovation as successful entrepreneurs knowing they always have to be looking for the next greatest way to serve their customers or coworkers.  Innovation sometimes means new inventions and/or new technology but many times it means a new twist on an existing idea.

Part 2 Brian Hight, co-owner and proprietor of Magnolia Scents by Design did not start out with aspirations to be “the world’s best smelling scent shop artisanally handcrafting natural candles and soaps,” but that’s what happened. And the business, at its current and original location, 106 N Penn, Independence Kansas, was started just before the “crash” of 2008. Yet, customers liked the offerings and Magnolia grew. Today Brian would say he’s an entrepreneur by design.

Brian Hight, co-owner and proprietor of Magnolia Scents by Design did not start out with aspirations to be “the world’s best smelling scent shop artisanally handcrafting natural candles and soaps,” but that’s what happened. And the business, at its current and original location, 106 N Penn, Independence Kansas, was started just before the “crash” of 2008. Yet, customers liked the offerings and Magnolia grew. Today Brian would say he’s an entrepreneur by design.

Libraries are changing, working to stay relevant in a world much different than the one that existed when Andrew Carnegie financed so many libraries around the United States. Independence Public Library has been among the national leaders in this effort for years having won numerous awards for their innovative programs. Nancy Kishpaugh was the first to participate in the Entrepreneurial Mindset class, featuring the Ice House entrepreneurship program. It affected her in a way that prompted her boss and two other library colleagues to participate in following semester. The class added a bit of fuel to their innovation fire. Here is Nancy’s account of how this class

Growing up in Altamont, Kansas, Terry Trout liked to make things. In high school, his shop teacher, Mr. Holroyd, suggested that since he liked to make things, he might be interested in a wood technology program at Pittsburg State University (PSU.) So it was then that he was graduated from PSU in 1996 with a major in Wood Technology and a minor in business. Little did he know then that in September of 2011 he would take on the unlikely challenge of becoming a restauranteur.

Julie Eisele always knew she wanted to do her own thing; that is, have her own business, she just didn’t know how that would come about. She and her sister had set up all kinds of stores along the sidewalk, one where they made crosses out of sticks, selling them to neighbors. That gave her an early taste of the satisfaction of adding value to something and exchanging it with a customer for something else of value; cash.

People who know me know that I don't use the word "awesome" very often.  While so many others have made it a tired cliché, I use it very rarely to describe only exceptional situations.  The other day, a message came up on my phone that said "The New Year is going to be awesome.  Look at these movies that are coming out."  This was followed by a list of the mostly forgettable movie titles scheduled to come out early in the New Year.  Not only was that a perfect example of the over-use of the word "awesome", but the idea that a hand-full of movies could make a New Year awesome made me laugh.

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch."  I’ve heard that one all my life. Here’s what the Cambridge Dictionary has to say about this old adage; “you should not make plans that depend on something good happening before you know that it has actually happened” This is a terrible message for any of us, especially our youth, it implies that any good thing happening is a matter of some kind of chance or luck; that life is some kind of lottery where good things happen randomly only to the “lucky” ones.

I am reminded of a particular “Bonanza” episode every time one of our rural communities engages a consultant to do a market study, retail business recruitment, community branding or otherwise tell us what we can do and what retailers they can recruit to make our communities grow. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of Fab Lab ICC or Independence Community College.

At an age most people would retire, Curtis Lavine recognized a need in the aviation industry and started Kansas Aviation with 4 employees at age 59 in 1992. In 2014, Kansas Aviation was named Kansas Exporter of the Year. In a 2013 interview with Brian Hight, Magnolia Scents by Design--for the Entrepreneurial Mindset class--Curtis reveals some of the thought concepts and mindset that drive him to this day including "My next idea comes from recognizing a need." Caricature by Steve McBride

The robots keep coming and they are getting smarter by the day. For our purposes today, we’ll use the term robots to represent the concepts of robotics, automation and artificial intelligence (AI). Robots hold a promise to make life better and safer for many people. Our systems of making products and services available to a much wider spectrum of the world’s population can be greatly enhanced at a lower cost. But there’s at least one aspect that, while not exactly being ignored, is going to be a problem for which, which by and large, we are not yet seeking a solution.

Asking young people to study the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects in school without making anything is like asking them to study sports for 12 years before actually playing.