The Good Ground Project

Entrepreneur (en·tre·pre·neur) noun: One who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise. Merriam-Webster Dictionary

"I'm not sure I knew what an entrepreneur was when I was ten, but I knew that starting little businesses and trying to sell greeting cards or newspapers door-to-door... there's just something very intriguing to me about that." -- Steve Case, Founder of America Online AOL.

The Good Ground Project
The mission of The Good Ground Project is to introduce young people to entrepreneurship. This is done by introducing them to the entrepreneurs and leaders of today who can and will speak to them from experience about entrepreneurship. The Partners of the Project share their thoughts and offer advice in The Partner Profiles area. They can also correspond with the members of GGP in the Forum. The Project aims to show young people that entrepreneurship is a real and attractive option that they should consider.

LISTEN TO FOUNDER PETER M. THOMPSON'S INTERVIEW ON WHCR 90.3 FM - On February 6, 2007, Peter was interviewed by Moniifa Maht on the 'ASHE program regarding various topics including the origin of the Project, the Good Ground Partners, and his other related educational work. Click here to hear the interview.

In the Spotlight:

Name:	Martha Retallick
Title:	Owner
Company:	Western Sky Communications
Location:	Tucson, AZ
What I do:	Design Web sites that work on various platforms
Web Site:	http://WesternSkyCommunications.com

Nature of Business: I specialize in creating websites for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs. Since I want my STEM clients' websites to meet the highest criteria, I use Web Standards as a guide. Some website work incorporates my photography.

Latest Project (March 2011): I've just written an eBook that will be useful to young future entrepreneurs -- and some of my fellow Good Ground Partners: The Freelancer's Guide to Finding Clients. Check it out!

To me, entrepreneurship means taking charge of your work life. You'll be able to avoid the major pitfalls of the job world -- layoffs, unemployment, underemployment, and office politics. And, thanks to the flexibility that’s built into entrepreneurship, you'll be much freer to develop yourself as a person and as a citizen of your community.

For example, I like to work on various community service projects. In recent years, I've volunteered as a construction worker and photographer for Habitat for Humanity Tucson. I’ve also been a post-Katrina reconstruction volunteer in Mississippi. Neither of these activities would be possible if I was tied to a job where I’d have to ask for time off.

The most important lesson that I've learned is that it's not enough to be IN business. You must also be a student OF business.

So, in addition to your business career, commit yourself to a career of lifelong learning. Read books, newspapers, magazines, websites, blogs. Take classes, seminars, and workshops. Listen to the news. Pay attention to what the media are telling you -- and what they are not. And get to know people who've been in business for many years. They will be some of the best teachers you'll ever have.

I want to encourage you to learn and do as many different things as possible. Life lasts a long time. You can never be too sure about what you need to know out there.

Case in point: I make my living as a designer. A while back, I was designing a postcard, and wanted to add an accent to the lettering in the card. But nothing I tried had the right look. So, I decided to apply a bit of knowledge that I'd gained in a college calculus class. Voila, the accent came out perfectly.

This graphic designer is very glad that she has the problem-solving tools of calculus at her disposal. And she's even more grateful for the four years of high school math that enabled her to succeed in college calculus.

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