by Josh
Why one project manager partners with entreprenuers, and why you should too.
Creation, Growth, Change, Improvement
Project Management Is About.... - by Paulpod via Flickr
These are the elements of project management I really enjoy. Making something great that didn’t exist before is where I find my passion for the discipline. Does your passion come from a similar place?
Project management is what enables entrepreneurship to flourish, even if it’s not recognized as project management it is what people are doing. The start-up phase of any company is a project.
This is why I am also passionate about micro-lending to entreprenuers. Let me explain.
Why I Support Entrepreneurs
People who start and run businesses are in the process of creating value and prosperity. Economics is not a zero-sum game. Given a free market and honest participants, when two parties make an exchange both sides are better off . Otherwise, the transaction would have never occurred.
“Entrepreneurship is the engine that drives economic prosperity. Capital is part of the fuel mixture that allows that engine to run. I want to see our global community prosper.” – from the pmStudent.com Kiva Lender page
Why YOU Should Support Entrepreneurs
I’ve been a lender on Kiva.org since the beginning of 2008, and have made 10 loans so far. It has been a richly rewarding experience for me. I enjoy getting updates from the entreprenuers about how their business is doing. I like the fact that I’m not giving someone a hand out. I am enabling them with the cheapest capital available to them so they can make strides towards making the lives of their family and community better.
You should support the hard-working and trustworthy entreprenuers through Kiva.org for these reasons too.
There Is a Ton of Talent Out There
I’ve had discussions with people who are from the same countries I’m loaning capital to. They are bright, motivated, and very interested in project management. Interacting with people through pmStudent.com, Kiva.org, and a multitude of other online resources has done nothing but bolstered my respect and admiration.
Every day I get a little more optimistic and grateful for the awesome potential my brothers and sisters around the world possess. Turn off the TV for awhile and actually interact with people from around the world. They are amazing!
More Information
For more information, please go to Kiva.org!
You can check out the video below from CNBC as well. (Please bear with their 15-second advertisement in the beginning, it was choppy for me but the rest of it plays just fine)
3 Comments
Josh Nankivel June 23 2009 05:44 am
Perhaps Bill. Think of this post as a special bulletin.
Dr. Paul D. GiammalvoJune 23, 2009 7:07 pm
Hi Josh,
I perceive all successful entrepreneurs to be effective project managers- a subset. (All entreprenurs are good project managers, but not all projec managers are necessarally successful entrepreneurs)
As a follow up to Bill’s comment, just look at how few entrepreneurs have been successful in the long term turning their ideas into long term, successful businesses.
Most VC’s end up forcing entrepreneurs to put in place “regular” management teams once the “baby” has been borm and is generating positive cash flows.
BR,
Dr. PDG, Jakarta
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Bill DuncanJune 23, 2009 5:36 am
Josh — I think publicity for Kiva is great (I recently made my first loan there after seeing them mentioned in a BusinessWeek article), but the link to project management is tenuous. Virtually all of the Kiva entrepreneurs are looking to build an ongoing business. They will perform some projects in order to do so, but I always hope that their focus is to stay in business, not to go out of business like a project!
And while you’re promoting good causes, my home page is set to http://www.therainforestsite.com.
Duncan