Comments on: Tapping Your Inner Entrepreneur http://acrlog.org/2009/06/24/tapping-your-inner-entrepreneur/ Blogging by and for academic and research librarians Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:07:41 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Elena Amore http://acrlog.org/2009/06/24/tapping-your-inner-entrepreneur/comment-page-1/#comment-130117 Elena Amore Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:15:57 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=1650#comment-130117 I think the expression “entrepreneur” fits for a librarian. I´m not talking of librarians (apparently many) that start a business aside or after their job using their knowledge, experience and creativity. In his/her actual job a librarian, even an academic librarian, is an entrepreneur as she/he faces financial challanges and tackles marketing issues as any other intrepreneur. For examples: "selling" ideas and services; being customer-oriented (the conceived service has to satisfy the customers in order not to lose them or to have unsatisfied customers); having to keep up-dated with the ICT; having to use Information as an asset; weighin up the impact the service´s quality has on the image of the library (and aside of the university or the city in case of a public library); consider cost and revenue etc.. I think the expression “entrepreneur” fits for a librarian. I´m not talking of librarians (apparently many) that start a business aside or after their job using their knowledge, experience and creativity. In his/her actual job a librarian, even an academic librarian, is an entrepreneur as she/he faces financial challanges and tackles marketing issues as any other intrepreneur. For examples: “selling” ideas and services; being customer-oriented (the conceived service has to satisfy the customers in order not to lose them or to have unsatisfied customers); having to keep up-dated with the ICT; having to use Information as an asset; weighin up the impact the service´s quality has on the image of the library (and aside of the university or the city in case of a public library); consider cost and revenue etc..

]]> By: Alison Heittman http://acrlog.org/2009/06/24/tapping-your-inner-entrepreneur/comment-page-1/#comment-129307 Alison Heittman Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:37:19 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=1650#comment-129307 Dick, Your description of an entrepreneur sounds more like someone with a short attention span. Planning an exit strategy is basic business, not just entrepreneurial in nature. I take exception to the idea that I have to sell off my current business & start a new one in order to continue to consider myself an entrepreneur. It is possible to continue to have vision and to innovate within the same company for years. Sir Richard Branson, Oprah Winfrey and Steve Jobs are great examples of this: they continue to envision and take risks on new lines of business within their organizations. This same spirit can be applied both in the traditional library field and by librarians (like me) who have left it. Wishing you much success as well (and that you come into contact with more librarians like me!). All the best, Alison Heittman Dick,

Your description of an entrepreneur sounds more like someone with a short attention span. Planning an exit strategy is basic business, not just entrepreneurial in nature. I take exception to the idea that I have to sell off my current business & start a new one in order to continue to consider myself an entrepreneur. It is possible to continue to have vision and to innovate within the same company for years. Sir Richard Branson, Oprah Winfrey and Steve Jobs are great examples of this: they continue to envision and take risks on new lines of business within their organizations. This same spirit can be applied both in the traditional library field and by librarians (like me) who have left it.

Wishing you much success as well (and that you come into contact with more librarians like me!).

All the best,
Alison Heittman

]]> By: Dick Bendtzen http://acrlog.org/2009/06/24/tapping-your-inner-entrepreneur/comment-page-1/#comment-129126 Dick Bendtzen Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:01:33 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=1650#comment-129126 I can relate to some of the comments from "part time" librarians who have started businesses on the side, but I have a fundamental problem with "Librarian Entrepreneur" probably because my definition of an entrepreneur is a little different. In my mind, an "entrepreneur" is a person who likes to build businesses - and then build more businesses - unlike a "businessman" (or women) who builds a business to run it and grow it because that is what they want to do. A true entrepreneur - in my opinion - starts and grows a business to sell it, because they get bored running the same business for the rest of their life, but they enjoy starting new ones. Hard to imagine a librarian who has that mindset, but I suppose there must be some out there. At any rate, here's to your success, whatever you do. I can relate to some of the comments from “part time” librarians who have started businesses on the side, but I have a fundamental problem with “Librarian Entrepreneur” probably because my definition of an entrepreneur is a little different.

In my mind, an “entrepreneur” is a person who likes to build businesses – and then build more businesses – unlike a “businessman” (or women) who builds a business to run it and grow it because that is what they want to do. A true entrepreneur – in my opinion – starts and grows a business to sell it, because they get bored running the same business for the rest of their life, but they enjoy starting new ones.

Hard to imagine a librarian who has that mindset, but I suppose there must be some out there.

At any rate, here’s to your success, whatever you do.

]]> By: Alison Heittman http://acrlog.org/2009/06/24/tapping-your-inner-entrepreneur/comment-page-1/#comment-128958 Alison Heittman Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:30:51 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=1650#comment-128958 I am a former-librarian-turned-entrepreneur. I received my MSLIS from Simmons in '97 and went on to corporate librarianship. In the dozen years since then, I've moved into the software sector via the information architecture route. In 2006 my husband Rob and I started our 2nd company (well, it's Rob's 4th), Solertium. I'm proud to say that I am the visionary founder and enjoy the daily executive responsibilities. I'm fortunate to be a part of a great team of software developers, working on such varied projects as the toolkit used to compile IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species, point of sale software for the hospitality sector, and the development of an open source, RESTful content management platform. If you have the spark, I believe the library profession is great preparation for entrepreneurship. If anything, you learn that you must be creative in order to find the best answer to a reference question. It's an easy leap to start applying that creativity to your own ideas and questions. Understanding that you don't need to know everything - just how to find it - also gives great perspective. And as a corporate librarian, I was exposed to business research from all types of professions (engineers, salespeople, lawyers, execs, etc), which has not been wasted now that I'm a CEO. I'm looking forward to following the comments here, to learn what others are up to. And I'm kind of wishing that this topic had been broached while I was at Simmons - is it at all a part of library curriculum these days? Best, Alison Heittman I am a former-librarian-turned-entrepreneur. I received my MSLIS from Simmons in ‘97 and went on to corporate librarianship. In the dozen years since then, I’ve moved into the software sector via the information architecture route. In 2006 my husband Rob and I started our 2nd company (well, it’s Rob’s 4th), Solertium. I’m proud to say that I am the visionary founder and enjoy the daily executive responsibilities. I’m fortunate to be a part of a great team of software developers, working on such varied projects as the toolkit used to compile IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species, point of sale software for the hospitality sector, and the development of an open source, RESTful content management platform.

If you have the spark, I believe the library profession is great preparation for entrepreneurship. If anything, you learn that you must be creative in order to find the best answer to a reference question. It’s an easy leap to start applying that creativity to your own ideas and questions. Understanding that you don’t need to know everything – just how to find it – also gives great perspective. And as a corporate librarian, I was exposed to business research from all types of professions (engineers, salespeople, lawyers, execs, etc), which has not been wasted now that I’m a CEO.

I’m looking forward to following the comments here, to learn what others are up to. And I’m kind of wishing that this topic had been broached while I was at Simmons – is it at all a part of library curriculum these days?

Best,
Alison Heittman

]]> By: annalaura brown http://acrlog.org/2009/06/24/tapping-your-inner-entrepreneur/comment-page-1/#comment-128956 annalaura brown Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:04:55 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=1650#comment-128956 I am an entrepreneur with my own part time business as I have only a part time library job. I earn money mostly online. I think many librarians and most especially those who are struggling to find a job need to reconsider self employment. I am an entrepreneur with my own part time business as I have only a part time library job. I earn money mostly online. I think many librarians and most especially those who are struggling to find a job need to reconsider self employment.

]]> By: Hannah http://acrlog.org/2009/06/24/tapping-your-inner-entrepreneur/comment-page-1/#comment-128913 Hannah Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:22:06 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=1650#comment-128913 Hey Steven - Great to hear you plug the conference and your talk. Here's a link to the interview podcast you so kindly did: http://iminervapodcast.blogspot.com/2009/06/interview-steven-bell-keynote-speaker.html Best, Hannah Hey Steven – Great to hear you plug the conference and your talk. Here’s a link to the interview podcast you so kindly did:
http://iminervapodcast.blogspot.com/2009/06/interview-steven-bell-keynote-speaker.html

Best, Hannah

]]> By: Kyle http://acrlog.org/2009/06/24/tapping-your-inner-entrepreneur/comment-page-1/#comment-128713 Kyle Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:43:19 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=1650#comment-128713 Hi Steven- You may find my NextGen article on the start-up librarian mindset to be of interest: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6630793.html ~kyle~ Hi Steven-

You may find my NextGen article on the start-up librarian mindset to be of interest:
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6630793.html

~kyle~

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