Welcome to Empty Nest Egg

Welcome to the first in a series of posts on the topic of our current financial crisis. I teach entrepreneurship at the university level and have spent a large amount of time researching and thinking about how and why people start businesses. Some want to, perhaps because they do not like working for someone else or they hate working by the clock. Others are interested in achieving great wealth, something that is next to impossible with a job.

The events of 2008 have created another compelling reason to start a business. Many of us will simply have to. Though I am at my core an optimist, I believe that we have reached a tipping point. In the blink of an eye, we have seen the imminent collapse of our largest financial institutions, insurance companies, and automakers. Job layoffs are increasing rapidly, as are foreclosures. It is not pretty and it will get worse.

My purpose in writing this blog is twofold. First, I want to offer my interpretation of these disturbing events. The mainstream press has done an abysmal job of exposing the real culprits in our descent into economic madness. Second, I want to offer readers a way out. While the next few years are going to be a rough ride, those who are willing to learn some basic business skills and to question their previously held assumptions about the relationship between government and the economy have the opportunity not only to survive, but to prosper in the coming years.