Welcome, Champion of Human Advancement!

Innovation drives human achievement. From the wheel to the internal combustion engine to the fuel-cell, from the vacuum tube to the transistor to the microprocessor, and from the Magna Carta to the Bill of Rights, any advancement you can think of started with a creative thought or idea.

Innovation thrives-indeed, it flourishes-in a free society, and, in a free society, the champion of innovation is the entrepreneur. If you've found your way to this blog, you likely have an entrepreneurial streak in you. Maybe you have nothing more than an idea, or maybe you lead a company with hundreds of employees. Wherever you are on the entrepreneurial spectrum, you are a Champion of Human Advancement.

I've been "accused" of being a serial entrepreneur, and I know that one of the many risks we face is a non-financial one. It is the risk of isolation. We are energetic, creative, dedicated, and self-sufficient. No one can do it like we can. Ah, but there's the rub. In fact, we don't know everything, and we need to step out on a regular basis and get fresh perspectives.

I hope you will return to this blog regularly to learn about resources that are available to the entrepreneur, the Champion of Human Advancement. PAC Leaders from around the country will be posting here on a regular basis to offer resources and direction to help you fulfill the dream you have for your business.

One such resource is The Entrepreneurship Institute (TEI). http://www.tei.net/ TEI is a non-profit organization based in Columbus, Ohio that produces events for entrepreneurs all across the U.S. TEI's website has a free library of presentations that have been given by outstanding business leaders throughout the country and over several years. Go to the "Hear About It" tab, and I'm sure you will find a presentation that can offer you an inspiring new insight.

If you prefer reading to listening, give the Edward Lowe Foundation a try. http://www.lowe.org/ Edward Lowe was the inventor of kitty litter, and he left most of his fortune to his Foundation, the mission of which is to champion the entrepreneurial spirit. You will find the Lowe Resource Center to be full of articles that are sortable by topic and might represent "out of the box" thinking for you.

This is the time of year when many of us think about long-term goals. If you sometimes find yourself isolated in business, make a commitment to yourself to carve out some time in that jam-packed calendar of yours to "step outside the box" and seek a new perspective on things. You'll be glad you did.

Nick Arvis