4 Calls to Action for Entrepreneurs to Unite Creating opportunities for all through capital, markets, talent and technology.
By Elizabeth Gore Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
2015 was an amazing year for entrepreneurs. With your leadership through #EntrepreneursUNite, we passed Goal 8, the global goal focused on job creation and economic opportunity for all, with support from more than 1.2 billion people -- now a top priority for the United Nations for the next 15 years.
The second-biggest accomplishment was completing an extensive quantitative study on women entrepreneurs in 31 countries around the world. The Global Women Entrepreneur Leaders Scorecard comprised 70 percent of the world's female population, to gain a macro perspective of what needs to change to help entrepreneurs scale.
Now that we know the roadblocks for small businesses and have succeeded in pushing them to the top of the U.N.'s list, the hard work begins. We're in the mode of implementing key parts of Goal 8 to create the 600 million new jobs by 2025 that the United States needs to employ the entire eligible workforce. We're focusing on country-level initiatives, while working with world leaders to increase entrepreneurs' access to our four pillars of success -- capital, markets, talent and technology.
Related: Why Overseas Job Creation Is Good for U.S. Workers
We are in an election year, and everyone is paying attention to you -- the job creators. Let's leverage; here is where we need your help:
Capital.
It's difficult, and sometimes impossible, for entrepreneurs to build sustainable businesses when policies aren't business-friendly. Crafting tax codes that support entrepreneurship and innovation that are easy to understand is key to unlocking a founder's potential. In the long run, leaders are unlocking the potential for an entrepreneur to create the jobs needed to boost the economy, and making the nation as a whole more competitive. To the same end, creating a tax environment that allows entrepreneurs to fail and start back up again is equally as important. We're pushing hard for government leaders to recognize this, and we're encouraging them to provide development grants and special compliance assistance to startups so they can scale.
Markets.
To be future-ready, entrepreneurs today must be global from the start. They must look for customers, partners, suppliers, workers and materials beyond their immediate region. To make it easier for small-town businesses to become global companies, we're pushing for lower trade and non-tariff barriers and sound procurement policies. We're also calling for programs that make it easier for businesses to get started, such as a one-stop registration program. That's how you break through barriers.
Related: 3 million new entrepreneurs to accelerate job creation in India & Africa
Talent.
Finding top-tier talent is essential for any ambitious entrepreneur. Networking groups, such as the Dell Women's Entrepreneur Network for global entrepreneurs and the Circular Board or 1776 for burgeoning American companies, make it easier for progressive people to meet like-minded folks. Immigration policies that welcome highly-skilled talent are also necessary to build competitive businesses. Lastly, we should be focused on encouraging entrepreneurship in children. So we're focused on programs that inspire kids to think big and engage them in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, because this is how we create the new generation of talent.
Technology.
Emerging technologies are dramatically driving down the costs to start and scale a business. We need to keep building to enable every company to succeed. Dell has partnered with world-class technology leaders to keep businesses secure and agile, and it will continue to innovate. We've also urged that leaders make access to high-speed Internet a priority, through public-private partnerships, municipal initiatives and financing, because it will help create new businesses that were never before possible.
Related: Putting Small Business on 'Fast Track' to Job Creation
By 2030, our vision is to enable a billion entrepreneurs to scale and be future ready. We're optimistic we can achieve that if we keep our focus on these four pillars and our wonderful partners!
