GREENSBORO, N.C. — In entrepreneurship, much can get lost in the gulf between success stories and the cautionary tales of woe.
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows 20 percent of small businesses fail within the first year. The U.S. Small Business Administration suggests half of small businesses fail within the first five years.
Yet, there are those anecdotal “self-made millionaire" stories of the man who started his business 30 years ago and is now looking at retiring on Jordan Lake.
“The old 'all I had when I first started was $10,000 and my kitchen table' story,” said Lisa Hazlett.
Through her lens as communications and external affairs manager for the Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship in Greensboro, Hazlett might well know better than most entrepreneurs' fate is somewhere between horror and success stories.
With help, many do better than simply survive.
The Triad Entrepreneurship Consortium, comprised of between 35 and 50 members –– some entities, some individuals –– has a mission to help start-ups get off the ground and continue to grow.
For more on the groups participating, click here to head to the Triad Business Journal's website.
