Recently I was asked to summarize the information shared at the Dean’s Roundtable of Entrepreneurs and Market-makers at Walton College. I was inspired by the incredible dedication to excellence that the group exhibited while sharing how we could improve the entrepreneurial eco-system of Northwest Arkansas. Below is the summary of our day, in my humble opinion, that I’d like to share.
We believe.
We believe in the power of change.
We believe in disruption.
We believe that our disruption in the market can change the world.
We believe in our community, Northwest Arkansas.
We believe in our ecosystem.
We believe in our future.
We believe in ourselves and each other.
We want to partner.
We want to learn.
We aren’t afraid to tell the truth.
The truth of what needs to change.
The truth of failure.
The truth of vision, hope and the future.
We are an empathetic bunch.
We remember what was like on the first day of our new adventures, quaking in our boots.
We know the future walks through these halls every day.
We know this because not long ago, we were the future.
We ARE the future.
We know the critical importance of story.
The story of success and failure.
We know that in this room we could have the next Big 3 of Northwest Arkansas.
The combined knowledge in this room is staggering.
Thanks to the culture in Northwest Arkansas that we’ve created, we have a spirit of cooperation.
We can leverage that knowledge to raise the tide for all boats.
Because we know that when ideas and innovation meet execution for excellence, we can change the world.
Angela Belford
The Belford Group