The Power of Entrepreneurs as Job Creators

Entrepreneurship translates to more local jobs, making entrepreneurs job creators and entrepreneurship a viable career pathway for job seekers and students. That’s why FCM is launching a new Entrepreneurship Division to give would-be and current entrepreneurs the knowledge, skills and abilities to be successful and grow into a small business with high growth potential.

Millions of Americans saw the pandemic as their opportunity for a fresh start when it came to how they made their living. They set out in record numbers to start their own businesses: Americans, including entrepreneurs of color, applied for 5.4 million business ID numbers in 2021, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 

In 2022, 5.1 million applications were filed in the U.S. That same year, California saw 33% more business applications filed than in 2019, according to the chamber’s interactive map, which shows new business applications across the country.

Entrepreneurship in the U.S. had been on the decline for decades before this surge, which

represents more than a new livelihood for Americans looking to be their own bosses or to share their passions with the world. It translates to more local jobs. It boosts local economic development efforts, too. When we think of entrepreneurs, we often think of them as innovators, risk-takers, or disruptors. But they are also job creators. And economic developers.

This Duke Center for International Development article explains their impact: “Entrepreneurship creates a huge amount of entry-level jobs that are very much important to turn unskilled jobholders into skilled ones. It also prepares and provides experienced workers to large industries.” 

Wait – What, Exactly, is Entrepreneurship?

The Center for American Entrepreneurship defines entrepreneurship as “the process of starting and developing a company, with the aim of delivering something new or improved to the market, or by organizing the means of production in a superior way.” The top two reasons business owners make the leap into entrepreneurship is they are ready to be their own boss (28%) or they are dissatisfied with corporate America (23%), according to Guidant’s “A Look at the State of Small Business in 2023.”

The Duke Center for International Development explains in the Top 5 Takeaways on the Importance of Entrepreneurship that entrepreneurship can be considered a national asset. 

“Entrepreneurs are the drivers of that asset for any country. It is a dynamic process that not only increases wealth but can also create value that results in improved well-being,” the article states. 

The article goes on to explain that “by creating new products and services, they stimulate new employment, which ultimately results in the acceleration of economic development. So public policy that encourages and supports entrepreneurship should be considered important for economic growth.”

As a longtime partner and thought leader in workforce development, FCM wants to help stimulate that economic growth within communities and empower job seekers to go after the thing they really want – in this case, becoming successful business owners. That’s why we are launching a new Entrepreneurship Division with the goal of giving would-be and current entrepreneurs the knowledge, skills and abilities to be successful and grow into a small business with high growth potential.

Introducing the Brand Amplifier for Entrepreneurs 

Our new Entrepreneurship Division is proud to introduce The Brand Amplifier for Entrepreneurs, part of FCM’s eFCM Learning Hub. The online courses can be taken alone, with our coaching staff, and/or combined with packages that include a brand toolkit and start-up PR opportunities. The goal is to elevate the exposure, awareness, and status of our participants and streamline efforts to gain higher returns on publicity investments, help clients plan campaigns, and maximize external marketing spends.

Each module is divided into mini modules for easy “consumption” with case studies and templates to help you move through The Brand Amplifier process easily which culminates in the development of your strategic marketing and communications. 

Module topics include:

• Module 1: Understanding Your Unique Market
• Module 2: Building Your Brand Identity
• Module 3: Identifying Your Ideal Customer
• Module 4: Storytelling to Elevate Your Brand
• Module 5: Integrated Marketing 101
• Module 6: The Wonderful World of Digital
• Module 7: Direct and Experiential Marketing
• Module 8: The Best in Public Relations Strategies 
• Module 9: The Art of Podcasting 
• Module 10: Creating Your Strategic Marketing and Communications Plan 

You can download our brochure for more details on our various packages.

This latest expansion of FCM’s services is headed by a seasoned entrepreneur, CEO Celina Shands. In her late 20s, she leveraged her bachelor’s degree in business/marketing, a master’s degree in sports medicine and her passion for sports as a collegiate athlete to start her first company, called Life At Its Peak. The consultancy helped doctors create a new business model by integrating sports medicine as part of a multi-disciplinary approach. When health insurance laws changed, she had to find another opportunity to pursue.

The next chapter was Full Capacity Marketing and a subsidiary company that she has since sold. FCM has been around for more than 20 years as a national consultancy specializing in brand storytelling and strategic communications for the workforce and education sectors – and now, the entrepreneurship sector.

Joining Celina is FCM’s VP of PR and Operations, Anika Jackson who has decades of success as an entrepreneur. As a marcom executive and instructor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, Anika’s knowledge of the intersections between public relations, branding, and digital media management is a perfect match to elevate results for FCM customers. She serves on the advisory board for the UC Santa Barbara Women in Leadership executive program, is a member of the Intuit Small Business Council and contributes her knowledge and thought leadership for the benefit of multiple local, national, and global organizations. Anika launched her marketing and business podcast in 2020, and it now has over 40,000 monthly listeners and more than 2500 5-star reviews.

If you are an entrepreneur, thinking of launching your own business, or looking to grow your current organization, we look forward to working with you and giving you the tools you need for success! Learn more under our eFCM Learning Hub!