Entrepreneurship Archives - Tennessee Star

Entrepreneur Establishes ‘Shark Tank’ Style Grant Competition for Austin Peay Students

September 12, 2023September 11, 2023 Peter D'Abrosca

Through his charitable foundation, a Tennessee businessman plans to award grants to aspiring Austin Peay State University entrepreneurs in a competition modeled after the popular television show “Shark Tank.”

“Guidance from entrepreneurs and business leaders has played a key role in shaping my career,” said businessman Spencer Patton, who runs The Patton Foundation. “That’s the heart behind the Patton Foundation and the PEG Challenge – to pay it forward by offering education and assistance to young entrepreneurs with big dreams.”

Commentary: Occupational Licenses Are Killing Minority Entrepreneurship

January 17, 2023January 16, 2023 Admin

Ashley N’Dakpri runs Afro Touch, a hair-braiding salon in Louisiana. She wants to hire more stylists to meet demand, but Louisiana’s strict occupational licensing regulations prevent her from doing so.

Ashley legally isn’t allowed to hire new stylists unless they have a cosmetologist’s license, a certification that requires five hundred hours of training and thousands of dollars in fees to obtain. She notes that many potential employees are no longer interested in working for her once they discover the onerous occupational licensing requirements.

Author Samuel Gregg Discusses His New Book, ‘The New American Economy’

December 5, 2022December 5, 2022 Julie Carr

Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Action Insitute Fellow and author of the new book, The New American Economy, Samuel Gregg to the newsmaker line to talk about how to improve the American economy.

TN-5 Candidate Geni Batchelor Talks About Her Entrepreneurial Spirit and Why She’s Running for Congress

July 7, 2022July 6, 2022 Julie Carr

Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed TN5 candidate and newcomer to politics, entrepreneur Geni Batchelor in studio to discuss her life experience and why she’s running for Congress.

Kerry McDonald: Parents’ Demand for More Education Options Has Been Met with Greater Innovation in Providing Alternatives to Public Schools

March 22, 2022March 21, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

Senior Education Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) Kerry McDonald told The Star News Network the time is ripe in America for greater innovation and entrepreneurship in providing new education models for parents exiting the government school system.

Many parents got an up-close look at what their children are learning in public schools for the first time during the pandemic school closures and subsequent remote learning, leading them to consider education alternatives.

Child Tax Credit Is Driving Americans Toward Entrepreneurship, Has Little Effect on Workforce

December 9, 2021December 8, 2021 Admin

A new study suggests that the child tax credit (CTC) is not reducing overall employment nationwide but is driving some low and middle-income parents away from their private sector jobs and toward self-employment.

The study, led by researchers at the Washington University in St. Louis’ Social Policy Institute and Appalachian State University and provided exclusively to the Daily Caller News Foundation, found that the monthly payments had barely any impact on the job market whatsoever, contradicting concerns that the tax credits would worsen the labor shortage. It also found that adults were far less likely to list child care as a reason for unemployment, with the share of people saying so dropping from 26% to below 20% once they began receiving the payments.

University of Michigan-Flint Grant to Support 300 Jobs, $10.4M Investment in Flint

October 2, 2021October 1, 2021 The Center Square

The U.S. Secretary of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded a $3.8 million Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Recovery Assistance grant to the University of Michigan-Flint, Flint, to construct the university’s new College of Innovation and Technology.

The grant, to be matched with $4.9 million in local funds, is expected to create 126 jobs, retain 175 jobs, and generate $10.4 million in private investment.

“We are grateful to Secretary Raimondo and the Biden Administration for investing in University of Michigan-Flint’s College of Innovation and Technology,” Whitmer said in a statement. “This grant will help us usher in a new era of prosperity by supporting over 300 good-paying jobs and generating $10.4 million in private investment.” 

Mayor Sheldon Neeley welcomed the investment.

The Entrepreneurs Corner: Refined Men’s Salon Owner Julie White Talks What She Did During the Coronavirus Shutdown

September 10, 2021September 9, 2021 Julie Carr

Thursday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed the Owner of Refined Men’s Salon in Franklin, Tennessee, Julie White to reflect upon the onset of coronavirus restrictions.

Crom Carmichael Discusses Two Great Americans and the Character of the Country

July 20, 2021July 19, 2021 Julie Carr

Woman and man covered up in American flag

Monday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael in studio to discuss the recent deaths of two entrepreneurs that embodied the American character.

Commentary: Entrepreneurship Is Accelerating at the Fastest Rate in Decades During This Pandemic

November 22, 2020November 21, 2020 Admin

As officials in many areas impose new pandemic lockdowns and restrictions going into the holiday season, things can seem bleak. Depression rates are up, people are fleeing cities in droves, elected leaders regularly violate their own orders, and fraud is rampant in the government’s COVID-19 stimulus programs.

Author of ‘George Washington, Entrepreneur’ John Berlau Talks About Washington as an Innovator

June 18, 2020June 17, 2020 Julie Carr

Live from Music Row Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report Early Edition with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed American economist and the Director at the Center for Investors and Entrepreneurs at the Competitive Enterprise Institute John Berlau to the newsmakers line.

During the first hour, Berlau joined the show to discuss his new book entitled George Washington, Entrepreneur, and how his innovative spirit contributed to America. He also touched upon Washington’s relationship to slavery and how near the end of his life had led the way by freeing all of his slaves.

Occupational Licensing Reform: A Bipartisan Blueprint for Helping Low-Income Workers

July 15, 2018July 14, 2018 Admin

by Alex Muresianu A new report from the University of Wisconsin-Madison comparing employment between Minnesota and Wisconsin after Minnesota raised its minimum wage found that Minnesotan workers saw a decline in employment, especially for young, inexperienced, and low-skilled workers, as employment in Wisconsin rose. Despite this evidence reaffirming that the minimum wage can hurt…

A Record Number Of Small Businesses Are Raising Wages Amid Tight Labor Market

June 4, 2018July 18, 2018 Admin

by Will Racke A greater share of small companies in the U.S. are raising wages than at any time in the past three decades, according to a survey released Thursday from the nation’s biggest independent business association. A seasonally adjusted 35 percent of small business owners reported they have increased…

Overregulation Imperils the Entrepreneurial Food Truck Revolution

April 2, 2018April 1, 2018 Admin

by Joseph Sunde As protestors continue to boldly decry “corporate greed” with little definition or discernment, progressive policymakers are just as quick to push a range of wage controls and market manipulations to mitigate the supposed vices of free and open exchange. The painful irony, of course, is that the…