If you could get a one on one with the Chief Entrepreneur of Queensland what would you ask him?
You could be cheeky and ask him how much he is getting paid for the fancy named gig; but that question will fall a bit flat when he say’s ‘nothing’.
Many I suspect though will first be asking who is the Chief Entrepreneur of Queensland and what does he do? His name is Mark Sowerby. He is the founder and former Managing Director of Blue Sky Alternative Investments Ltd, an Australian Top 300 listed company. As Queensland’s Chief Entrepreneur, Mark is the state’s start-up ambassador working with local, national and international entrepreneurial communities to help develop and grow Queensland’s innovation ecosystem and attract investment.
Mark will be in the Capricorn region on August 17 & 18 with 3 opportunities to ask him questions. One being a free event at Callaghan Park function room hosted by Startup Capricorn 5.30pm Thursday August 17.
What does this region need to do to encourage and attract more start-ups to develop here? That’s one question I will be asking. And perhaps I’ll get an answer like we need to be talking more about start-up’s and entrepreneurs and that regional Queensland is proving to be fertile ground for start-up’s in part due to relative isolation, thus individuals need to be entrepreneurial in getting things done. Plus, how measures like Startup Weekend’s (there’s another being held in October), 3 Day Startup, GovHack, Startup Stars. Startup Club, Startup Hub, Hot DesQ and even Startup Capricorn’s monthly meetup’s all help develop a stronger ecosystem that encourages and attracts more start-up’s in the region.
Kind of guessing though to many these measures are all new to you and probably thinking not worth reading further about. But if you own a house and/or business, have kids/grand-kids, want to see more events happen in the region it does affect you. Start-ups are now an essential ingredient for many economy’s growth. That is job, property value and living standards improvement.
If you not getting this message/linkage though than maybe the Office of the Chief Entrepreneur needs to do more with what Mark identified on his appointment to the position an issue that needed attention. “More than anything else Queensland needs its entrepreneurial story told.”
We need the Central Queensland chapter of the story to be not just told now and then but consistently showcased, here as much as interstate and internationally. We need to encourage more of our kids and university graduates to not only consider creating a start-up but to do it here. We need local media to be pro-active in this space, we need a demonstration of more local interest in local entrepreneurial stories, we need more collaboration between local businesses like what is happening with East Street Envy, we need you to turn up on August 17, listen to what the Chief Entrepreneur of Queensland has to say, ask questions, retell and maybe even be part of the ongoing story. After all there is much to be gained individually and as a region. Look forward to seeing you there. Bookings can be made at www.eventbrite.com.au/e/the-chief-entrepreneurs-entrepreneurial-journey-tickets-36681155323.