Budding businesses develop the Entrepreneurial Mindset through online learning courses

February 17, 2010 – Asheville, NC

Chronic unemployment is driving more highly skilled laborers to launch their own businesses. Having the desire to be self employed often however is not enough, aspiring entrepreneurs need to have the right mindset and expectations when they launch a new venture. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a world renown entrepreneurial think tank, is responding to this need in partnership with The Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative (ELI), specialists in entrepreneurship education. DigitalChalk, the online learning delivery platform offered by Infinity Learning Solutions has been chosen as the delivery platform for “Mindset: Tapping your Entrepreneurial IQ”. ELI and Kauffman have partnered together to offer this online program to identify the entrepreneurial mindset. The Kauffman Foundation initially sponsored 250 prospective entrepreneurs for this online course. The response was so high that all scholarships were taken within days. In response to the overwhelming demand, Kauffman and ELI are making additional scholarships available.

Mindset is a self-paced program that enables aspiring entrepreneurs to learn from the firsthand knowledge and experience of successful, real world entrepreneurs. Based on over 200 hours of on-camera interviews with a variety of successful entrepreneurs, including Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, E-Myth author Michael Gerber and Inc 500 winner Chuck Halberg, Mindset provides written and video content as well as an online forum that will connect each student to experienced entrepreneurs across the globe. Upon completing the course learning assessments, the student will receive a certificate. Thom Ruhe, director of Entrepreneurship at the Kauffman Foundation, states that this “should be a pre-requisite for anyone considering an entrepreneurial venture.”

As an advocate for entrepreneurs, Infinity Learning Solutions, Inc. is honored to host the program for ELI and the Kauffman Foundation. Often described as the ideal training software for small business, the DigitalChalk system is focused on serving small businesses, independent consultants and private trainers. “As entrepreneurs ourselves, the ILS team is passionate about helping startup businesses succeed. Our clients epitomize what it means to be entrepreneurial problem solvers” said Tony McCune, VP of Sales at ILS. “DigitalChalk has literally hundreds of entrepreneurs using the system to deliver training online every day.” DigitalChalk currently offers both professional and business level training accounts with no monthly charges. DigitalChalk charges a small delivery fee when users register for an online course. “Our price model is designed to be low risk for entrepreneurs and small businesses, they pay only for what they deliver,” said McCune.

According to Gary Schoeniger, ELI Founder and CEO, “Entrepreneurship can empower ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Experienced entrepreneurs can provide valuable knowledge and practical insight that go beyond what can be taught in a classroom. Our concept uses proven multimedia online learning management systems to transform the knowledge and experiences gathered from successful entrepreneurs into a series of powerful and engaging online learning programs.”

Mindset is currently being offered through a scholarship funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. For more information, visit https://www.elientrepreneur.com.