This weekend, while staying at the Chase Park Plaza in St.
Louis, we ran into the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO), which was
holding its annual conference for entrepreneurs.
Never heard of the AEO?
Yes, well, we hadn’t either. But
during the short exchange with the group, we came away impressed with their
mission.
AEO is the “voice of microbusiness development in the United
States,” as described in their mission statement at their website. Microbusinesses are companies that employ
five or fewer employees. According to
the AEO, if one in three microbusinesses hired just one additional employee,
the United States would be at full employment.
That’s because microbusinesses make up close to 90 percent of America’s
businesses.
AEO works with entrepreneurs, micro-lenders, small business
development organizations, nonprofit lending organizations, and educational
institutions to promote the success of microenterprise. The nonprofit Association brings the concerns
of underserved entrepreneurs to Capitol Hill and the White House. It provides networking opportunities so
microbusinesses can be supportive of each other.
And, had we known that Daymond John was scheduled to speak at
the conference, we would have changed our flights and stuck around to hear from
one of the stars of ABC’s Shark Tank. We
wonder just how many of those entrepreneurs at the conference had prepared a
“pitch” for John and were hoping to corner him on the elevator…
