Whether one works in a large corporation or a young company, maintaining an entrepreneurial mindset is important to driving innovation, according to a panel of innovators at a Kenosha Startup Week discussion Wednesday.

The โEntrepreneurship as a New Normalโ panelists described what constitutes entrepreneurship and how to inject it into an organization.
โItโs developing an idea,โ said David Jones, founder of the Center for Collaborative Research. โAll of a sudden, this idea germinates and itโs like, โIโve got to make this work. I canโt rest until I make this happen.โโ
Jeremy Fojut of NEWaukee described entrepreneurship as going through 15 different emotions in any given day, and your parents not understanding what you do.
โHow do I replace the unknown with curiosity?โ he asked. โI think you just have to have a drive and a passion for wanting to change something or do something different.โ
Randy Hernandez of Kenall Manufacturing, where the event was held, said his interview process for new employees involves behavioral questions that indicate problem-solving skills. He expects his employees to be micro-entrepreneurs.
โItโs all about creation. Itโs almost creating something from nothing,โ Hernandez said. โItโs having a passion. Itโs wanting to wallow in that passion for three or four years hence.โ
Samantha Jacquest of Blue House Books never expected to become an entrepreneur, but she has recently hosted several pop-up shops with the hope of opening a bookstore in Kenosha. She has a masterโs in book publishing and wanted to remain in the Midwest, where there wasnโt a lot of job opportunity.
โFor me personally, it was the need to create my own job,โ she said. โThere are a ton of free resources out there in terms of educating you about what to do.โ
Fojut cautioned that while he sees startups being launched, they donโt always solve some of societyโs biggest problems.
โWe havenโt solved any real problems in a long time,โ he said. โNo oneโs taking that next leap. We have to solve some of these problems instead of perpetuating them. How do we help nonprofits be more innovative?โ
Moderator Amy Greil of CNRED UW-Extension described it as the need for better recipes, not more cooking.
Encouraging better recipes may mean thinking outside the box and skipping college to complete a coding camp, which is becoming a trade skill, Fojut said.
โUniversity is about to be disrupted,โ he said. โThe bubble is happening. The debtโs too high. The universities are teaching things that donโt really need to be learned right off the bat.โ
Itโs also important to give young people opportunities to explore different career paths, the panelists agreed.
โInternships are a great way for young people to have a safe space to go, โThat ainโt it,โโ Jones said.
Within established companies, the panelists recommended competitions or idea collection projects to draw out employeesโ ideas. Hernandez said he has had success with skunkworks projects aimed at innovation within large corporations.