Last night I had the pleasure of meeting Desmond Tutu, the Anglican Arch Bishop, Nobel laureate, and famous anti-apartheid activist.  The Arch Bishop was speaking at the Insight Speaker Series, hosted by Elizabeth Weiland, whom we previously have interviewed on Startup Story Radio.

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper opened the event by describing the rough and impoverished childhood that Desmond Tutu endured as a young black child in South Africa.

Desmond Tutu spoke about how the entire would is connected and that no man is “self-made” but is rather made by others.  He also spoke about how as a boy he was inspired by the first black American baseball players.

It was an amazing event, and I am thankful that I was invited.  I would also recommend that if you in Denver, that you check out the rest of the series.  It will be well work the time and money.

In this Podcast Episode

Rob McNealy interviews Melodie Reagan, CEO of Auromira^TM Executive Advantage and President of TiE-Rockies, about what the Rockies chapter of TiE is doing to foster entrepreneurship in Colorado.

Sponsor: Try GotoMeeting free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit www.gotomypc.com/podcast

Melodie Reagan’s Bio

Melodie Reagan, CEO of Auromira^TM Executive Advantage, a national  recruitment, staffing and workforce management firm, is an international business leader and entrepreneur, having led teams throughout the US, Europe and Asia. Her 20+ years of Communications and Information industry experience includes line of business management with profit and loss accountability, product management and development, marketing, eCRM, and systems development. Previously, she was Sr. Vice President of Global Marketing and Sales Operations and Sr. Vice President of Transport Services for Level(3) Communications; a global practice leader and industry analyst with Telechoice; and she held marketing leadership positions with Wiltel, Sprint, and US West.

Her business achievements span starting and leading a successful staffing and recruitment firm, having up to $1 billion product line responsibility serving consumers, all size businesses and government, and leading a top performing international consultancy. Melodie has managed operating budgets of up to $35 million, directed technical and non-technical staffs of more than 130 throughout the globe (US, EU and Asia). She has consistently won performance awards including President’s Club, Women Legislator’s Outstanding Women of Colorado, and NAFE’s Women of Excellence for Outstanding Entrepreneur Achievement.

Melodie has a passion for serving her community.  In addition to regularly speaking on leadership, workforce trends and career development, she founded WBE (Women Business Executives), served as a judge in both 2005 and 2006 for Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Awards - Rocky Mountain Region, was Board Director for ACG (Association for Corporate Growth) Denver and is currently President of TiE-Rockies.  Melodie graduated magna cum laude with a BSBA in Marketing, Management Information Systems and Management Science from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She has two wonderful sons, Aaron and Bryce.

Last week, my daughter and I were reading a fairy tale about a town where everyone was about to to lose their job because the mill owner was very old, and no one had enough money to buy the mill when he retired. The towns people in the story became very sad and angry when they heard the news, and things in town got a little out of control.

At that point, I stopped, and asked my daughter, “What could the people in the town do to get more money.” She made me proud when she answered “sell things and start a business.”

We’ve all heard stories about amazingly successful entrepreneurs who used their last dollar to turn their lives around and ended up making it big. Real estate investor Armando Montelongo of Flip This House fame is one example that comes to mind.  Sometimes the success stories are smaller, but no less awe inspiring, like the people who have brought themselves out of poverty by starting businesses with microloans from places like Kiva.

Entrepreneurship is amazing.  It can allow people in the worst circumstances to overcome the odds in a way that a minimum wage retail job never will, allowing them to bring THEMSELVES out of poverty.