I got up early this morning and like many a male Michigander at this time of the year I could not wait to get outside and power up the snow blower. As I headed for the garage I noticed some unusual triangular marks in the otherwise smooth white stuff. Although I am no hunter I could tell right off that these were not squirrel tracks.

I followed the marks to the front lawn and there to my mild surprise were two Canadian Geese padding around. One was pecking at some dead geraniums leaves draped with icicles. The other bird was arching its neck and turning over the garbage that my wife had put out the night before.

I figured that the birds had flown back early to watch the Olympics but the larger of the two geese set me straight. “Sure, we Canadians love our hockey, “the goose hissed. “ But that’s not why we are back north in February. The plain truth is we have had enough of flying south every season. We getting old and are tired of the long lines in the air, the lack of food and water en route and these days the weather at the other end is no different from here. It was snowing in Dallas so hard we thought we were still back on the plains of Saskatchewan. “

The smaller goose arched her neck and unfolded her wings and pulled at the stuff in the recycle bin. “Take a look at this,” she advised politely. “I walked over and brushed snow flakes off the crumpled soggy newspaper. The headline in last Sunday’s New York Times read “Snowbirds Come Home to Roost. Goodbye Florida retirement…Hello Detroit.“ The story, written by Toby Barlow reported on the new trend among senior citizens moving back to their northern roots.

“I have read it,” I advised my avian friends. “The fact is human migration patterns may be changing because our economy is in bad shape and baby boomers have seen their wealth melt like, well, snow in a very late Michigan Spring. With the economy in a mess many retirees figure that it makes sense to stay in Detroit where house prices are at their lowest, the quality of life is gradually improving and the cost of living is likely to allow them to eek out their savings.”

“We haven’t noticed,” hissed the larger of the two snowbirds, who I decided had all the attitude of an irritable old gander. “For years now we have been flying over land that was once rich farmland and good feeding grounds for us on our journeys. Gradually you have spread out and poured concrete over the landscape.

“If you are talking about the suburbs and exurbs that trend may be changing..,’ I explained defensively.” There are some mega trends that are altering human habits. The world population is set to double to 9 billion in the next few decades and we are running out of oil and other important resources such as water, farmland and space. In the future humans may be concentrated in big cities so that we don’t have to fly long distances to work or play. You must had a bird’s eye view of big houses with gardens are overgrown. That’s a sure sign that the supersized human nests are really empty.  So your old feeding grounds may be returning.

Check out high end suburbs like Bloomfield Hills where you find more food in the grounds of empty mansions than on my modest patch of garden.”

The geese took my advice and flew off. So I went back inside and pondered my conversation with them over a bowl of hot oatmeal. The growing world population has to live somewhere…its just that more will rent than own…New development will be clustered in walkable urban areas, linked to other centers by high speed trains and high class electric buses…

Even in a down economy there are business opportunities and that includes real estate. At Techtown, the business incubator where I work one of the fastest growing start-up businesses is Nevar Realty, a company that specializes in low cost housing in Detroit….. The financial institutions all over the country have thousands of empty houses on their books that they are not set up to deal with. Somebody has to sell them on behalf of the finance companies…. Foreclosed properties have to be cleaned up, maintained and rented out to the millions of people who will no longer be able to buy a home…senior citizens will need people to take care of their houses, gardens and their health…. flying in the future will left to the birds. ..

My wife interrupts the business plan that is taking shape in my head. “Why don’t you fire up the snow blower,” she suggests. You can sign up for a FastTrac or SmartStart business class on Monday. ‘Right now there is a pile of snow in the driveway and the geese have left their usual mess.”

In the early 1600s a small group of men and women became convinced that royalty – the kings and queens who ruled them – should have nothing to do with their religion and how they worshipped.  Their idea of the separation of church and state was heretical thinking that could end with a short journey to the Tower of London, followed by an even shorter trip to fiery death at the stake.

So the separatists – as they were called – decided to leave the country and they slipped out of England on any boat that would take them and landed in nearby Netherlands. The group, numbering no more than a few hundred, made their way to Leiden where they settled for several years and pondered their next move.

Imagine the conversations that took place by candlelight in the long cold winter evenings.

“It’s not much better here. The Dutch are more accommodating and the tulips are beautiful in spring but there is little work here and if we want to be free of the tyranny of European royalty we have to travel to a new continent.”

“And pray where would that be?”

“I was thinking about that new place out west, to the vast land that was discovered by the Italian adventurer, Columbus.  It is a land that has not been settled.”

“Are you out of your mind? It is a perilous journey across a wild and dangerous ocean, besides, were would we get the money to finance a voyage like that?”

“Well, we could seek finance from merchant adventurers in London.”

“English venture capitalists?  They will demand a massive return on their money. This would be a deal fraught with risk for both the backers and those who took part.”

“Pray, tell me, how’s that different from any start-up business?”

So a few men from the group slipped quietly back to London and pitched their business enterprise. They went from investor to investor and eventually found a group of substantial bankers replete from a long lunch of roast beef and claret and in the mood to take a chance. These merchant adventure capitalists financed the  “Mayflower” and in 1620 a number of the most entrepreneurial separatists plus a few others landed in North America at a place that became known as Plimouth.  Before they landed however, the leaders – including the first elected Governor, William Bradford – wanted to ensure that the bankers in England got their money back with interest. Every man was persuaded to sign his name to a “Mayflower” compact. This was a document which committed all aboard to repaying their investors with furs and other riches that were waiting to be discovered on the new continent even if it took several years – which it did.  Those separatists also, known as Pilgrims, were the first entrepreneurs in a country that was to become the United States of America.

Last week another Governor, Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, announced a similar compact with a group of bankers as she met with a few dozen modern-day separatists to explain her plan. The Governor’s audience included people that had been separated from their jobs in the auto industry as well as manufacturing industries; others had been separated from their houses – all were ready to embark on a new business adventure.

In the last six months 1,600 individuals have attended events organized by TechTown in Detroit to hear of the opportunities and challenges of setting up a new business. Over 1,200 have signed up for short courses called FastTrac to the Future, over 700 of these have graduated through FastTrac start-up business classes and nearly 100 of these aspiring business men and women have committed to two years of follow-up training and mentoring in a program called SmartStart. These adventurous men and women have all faced the same problem that the first settlers encountered – how to finance the first part their journey towards building a new future.

Now Gov. Granholm has come up with one important answer. She has persuaded the Credit Unions of Michigan to invest $43 million in new enterprises in the state. In some ways the pledge Governor Granholm has obtained from the Credit Unions is even more remarkable than the backing that Governor Bradford obtained from the London-based merchants. In the 1600s the economy was humming along and merchant adventurers were very bullish. Today the economy is suffering and Credit Unions have been the most conservative sector of the American banking industry.

Under the plan announced by the governor each new business owner that has enrolled in the FastTrac training can apply to their local Credit Union for up to $20,000 to get their enterprise started. The FastTrac program that was launched last summer at TechTown is now being taken across the state by Michigan Small Business Technology Development Center – MI-SBTDC – a free service headed by Carol Lopucki. The people of Michigan like the first Mayflower adventurers are embarking on a voyage to discover their business future.

They came from all over Detroit, folks hunting for bargains as well as those curious to witness the end of an era. Everything in the Dalgleish Cadillac showroom was lined up, ready for sale. An auctioneer worked his way through the remains of a business successful for more than 50 years. A few dozen chairs were snapped up for $1, welding equipment, paint booths, floor jacks, lifts, computers, golf carts, air compressors – all the stuff the Dalgleish family had accumulated as a General Motors dealer.

At the end of one day last week, it was all gone; everything except the memories. Read the rest of this entry »

I had wanted to do it ever since I was a kid.

But when I was young my elders stopped me. “You can’t have dessert until you have finished your meat and potatoes,” they would say without further explanation. When I grew older I would occasionally see enticing signs like “Life is short. Eat dessert first.”

Somehow my sense of what was normal, acceptable behavior always got the better of me.

Until my recent trip to Israel, that is. Read the rest of this entry »

I have not consulted the Guinness Book of World Records, but India must have one of the longest losing streaks in the history of sports. They started playing cricket against England in 1932 but it was a full 20 years later, in 1952, before India won a game against England . Polly Umrigar and his teammates earned their place in history in 1952 at Madras by beating England for the first time by an innings and 8 runs.

Today, everything has changed. Madras is now known as Chennai and India beats England at cricket with painful frequency. Players like Tendulkar and Gavaskar have become famous for their outstanding exploits. So, for that matter, have Indian businessmen and women. A series of pro-business Indian governments have unleashed India’s competitive business spirit in a wide range of new industries, and now several cities in India have become famous for their business focus–Chennai ( for automotive and health care), Bangalore (information technology), Mumbai (finance and movies) Pune (automotive, IT and education) and Hyderabad (movies and IT).

I have been fortunate to work with many Indian partners over the years and have concluded that hard work and entrepreneurship is in the Indian DNA. They bring a diligent enthusiasm and spicey style to their life and work that is quite distinctive.

The Indian approach to business was on display recently in Detroit at the Midwest annual conference of TiE ( which stands for The Indus Entrepreneurs ). TiE was founded in Silicon Valley in 1992 and now has more than 13,500 members in 12 countries on five continents. Many members are recognized as among the world’s leading entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and bankers.

It would be a mistake to ignore the potential value of TiE or the Indian market for a number of reasons. India has a population of 1.17 billion people for a start, which is approximately one-sixth of the world’s potential customers. Secondly, Indians are rapidly becoming consumers as well as producers of high technology. Thirdly, we share a common language. Finally, Indians have an attitude to life that is reflected in their love of cricket. If you want to see how Indians love to compete, just visit Belle Isle during the summer and you will see how Polly Umrigars countrymen can pursue their passion for winning at cricket.

However, a very high percentage of cricket matches end in a draw, with neither side winning and the honors shared. Although Indians like to win, they bring a sense of fairness to their business dealings which often results in both sides getting something out of the business game.

So to meet some of the best business minds in Southeast Michigan, go to a local TiE meeting or attend the next meeting of our Indian Business Forum at TechTown on December 8 from 9 to 10:30 a.m.

The big black and white Holstein cow ambled towards a rotating yellow massage machine that was strung between two poles outside the milking parlor. First she leaned her left side into the whirling machine, and then she shifted position to give her back muscles some relief. Finally contentedly chewing her cud the cow I christened Buttercup strolled towards the stall where a robot was positioned to do the work that men have done for a thousand years and more.

Inside the milking stall a camera closed the gate behind the cow and read the number 385 that was attached to a neck chain and freeze branded on Buttercups back. The information was fed to a computer that dispensed the correct daily ration of feed. As the cow began eating a robotic arm slid under the cows belly and sprayed warm water to wash her udder. Next, the robot used laser lights to figure out exactly where each teat was positioned and one by one four milking cups were gently clamped into place and the milk began to flow. A computer registered the exact amount of milk and its protein and butterfat content. At the same time the milk was tested for any impurities such as antibiotics or blood. Any contaminated milk was registered and siphoned off separately.

When the milking was finished the computer released the cow from the stall back into the covered barn where she joined the rest of the herd. All this happened without the Israeli dairy farmer lifting a finger. “I can keep in touch with my cows easily,” the farmer explained. “I just log on to my computer from home or if I am travelling I can check on the herd from anywhere. I could be visiting you in Detroit and see that my cows were OK. ” Read the rest of this entry »

The tension is rising in the oak paneled room on the 17^th floor of the Flamingo Hotel in Orlando, Florida. The board members of the Disney Corporation are 20 minutes into an emergency meeting. No-one is looking out on the magnificent view of the corporation’s theme parks, Disney World and Epcot Center.

The chairman has quickly sought and obtained approval of the minutes of the last meeting and the chief financial officer has presented her dismal report on the last three months’ revenues. “There you have it,” ladies and gentlemen, she says with a weary sigh. “With gas now over $10 a gallon, air fares are sky high and no one can afford to fly to our resorts. Our customers will put with heat, humidity, hurricanes, the alligators and the recently arrived boa constrictors that now infest every part of Florida but our theme parks are just too far away from the major cities of America.”

The Board members look at each other searching faces in vain for a flicker of optimistic thought. Just then there is a knock on the door and without waiting for an answer Mickey Mouse walks in. Read the rest of this entry »

When President Obama played host to 20 presidents from 20 countries a couple of weeks ago he took his VIP guests from around the world to Pittsburgh, a city that not so long ago looked a lot like parts of Detroit today. In the 1980s and 1990s the Pittsburgh region lost half a million people. The steel industry, which had been the backbone of the city, had collapsed and as the factory gates closed, the rusting and decay set in and spread like a virus from back alleys of shuttered factories to infect the storefronts of main street.

In 1994 a steelworker’s son, Tom Murphy, literally ran on the scene and began the rapid process of turning the city around. Today Pittsburgh has been transformed. Among other things, new and emerging businesses can get access to venture capital to grow their operations and create new jobs. Murphy will be the keynote speaker this week at e2Detroit which is reason enough for every Detroit politician, urban planner and business man and woman to attend.

Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, the cover of Time Magazine captured a snapshot of a ruined city. It could have been Stalingrad in the 1940s when young untrained Russian youths were thrown into desperate battle with one rifle shared between two men, to save a city that was already reduced to rubble.

In fact last week’s issue of Time depicted a tragedy that on the surface, at least, seemed as stark as that 20th century communist battle for survival. This time the citizens of Detroit are fighting an economic war in a decaying city that was once a symbol of the success of capitalism. By common agreement Detroit is in the economic front line, with one in three citizens fighting to survive without a job. So who do we throw into the front line to lead the battle for our salvation? Old folks, that’s who – men and women in their 50s, 60s and 70s and even 80s. Read the rest of this entry »

It is a pager turner of a book,  a tour de force of knotted tension and buried anquish, at least that’s how Time magazine’s literary reviewer described Never let me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. My wife is reading it right now and she confirms the critics opinion. However when she has finished the novel my wife will resist the temptation to add the book to our burgeoning shelves. She will log on to PaperBackSwap.com and let the world know that, good though the book is ,she will be delighted to let go to the first person that wants it. 

W hen someone requests Never Let me go she will print the name and address of the person who has requested it and send it to the recipient for just $2.55 via media mail. As soon as the book arrives my wife will earn a credit to the dozens she has already earned so that she can ask for any one of  4,005,891 million books available for swap on the site from over 2,000 readers looking to swap their books.
 
It’s a great way to renew your reading material and now I have found a great way to get the best books on business practices and entrepreneurship –without spending a fortune. I have persuaded my wife to swap some of  her romance and historical novels for books about business like Good to Great and Built to Last . There is another way to get the latest in great reading material about entrepreneurship without spending a fortune- go to e2 Detroit on October 15 at the Macgregor Center on the campus of Wayne State University. Read the rest of this entry »