America’s Hero: The Entrepreneur

by Emily Dietrich In page after page of Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand depicts her real life hero – the entrepreneur. After a Library of Congress survey revealed that readers of Atlas Shrugged rate the novel only second to the Bible as the most influential book in their lives, it’s no surprise that this way of thinking has taken root. Entrepreneurs...

by Emily Dietrich

In page after page of Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand depicts her real life hero – the entrepreneur. After a Library of Congress survey revealed that readers of Atlas Shrugged rate the novel only second to the Bible as the most influential book in their lives, it’s no surprise that this way of thinking has taken root.

Entrepreneurs – a new generation of heroes – are overtaking men’s imagination. Crain’s Chicago Business recently reported that the newest role model men most readily identify with is the entrepreneur. An AskMen survey of over 2,000 men revealed that 35 percent emulate entrepreneurs.

More than just looking up to and aspiring to be those who drive the country’s economic engine, this generation has already taken steps to follow the entrepreneurial path. Crain’s reports: “compared with other generations, millennials were 120% more likely to start businesses without previous workplace experience. For men the entrepreneurial impulse is particularly keen.”

As news of Illinois’s economic woes worsen every day, it’s time we look up to the risk-takers and job-creators in our state. This month, the Mercatus Center published a report focusing on the importance of entrepreneurial activity for economic development: “States that experience increased entrepreneurial activity also see higher levels of overall economic growth.”

With the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity reporting that 98 percent of businesses in Illinois are small businesses, it’s obvious that the state’s road toward prosperity starts with allowing entrepreneurs to thrive.

As a new generation looks up to real everyday heroes and embraces a pro-growth approach, somewhere, Ayn Rand smiles.