Are You Thinking Like an Employee or an Entrepreneur?

Celebrating the leaders and experts that are powering education into the future, host JW Marshall sets out to ask the “right questions” in EdTech to understand the changes in policy and technology that will power our universities, tradeschools, and companies – and drive growth in upskilling certifications.

 

A question asked by society on many levels is how some succeed, and others don’t. Does it start from a young age? Are others born with some entrepreneurial gene? Voices of eLearning took on the topic of entrepreneurial mindsets with a pioneer in the field, Gary Schoeniger, Founder and CEO of Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative (ELI). ELI offers training and development to educators, students, and businesses. The idea for ELI started 30 years ago with Schoeniger asking, “How do underdogs win?”

That set him on a path to decode the entrepreneurial mindset. Schoeniger started interviewing everyday entrepreneurs and began to see patterns in their behavior and language. “I came to this definition of entrepreneurship; the self-directed pursuit of opportunities to create value for others, which empowers ourselves,” he said.

Schoeniger’s philosophies and teaching don’t mean everyone should start a business. It’s about opportunity. “The world is full of opportunities. They are easy to overlook because we’re not trained to think this way,” he added.

That mindset, a deeply held unconscious belief system, starts from a young age. Someone else determines what is useful and what is necessary to learn to be successful.
In speaking about and to educators, Schoeniger offered a view of a fundamental shift. “Stop asking kids what they want to be and ask them what problems they want to solve. When students can identify problems in their community and can work on solutions, they become very engaged.”

How can educators drive an entrepreneurial mindset? Schoeniger thinks it’s a combination of teaching and modeling it. “There’s an outdated understanding of behaviorist thinking as motivation. Learning is an extrinsic reward or punishment. What matters is do people have a compelling goal.”

Listen to Previous Episodes of Voices of eLearning Right Here!

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

DXpedition
Icom Powers 3Y0K : Ham Radio’s Most Ambitious DXpedition to Remote Bouvet Island Part 1
July 11, 2025

Bouvet Island sits at the edge of the world. It is frozen, uninhabited, and almost impossible to access. Fewer people have set foot there than in space. That level of remoteness is exactly what makes it so valuable to amateur radio operators. The island ranks tenth on ClubLog’s list of Most Wanted DXCC entities,…

Read More
entrepreneurial success
The Hidden Key to Entrepreneurial Success: Build Momentum Through Personal Branding and Authentic Networking
July 10, 2025

What if the biggest pivot of your career started with a conversation?  In this episode of Professional Quotient, host Jason Winningham welcomes Fanny Dunagan, CEO and Content Strategist of PathLynks, LLC. Fanny shares her journey from high-pressure consulting in Singapore to founding her own media and branding company — and why learning to network…

Read More
Q2 2025
RM Q2 2025 Wrap Up
July 9, 2025

Rogue Marketing continues to lead with intention in a space often driven by noise. Q2 2025 reflected a strategic focus on substance, where each initiative supported long-term brand growth. The team transformed internal recognition efforts into enduring brand assets and refined event strategies through immersive, results-driven experiences. Website launches during the quarter balanced visual…

Read More
amateur radios
Hamvention Spotlight: Emergency Preparedness Led PrepHam Paul to Amateur Radios and a Rising Voice in the Field
July 9, 2025

PrepHam Paul (K5VLP) celebrated his first visit to Dayton Hamvention by marking a major channel milestone. He hosted a giveaway of the  IC-2370B mobile radio from Icom to thank viewers for helping him reach 10,000 subscribers. His passion for emergency preparedness, rooted in his experience as an Eagle Scout and later studies in emergency management,…

Read More