As Chairman of the Canyon Angels of the University of Cangelo Business College, Grand Canyon Tim Kelly is used to forming a limited liability company in 15 minutes for $85.
And as part of a group of professors and entrepreneurs, he wants to do the same for Colombia’s future entrepreneurs.
“It’s been a very hands-on training experience and the entrepreneurial spirit at the grassroots level has been really amazing to see,” said Kelly, who also serves as chair of the university’s entrepreneurship department.
Kelly is in her third year as a teacher in a program developing models of entrepreneurship. John Dobson, Associate Professor of Clark University in Woster, Massachusetts. Dobson has taught entrepreneurs in countries such as Canada, China, Colombia, France, Honduras, Mexico, Mexico, Malaysia, Nepal, Spain, Philippines, Uganda, and the United Kingdom.
The program aims to provide entrepreneurs in developing countries with access to entrepreneurship education around the world.
Kelly said the one- to two-day workshops will be held in partnership with multiple cities across Colombia, the Bogota Botanical Garden and several universities.
Enrollment that first year was about 100 people, Kelly said, but has since grown to 170 in cities including Bogotá and Cúcuta. Representatives from four Venezuelan universities drove eight hours just to attend the session in Cúcuta, near the Venezuelan border.
Kelly and his professors from Harvard, University of California, San Diego and Clark University are exploring ways to help informal entrepreneurs become registered companies despite thick bureaucracy in regions such as Latin America and Africa.
Kelly said many countries in these regions have civil law systems that require entrepreneurs to contact a local notary, who is the system’s equivalent of a magistrate. Setting up this process often takes thousands of dollars and months.
Kelly said Colombia is trying to ease start-up costs and regulatory burdens, but its progressive payroll and income tax system poses new challenges for emerging markets.
“They believe that not to rely on the government is the path to economic development,” Kelly says. “They are literally working to serve each other. It’s a great model. That’s why capitalism works.”
In some cases, trips to Colombia include teams of four to six teachers visiting farms and over 12,000 urban smallholder farmers.
“We would literally say, ‘Where are our customers?’ Let’s talk to them,” Kelly said.
“Let’s show a business using the food they are growing.”
Kelly’s interest began four years ago when he met professors from Clark University and Harvard University at an entrepreneurship training conference at Notre Dame Cathedral.
They discovered that while Kelly speaks Spanish fluently, he has a passion for entrepreneurship and frequently visits Mexico and Latin America.
This led to an invitation to participate in the Develop Your Model of Entrepreneurship program. Kelly immediately volunteered to serve.
“I love you,” Kelly said. “It’s my mission in life. That’s why I’m passionate about entrepreneurship and the chance to spread the gospel of freedom, so to speak.
“When they hear about our program, they’re amazed at what we offer,” Kelly says, “and there’s nothing comparable at any university. They’re really interested in what our ecosystem is like.”
As a result, Kelly had a seminar and zoom call with multiple groups. “This is a wonderful opportunity to spread the great activities of GCUs around the world,” Kelly said.
Mark Gonzales, senior writer for GCU News, can be reached at: [email protected]
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