Entrepreneurship is a career path that requires passion, various skill sets and the right resources to succeed. Maria Meyers, vice chancellor of commercialization and entrepreneurship at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and founder of SourceLink, gave key insights and advice for students following that path on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at Missouri S&T.

“Entrepreneurship in our country is very, very, very important,” Meyers said during the presentation. “It’s also hard work.”

Her presentation was a part of the Distinguished Innovation and Entrepreneurship Speaker Series hosted by the Kummer College of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development. Meyers spoke about the different types of businesses, the skills it takes to build one from scratch and where students can find campus resources to help them succeed.

When it comes to business, Meyers is a dedicated expert. As the former executive director of the UMKC Innovation Center, Meyers helped empower business owners. That included students, faculty and community members. SourceLink, the organization she founded in 2003, helps entrepreneurs develop networks of support while offering technology and consulting services that lead to economic development.

“To be a good entrepreneur and just learn people, project and budget management: these are skills that will get you very far, no matter what job you have in your life,” Meyers said.

Meyers discussed the importance of true passion in business, and explained that many people become entrepreneurs to solve a particular problem within their community.

“A lot of people that we work with are entrepreneurs,” she says. “They do it because they want to make a difference. They want to fix that problem. They want to change something. It’s that passion that gives you that energy to move you forward on the days when it gets hard to do these things.”

The Missouri S&T Technology Transfer and Economic Development department and Small Business Development Center both serve as a local resource for future entrepreneurs. Learn more at ecodevo.mst.edu.