Welcome to OutOfTheGarage.com, the brand new blog for the Center for Entrepreneurial Growth. As we join the exciting community of social networking, we askedourselves a fundamental question that any entrepreneur should focus on, "How are we different?"There are already several great online resources for the entrepreneurial community. Some are local, some regional and some unbounded by geography and many we will provide links because of the value they provide. So to answer the question, we go back to what makes the CEG a different kind of entrepreneurial support organization.

The strength of the Center for Entrepreneurial Growth is founded on the broad experience of the CEG team and our dedication to entrepreneurial education and learning. So it is natural for OutOfTheGarage.com to reflect and build upon this foundation. In the weeks to come you will see articles by CEG staff on key concepts of the entrepreneurial experience. You will also read reviews of useful resources such as good web sites and book reviews. From time to time we have have guest authors contribute specific wisdom and you may see a client case study pop up occasionally.

Long term, we plan to develop a comprehensive learning community. OutOfTheGarage.com will become the gateway to this new experience with an emphasis on the word "community". So to get started, we encouragethe entrepreneurial community to participate the following ways:

• Participate in the dialogue - your direct feedback on the topics we introduce are vital both to us and to the rest of the community. Chime in on the things you find helpful and speak up for the things you question or disagree with.
• Help spread the word - viral marketing is among the best ways to get the word out.

So what's in a name? Many of the great companies we know today were started in a basement or garage on the dreams of one or two visionary entrepreneurs. Launching a business is tough but let's put some perspective around risk... A good friend of mine was recently laid off from a company where he spent over 15 years adding value to the growth of that organization. This company is a large multinational, well known for it's strong management and its return to the shareholders.This is not a company you read about in the press, circling the drain as a result of poor strategic execution. One day he had a stable career with a solid company and the next, he is looking for a job. The main difference between my friend and an entrepreneur launching a new company out of their garage is that the entrepreneur stares risk in the face, head on and in broad daylight. My friend met risk when it came disguised as job security, sneaking up from behind and catching him unprepared.

Take your dream to the garage, let it take shape and then let us help you get it out...