If We Have A Secretary’s Day, We Should Have An Entrepreneurs’ Day, Right? Now We Do.

Entrepreneurs built America. Research by The Kauffman Foundation suggests that all of the net job creation is coming from newly created companies. If we want lower unemployment, it seems like one sensible approach would be to do whatever we can to encourage more people to start companies. “In a free society, you get what you celebrate,” quipped famous inventor Dean Kamen. And while we celebrate pro athletes and entertainers and have Boss’s Day and Secretary’s Day, there has never been a day set aside to celebrate entrepreneurship.

Until today.

Earlier this month President Obama signed a proclamation declaring November National Entrepreneurship Month and declaring the 16th of November to be National Entrepreneurs’ Day:

"America is known around the world as a country that empowers the inventor and the innovator. Ours is a Nation where men and women can take a chance on a dream — where they can take an idea that starts around a kitchen table or in a garage and turn it into a new business or a new industry. During National Entrepreneurship Month, we celebrate the hard work, ingenuity, and courage of our thinkers, doers, and makers."

National Entrepreneurs’ Day is the brainchild of Siamak Taghaddos & David Hauser, co-founders of Grasshopper and Amir Tehrani, co-founder of The Legacy Foundation (disclosure: I’m involved with The Legacy Foundation). The idea arose after a trip they took to the White House to discuss entrepreneurship and issues affecting business leaders. After meeting with administration officials and discussing programs like Startup America and the Presidential Innovation Fellows, which encourage entrepreneurship, it struck them that there wasn’t an officially recognized day celebrating entrepreneurs. And with that, the idea for National Entrepreneurs’ Day was born.