What if entrepreneurship wasn’t an elective with Jeff Meade #61

What if entrepreneurship wasn’t an elective—but the foundation of education?

In this episode of Small Biz Catalyst, host Ayisat Abilogun sits down with Jeff Meade, Executive Director of the Every Quinnite Is an Entrepreneur program at Paul Quinn College, to explore how entrepreneurship education is being reimagined—and why it matters for business owners, parents, and community builders alike.

Paul Quinn College, an HBCU in Dallas, Texas, has made a bold commitment: every student is expected to think and act like an entrepreneur. Jeff shares how this mission-driven approach is reshaping higher education through venture-based learning, real-world problem solving, and early exposure to building, funding, and scaling businesses.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• What “Every Quinnite Is an Entrepreneur” really means—and why mindset matters more than majors
• How Paul Quinn College introduces entrepreneurship from day one through an intensive freshman bootcamp
• Why under-resourced students often struggle to dream big—and how educators can help rebuild that muscle
• How a $100,000 student seed fund is helping turn student ideas into real, investable businesses
• Why entrepreneurship education isn’t just about startups, but about creating entrepreneurial thinkers for the workforce
• What venture-based learning looks like in practice—and how it closes the gap between education and real-world business

Jeff also shares his long-term vision for the program, including alumni-owned businesses, acquisition entrepreneurship, and building sustainable wealth within local communities.

Whether you’re a small business owner, a parent, an educator, or someone passionate about economic mobility, this episode will challenge how you think about education, entrepreneurship, and the role both play in shaping the future of work.