My Soapbox: Jessica Reading, Page Center for Entrepreneurship at Miami University

Jessica Reading has literally come a long way to be where she is today. Originally from California, Reading made her way to southwestern Ohio in 2005 to attend Miami University, where she majored in Management and Organizations with a minor in American Studies.
 
After graduation, Reading spent a year working at Miami University Hamilton as the Community Placement Coordinator AmeriCorps*VISTA, focusing on programs to develop civic capacity between the campus and community. Immediately after that, she was the Senior Field Consultant for Community Enterprise Solutions in Guatemala for two years, where she planned, directed and executed 11 internship programs and trained more than 75 local entrepreneurs.
 
Now back at her alma mater, Reading is Assistant Director for the Page Center for Entrepreneurship at Miami University, where her responsibilities include developing and deploying experiential programs, advising students interested in pursuing entrepreneurship opportunities, and developing partnerships with practitioners on a local, national and global level.
 
Soapbox caught up with Reading to find out her perspective on innovation in the region and learn more about what Miami is doing to be a part of that.
 
Can you talk more about your position at the Page Center for Entrepreneurship?
The Page Center is unique because being an entrepreneur calls for that. You don’t learn this sort of thing from a textbook the way you do in other areas of study; you learn it by practicing it. What’s difficult for an academic campus is that you constantly have to look at what the curriculum should be. My role is to develop ongoing partnerships to tell us what we can do for our students to make them more prepared for the entrepreneurial marketplace. What can we do to make them a value add to the workforce? It’s my job to help us understand what that looks like on the curriculum side, but it’s also bringing students out to places like the Brandery, developing a student-run startup weekend, building an internship program for startup businesses and developing opportunities for experiential learning for students.
 
Having moved to Cincinnati from another part of the country, what caught your attention here?
I just moved to Oakley, and I have to say … I never pictured myself deciding to stay in Cincinnati when I first came out to this area. The reason that changed is that my fiancé and I felt excited to be a part of a young, vibrant, up-and-coming community. Cincinnati is one of the most affordable young professional communities in the states, and I love that everything is very close here; you don’t have to travel too far to be anywhere. I’m also a very active person, so I enjoy being able to be involved in different communities, whether it’s running groups or otherwise. Another thing I’ve noticed from a professional standpoint is that people have been very willing to help out. I’ve had people from a variety of organization be very generous with their time and connections, and I really appreciate that.
 
What is the Page Center’s relationship with the startup scene in the region? 
There are lots of folks trying to recruit and attract talent in Cincinnati. Our role is to help showcase the city and that ecosystem whenever possible. That takes many forms and has led to many different collaborative efforts, be it working at an accelerator, meeting with angel investors, etc.
 
What is your take on the entrepreneurial scene developing in and around Cincinnati?
It’s exciting; you can feel the buzz here. It’s already widely known that there is a certain magic in Silicon Valley, but here it is more like a hidden gem of an ecosystem. One of the best things I see about it is that people want to work for a good team, not just for themselves. In Cincinnati, it is about building a really great team rather than a team that has one great superstar. There are lots of different resources and opportunities that make it a great place to start and learn, and there is a shared vision among companies that very few communities truly demonstrate.
 
Do you see yourself as an entrepreneur?
That is an interesting question. I’ve never started my own business, but through my studies and my work, I understand ins and outs of starting an organization. I would define myself as entrepreneurially minded. I like to identify opportunities, think of ways to solve a big problem and build a team to solve them. My job is very different than most academic positions, our team is very entrepreneurial, we don’t take no for an answer and we build teams based on what we can solve.
 
What personally inspires you, professionally and otherwise?
In general, I will end the day feeling inspired by connecting with others to wake up and do something cool for the world. I also generate inspiration from seeing anyone work hard and overcome obstacles. I love outdoors, and any beautiful day can provide the inspiration I need.

Are there any trends you've noticed in the region as far as entrepreneurship?
When we think about trends at the Page Center, what’s interesting is that a lot of people want to be entrepreneurs by circumstance. Many big government or corporate jobs are going away, and job security in general isn’t the same, so people are forced to think about being entrepreneurs. But there’s a self-awareness that you need to have; we try to teach students to identify what their skillset is. You can’t just say, “I’m motivated and a self-starter.” You have to demonstrate how. You have to know what you’re good at and what you’re not, and build a team around that.
 
Anything else you want the Soapbox Readers to know about?
I would just say that Miami, and specifically our program, is extremely appreciative of the authentic, willing relationships we have with many people here in Cincinnati. In this year’s Princeton Review, we were the #12 ranked undergraduate program for entrepreneurship in the country. There are over 2,300 in the nation. We couldn’t do it without our extremely helpful partners. 

By Mike Sarason
Mike is editor of Soapbox Media's Innovation + Startup News section.