What Happens When a College Makes Entrepreneurship Mandatory for 100% of Students with Jeffrey Meade

In this episode, I talk with Jeffrey Meade, founding director of entrepreneurship at Paul Quinn College, about the school’s “Every Quinnite is an Entrepreneur” program, where by 2028 every student must launch a real business that generates revenue before graduating. Jeff explains why traditional schools optimize for employment but the job market is changing, making entrepreneurial thinking—creativity, adaptability, and problem-solving—more essential. We dig into what qualifies as a “real business” (no fixed revenue threshold, but real customers, pivots, and an MVP mindset), why they focus on solving a core problem before layering in AI, and the mindset shift first-generation and Pell Grant students must make from “don’t fail” to “fail fast” in a safe learning environment. Jeff also shares how he’s open sourcing the model through case studies and a podcast, plus where to learn more.

00:45 Why Entrepreneurship Now

03:38 Mandatory Student Ventures

04:35 MVPs And First Sales

06:52 AI Tools Problem First

10:31 From Scarcity To Confidence

13:06 Safe Space To Fail

15:18 Open Sourcing The Model

17:29 Where To Learn More

Connect with Jeffrey: 

https://paulquinn.edu/entrepreneurshipjeff-meade.comjmeade@pqc.eduhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffmeade

Connect with Raul: 

• Work with Raul: https://dogoodwork.io 

• Free Growth Resources: https://dogoodwork.io/resources