SBA Names Mike Muse ‘My Brother’s Keeper Millennial Entrepreneur Champion’

Mike Muse, CEO of the record label Muse Recordings, is leading the conversations around the country on the business of music, pop culture and its intersection with politics. For years he has been connecting youth and millennials through his work with President Barak Obama, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, and New York Mayor De Blasio to name a few. Further solidifying his position as a strategic outreach and audience engagement expert, Muse was recently names as My Brother’s Keeper Millennial Entrepreneur Champion. The announcement came from Maria Contreras-Sweet, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

“Millennial entrepreneurs are risk-takers making big leaps in small and growing businesses and adding fresh ideas to boost the U.S. economy. Mike Muse’s experience in entrepreneurship, and his track record of savvy business ventures, make him an ideal champion for millennial entrepreneurs,” said Administrator, Contreras-Sweet.  “Together, we will support President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative by empowering young people in many of our under-served communities with SBA resources, so that they can dream big and propel the entrepreneurial spirit of their generation forward.”

[Related: Mike Muse The Music Man And Political Provocateur]

As the SBA My Brother’s Keeper Millennial Entrepreneur Champion, Muse and the agency will hold summits across the country, to include events and practical, hands-on experiences across music, film, fashion, and sports.  SBA’s initiative will focus on outreach and education to help America’s millennial generation improve their entrepreneurial skills and pave the way to encourage the next wave of entrepreneurs and innovators. BizMyWay.com will serve as a multimedia, socially-enabled, digital content platform that will allow users to follow the day-to-day journey of Muse and the initiative.

“I am honored to serve as SBA’s My Brother’s Keeper Millennial Entrepreneur Champion,” said Muse in a statement.  “This incredible honor gives me an opportunity to connect with black and brown boys, and young men, around the country on entrepreneurship through the lens of lifestyle.  Through this exposure, they will see themselves in careers they didn’t realize were possible.  Letting them know, through practicality, there’s a path through entrepreneurship and that there is no failure of the imagination.”

Last month, Contreras-Sweet and Muse brought millennials together in New York City during National Small Business Week for a town hall conversation focused on entrepreneurship. A video highlighting this partnership is available here.

[Related: Millennial Entrepreneurs To Take Center Stage During National Small Business Week]

While the perception is that millennials are the most entrepreneurial generation in American history, the latest numbers show an actual decline in young people starting businesses. In fact, a study by the Kansas City nonprofit, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, revealed that the portion of young adults who start a business each month dropped in 2013 to its lowest level in at least 17 years.