Qualifications? Able to work 24-hour shifts, seven days a week, no breaks, no sick leave, no healthcare. Yes, manufacturing is making a comeback but if you’re human, you're ineligble.

It’s all about the bottom-line, efficiency and . . . robotics. Humans? Mechanical whimps, too independent, unnecessarily creative. These; however, are the key qualifications for our new local economies.

Sometimes, news travels at postal rates but success comes with a whole new mindset. For those who’ve come to the realization that writing resumes and applying for minimum wage jobs is nothing more than familiar repetition, then the words of Mark Twain should resonate: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

That’s what two million American workers did in September of this year. They upped and left their jobs to explore, dream and discover - without another job lined up . . . even in this horrific economy!! Many opted to start their own businesses, out of their homes, on the cheap using free tools that weren't available just five years ago. Each month, 500,000 new businesses launch across this country, most of them employing one to four people – the growing legion of microenterprises.

But a successful microenterprise requires an understanding of what forms business sustainability rather than the unfortunate statistic that 60 percent crash and burn by their third year. That’s why Urban FIRE is a critical step in any new business success. And that’s not just us saying that. The national magazine, Yes!, selected Urban FIRE as one of the seven best ways for America to bring jobs back into our local economy. (Fall, 2011 Issue)

Great businesses that are fun, profitable and long-lasting require owners to engage in five simple areas and to focus their interests beyond just a hobby into a passionate pursuit. The steps are simple but tough for most people to finish. Finishing is the difference between one’s ability to succeed or fail. In Urban FIRE, we come together as a group to learn; and science shows us that group learning and feedback makes for better comprehension, better stick-to-it-ness and stronger odds for success.

To make business even more understandable and interesting, Urban FIRE is a visual experience of entrepreneurial training unlike anything you’ll have experienced. The results; however, will be greater than you’ll have thought possible. And as an added bonus, Urban FIRE was selected by world-renowned Kiva as its first domestic loan partner for interest-free loans to our graduates who qualify.

Our next 12-Saturday training begins on January 7 from 9am to 12pm. To sign up, check out our website at www.urbanfire.org. Our tuition is downright cheap; on a sliding scale from $100 down to $50 for each of our 12-week programs.

Or come to the orientation on Saturdays, December 10 or 17 from 10am to 11am at the Oakland Housing Authority building, 935 Union St., in West Oakland.

Join us as 2012 is celebrated as the "Year of the Local Entrepreneur."