This weekend I had the pleasure of meeting Ryan Allis, a local entrepreneur with a passion for social change. Ryan is the founder and CEO of iContact, a local email marketing and online communications company. He also organizes a local Meetup for entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs.

Anyone concerned about our future should attend his next entrepreneur/social entrepreneur Meetup -- the accomplishments of the numerous people I met were inspiring. Most of these folks were either in school or recently graduated, but all of them had impressive resumes in their areas of interest. The best part about their resumes is that their accomplishments are focused outside of themselves. It's not enough to just "do well by doing good", these people are doing things with the express purpose of making the world a better place.

One example is Roey Rosenblith, Ryan's housemate and founder of Village Startup. I first met Roey last year through the Duke Startup Challenge, where he represented the (ultimately winning) team Full Belly Project that created and distributed a human-powered nut sheller in Uganda. Roey's current startup specializes in resource-appropriate technology transfer for the developing world, focused on nutrition and sustainable energy. For example, they are working with a local organization in Uganda to deploy corn cob charcoal kilns and concrete coffee shellers. They're also helping Project Peanut Butter so that malnourished children in Malawi can benefit from a therapeutic peanut butter paste thanks to human-powered machines made from recycled bicycle parts.

I also enjoyed meeting Joel Thomas of Nourish International, and Douglas Romney of Global Medical Brigades. There will be more to come as I learn more about their organizations, but suffice it to say I was inspired to meet people who are truly instruments of a great new American foreign policy -- private social entrepreneurship working for sustainable improvements in the developing world.

While everyone has a different area of expertise and geography of interest, all these remarkable people have one thing in common: they are all entrepreneurs. They all see a problem, assemble a team and resources, postulate a solution, and get to work. They make mistakes, learn from them, adjust and refine, and seek to leave the world each day a little better than they found it.

Does the idea of making an impact beyond the classroom or office sound inspiring? Trust me, it is. There's nothing quite like building a team to tackle a problem and bring a solution to the market. The power of entrepreneurship is that, done right, it brings out the best in people and helps make our community a better place.

But how does one learn how to become an entrepreneur? That's where the book comes in. Today -- Tuesday, February 5, 2008 -- Ryan Allis is launching his book Zero to One Million on Amazon.

This book is recommended for several reasons. First, it's the voice of experience. Ryan has been through the entrepreneurial lifecycle of identifying a problem, building a team, securing funding, producing a product, and growing into a real organization. Second, it's an opportunity to participate in something special -- spreading the word about the power of entrepreneurship create jobs, solve problems, and change the world for the better. Finally, all the proceeds from the book are being donated to Ryan's non-profit organization, The Humanity Campaign, which works to reduce poverty and hunger by increasing access to education, healthcare, technology, and entrepreneurial opportunity.

Like Ryan, I have experienced the power of entrepreneurship firsthand. I also think spreading this message is one of the most effective ways we can work for change in our communities, nation, and world at the grassroots level. Since most problems are experienced at the grassroots, that's where we can find the most effective solutions. If Ryan can sell 2,500 copies of his book on Amazon today (February 5), it's likely he'll have the bestselling book on Amazon. That feat will generate additional awareness, which will further help spread the message of freedom and empowerment.

Oh, and did I mention it's only $11.53? For less than four gallons of gas, you too can be equipped to change the world!