The founder
Students and startup founders who want to know what it actually takes, from someone who started at eight and hasn't stopped starting.
Look for the early chapters on hustle and the leap into ownership.
Meet One Entrepreneur
The Story of a Millennial Trapped in a Baby Boomer's Body, and Practical Business Principles.
Ted A. Baker has spent more than forty years starting, running, selling, and supporting businesses in Indiana. This book is what he learned along the way, told one story at a time, and built on one simple idea: a single conversation can change everything.
One person. One idea. One act of courage. One decision to begin.
Baby boomer experience. Millennial mindset.
Around 2019, Ted noticed that the way he thought about business didn't match the year on his birth certificate. He likes change. He's driven by purpose. He believes collaboration beats hierarchy. So he gave himself a label: a millennial trapped in a baby boomer's body.
My birth certificate says baby boomer. My mindset says, “What's next?”
The book pairs a baby boomer's experience, from a 5 a.m. paper route in Decatur to a manufacturing company and four franchise locations, with the curiosity of someone still asking what comes next.
40+years building and backing businesses
1,000+entrepreneurs supported at the Innovation Connector
8 to 43employees at Worldwide Technologies, the company he co-founded
15+years teaching entrepreneurship at Ball State
Three readers, one book.
The same stories land differently depending on which side of the table you're sitting on.
The owner
Established business owners weighing growth, franchising, systems, capital, or what comes after the sale.
Look for the chapters on scaling, sustaining, and multi-unit management.
The ecosystem builder
Incubator managers, economic developers, educators, and community leaders working to grow entrepreneurs where they live.
Look for the chapters on incubation and startups done right.
Speaking
Bring Ted to your next event.
Ted has spoken across the country and around the world on entrepreneurship, business incubation, and building communities where entrepreneurs thrive. He brings three decades of stories, ideas your audience can put to work on Monday morning, and a good sense of humor about being the most experienced millennial in the room.
- Meet One EntrepreneurKeynote
- A Millennial Trapped in a Baby Boomer's BodyKeynote or fireside chat
- Building an Entrepreneurial EcosystemWorkshop
What people say about Ted.
He sees the best in people, even when they cannot yet see it in themselves.
In his life, he has lived every part of being an entrepreneur, the highs, the lows, the successes, and the failures.