What is your community doing to build an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem?
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This was the next "big" question that we asked participants at the Growing Entrepreneurial Communities Summit in Kansas City in May. While we got some very specific responses - hosting entrepreneur meetups; targeting stage-two companies; bringing Junior Achievement into the high school - we also heard some important lessons learned from communities on the road to building an entrepreneurial ecosystem. - "If you know one rural community, you know one rural community." Entrepreneurial ecosystems need to be tailored to a specific community. Focus on creating a strategy that builds on your community's assets and responds to your community's entrepreneurial talents.
- There was a lot of emphasis on collaboration and working together to achieve collective impact. "Groups need to collaborate around the right things, shared measures and collective impact." Many participants identified the need for stronger collaboration among resource providers - those who serve entrepreneurs - as well as between entrepreneurship development organizations and elected officials.
- At the same time, getting people and organizations to collaborate was identified as one of the challenges to building a stronger ecosystem. Building trust and creating a common vision or purpose were described as first steps toward collaboration.
- Related to collaboration was the idea of getting the right people at the table. "Get the right people at the table and then follow through on next steps. Get them to share their knowledge." Hear Ines Polonius, Communities Unlimited, discuss the types of leaders needed. Read what Dell Gines and Deb Markley have to say about inclusivity and diversity and how to create it.
- To really be successful in building a strong ecosystem, you must have entrepreneurs involved. "Entrepreneurs must drive the process." But, engaging busy entrepreneurs is a challenge that many participants acknowledged. Finding the right way to engage them is a key to success.
- Finally, similar to the Nike slogan, "Just Do It" - "Sometimes you just have to start - right or wrong - and get some traction and then make corrections." And, once you do get started, share stories - about your entrepreneurs; about your community's support; about your lessons learned and experiences. Share the credit - with your partners and with the entrepreneurs.
The themes we heard in Kansas are similar to those we've heard in other places. You'll find some information and tools for getting started building an entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Organizing for Action section of e2 University on our website. And, as always, we'd love to hear how you are building an entrepreneurial ecosystem. What were your first steps? How did you deal with the challenges of engaging entrepreneurs or getting organizations to collaborate? If you have thoughts or lessons to share, please let us hear from you - don@e2mail.org or deb@e2mail.org.
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Other Center News
The Center is working as part of a team, led by Nebraska Extension, on a research effort to advance our understanding of how best to engage communities in creating a more prosperous future by increasing economic opportunities, supporting placemaking and a high quality of life, and attracting and keeping people to achieve demographic renewal. We are excited to begin this work and will share what we learn. To learn more, contact Don Macke - don@e2mail.org.
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Field News
Register now for the Heartland Center's Annual Institute, Helping Small Towns Succeed, October 11-13 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. This year's institute marks the 30th anniversary of the Heartland Center so plan to join your peers in this great learning and networking event.
Thinking about how to support entrepreneurs who want to grow? Check out this Kauffman Foundation recorded webinar on Entrepreneurial Growth - After Startup. Here's a great story about forging rural-urban linkages and providing agri-preneurs with access to markets - Crescent City Farmers Market in New Orleans. Putting your community on a pathway to prosperity requires taking an appreciative look at your place - seeing it as a place with assets, not just deficits. See how the media is helping to re-imagine Appalachia in Seeing Appalachia Through the Eyes of Appalachians. Learn more about the wealth-building collaboration that underlies Cleveland's Greater University Circle Initiative in this new report from the Democracy Collaborative. Read how Hometown Pride is Good for Business in McComb, Ohio - from the Orton Foundation. The recent Brexit decision doesn't seem to have much to do with entrepreneurship. But, it may very well have a negative impact. Learn more in Why Brexit Could Hurt British Entrepreneurship. On June 28th, SBA, in cooperation with the White House, hosted the 2016 Hispanic-American Entrepreneurship Summit. You can learn more about the event - and access materials as they are posted - on this web page.
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On the Road
Deb Markley will be in...
- New York, NY July 12-13 for a meeting at the Foundation Center about measuring community leadership efforts by foundations
- Washington, DC September 8-9 to participate in the first meeting of the Rural Innovators Group
- Madison, SD July 12 for the Regional Economic Development Conference
- Wisconsin (via webinar) July 15 for a presentation on Entrepreneurial Communities
- Des Moines, IA July 21 to work on Donor Development with the Iowa Community Affiliate Network
- Marshalltown, IA July 22 for a presentation on Legacy Giving to the Marshalltown Community Foundation
- Taos, NM July 25 giving a presentation on Prosperous Communities to the LOR Foundation board
- San Juan Basin, CO July 26-29 for fieldwork
- Des Moines, IA August 4 to participate in the Iowa Area Development Group Annual Conference
- Arizona, August 8-12 for presentations to the Arizona Rural Council 2016 Rural Policy Forum
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Leaders Needed
Ines Polonius describes the leadership needed to begin building e-communities in this short video. Join our YouTube channel after watching to get our newest videos!
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NetWork Kansas' Entrepreneurial Communities Partnership is among the strongest rural-based entrepreneurial development strategies in the US. Two thousand net new jobs created within the past half-decade speaks to NetWork Kansas' impact. At the core of each E Community is a group of local leaders, the E Team, responsible for growing an entrepreneurial ecosystem and stimulating venture development. Recently, the Center collaborated with NetWork Kansas to provide High Performing Team training for five of their high performing partner communities. This was a pilot project and, if successful, will become part of the capacity building opportunities for all E Communities in Kansas. The evaluation results are promising; an overall score of 9.1 out of 10 where 10 is "extremely likely to recommend." For more information on our work with NetWork Kansas, contact Don Macke at don@e2mail.org.
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Fellow of the Month
Erik Pages, President of EntreWorks Consulting, is the Center's first and most tenured Fellow. Erik's consulting practice includes working with a diverse group of public and private sector clients that are committed to innovative approaches to economic development that "build wealth and communities." We encourage you to check out his blog and quarterly newsletter - his most recent blog focuses on Maine's efforts to attract 1099 employees, Work in Place. We've partnered with Erik on work in Maine, Louisiana, Kansas, Virginia and across the Appalachian Region.
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