Greetings!   The Jigsaw Business Weekly was first published on March 13, 2008 as a pdf and sent to a few local entrepreneurs for free.  About six months after that, we began using the services of Constant Contact and now have roughly 500 subscribers, with an award-winning 65% readership, all for free. Beyond our local audience, we are followed by business-people in Boise, Wood River Valley second-home owners, and Idaho government agencies involved with rural development.

We have published links to nearly 1,000 articles, many of them giving readers a heads-up on little-known-at-the-time, but emerging trends such as crowdfunding, business incubation and acceleration, social enterprise, QR codes, 3-D printing, self-publishing, cloud computing, social media marketing, questions about capitalism's future, and timebanking.  We have also worked to hold local governments accountable for their actions in spending the public's money, knowing that every dollar spent for any decision has a direct, or indirect, impact on our economic viability and resources for growth.

Now, Jigsaw's Business Weekly is going into suspended animation, as is Jigsaw itself.  We are taking a three-month sabbatical, at least. Jigsaw itself has been operating for nearly five years after our founding in December 2007. We have mentored and provided educational programming for over 300 entrepreneurs, sponsored three business plan competitions, run a trial business incubator for nine months, won a USDA grant to study the feasibility of a local incubator, networked with the Boise Angel Alliance and Keiretsu Forum, helped entrepreneurs link to public and private resources, and enlightened the local community about the distinctly valuable contribution of entrepreneurship to our valley. Indeed, no longer does the term "economic development" connote simply "real estate development;" it is understood to encompass a much broader concept of business opportunity.

The phenomenal success of Jigsaw's recent "Entrepreneurs Just Do It!" just one week ago has led to the formation of two Facebook groups for entrepreneurs, a direct connection for local entrepreneurs to the Boise Angel Alliance, and the interest of several highly successful, and now locally domiciled, entrepreneur mentors/investors in helping to build a local entrepreneurial culture, especially through mentoring.  

Jigsaw's first newsletter reported on our first business competition. This last newsletter is closing on the success of our third competition.  While we are taking a break to determine our next steps as a non-profit, one thing is certain: There will be a fourth "Entrepreneurs Just Do It!"  It was too much of a success not to be repeated.

As this first phase of Jigsaw, Inc. ends, the question arises as to what's next?  My Board of Directors will remain intact.  Our 501c3 status will be maintained.  And we will be available for re-animation when/if/how it seems useful and right (and, certainly, for the fourth competition).  I have learned tons in these years and, never one to do the same thing for any length of time, now want to throw my learning into the air and see where it comes down: writing? business consulting? education? other?  I'm also interested in making something of a living again! 

One decision has been made, however.  I've founded a business with other writer colleagues called QuickEdit. The business is "live" now, but still in formation, especially the website. In the next few weeks, I'll finish my own, first, business plan for review by my mentors, complete the website, and do more active marketing.  Look for us in the future and contact us for your editing!

The second decision is to spend more time blogging. In fact, I've just published a blog about venture capital investor Mark Solon's talk at last week's "Entrepreneurs Just Do It!"  Here it is if you're interested: Ahead of the Curve.  Right now, the site doesn't have a "Follow Me" widget, but I will attempt to have that fixed tomorrow hoping you might be interested in reading, and commenting, in the future!