Help entrepreneurs get a fair chance: you don’t need all your ducks in a row

Old Way economic development assumes that it takes a lot of time, money and work just to get into business. Entrepreneurs need to have all their ducks in a row. They need to have great credit, deep pockets, good connections, be clean and sober, have strong business skills, no criminal record and a solid support network. 

Think about your town, how many people really have all those qualifications? Only a few people have a fair chance at success.  

The Idea Friendly way is to take small steps. You can start with a tiny experiment, a temporary business at an event, working together in a shared space like coworking, or traveling with a truck or trailer. Technology lets you access services that were never available to small businesses before. Automation and smart apps let you leverage technology to eliminate a lot of the drudge work.

These small steps don’t require all those qualifications. Each small step only requires a few. Instead of getting all your ducks in a row, today if you can get one duck, then you can get started with small steps.

When you cut time and money off the process of getting a start, you’re spreading economic opportunity to more people. You’ll put people in a much better position to succeed, or to fail in a manageable way. 

Keep shaping a better future for your town,

Becky

PS – If you’re working on equity, fairness or including more people in your community, check out our video on Equity in Rural Economic Development. 

Photo credit: fishhawk on Flickr