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Week of March 31 - April 6, 2008 |
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Not All Entrepreneurs are Created Equal
High-growth businesses—sometimes known as
gazelles---are the real drivers of innovation and economic growth in our
economy. A recent Ohio State University study makes a similar claim
about the role of entrepreneurs in Ohio’s rural economy. The study
begins with the basic premise that many self-employment ventures emerge
out of necessity, not out of a desire to exploit a business opportunity.
As a result, many of these ventures contribute little to region’s
economic prosperity. The research finds that increases in
self-employment do appear to be contributing to rural job growth in
Ohio, but it is not yet clear whether these newly created jobs provide
sufficient wages and benefits to improve local quality of life. The
report cautions that state and local governments should be cautious
before implementing major new initiatives to provide grants or other
financing to these new ventures. However, the study does recommend that
policymakers act to remove barriers to entrepreneurs and also work to
improve the local business climate for new and growing companies. |
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New NFIB Campaign for Health Care Relief
The National Federation of Independent
Business (NFIB) has kicked off a new public campaign to push for massive
health care reform. Entitled “Solutions Start Here,” the campaign is
designed to help bring an entrepreneur's voice to this year’s
campaign-related health care debates. The initiative seeks to help
engender support for new strategies, such as NFIB-backed proposals to
create Association Health Plans (AHPs), but it is also working a more
general level to ensure that any new health care proposals provide
effective support and coverage for small business owners. The project’s
website, www.fixedforamerica.com, includes a wealth of information on
health care policy debates as well as an on-line petition to be sent to
Presidential candidates and Members of Congress. |
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While some self-employment ventures struggle
to make ends meet, others hit the big time quickly. An interesting new
Information Week article takes a closer look at the phenomenon of solo
entrepreneurs who earn more than $1 million per year. These companies
share several characteristics. Most importantly, they all rely heavily
on the web, high speed computing, and new mobile technologies. In fact,
they could probably not succeed without these base technology solutions.
Most of these entrepreneurs seem to loathe traditional management tasks,
and have little interest in building a large operation. However, that
does not mean that they don’t want to make money. They just want to do
it on their own terms. The article also includes interesting profiles of
successful solo firms such as Steamshowers4less.com, a distributor of
steam shower systems, and Plenty of Fish, a popular on-line dating site.
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Ladies and Gentlemen -- Your New Business Plan Champion
When you hear 'championship belt' you
might think about the “sweet science” of boxing or even the
not-so-sweet science of professional wrestling. In a few weeks, MIT
Enterprise Forum of Washington-Baltimore and Georgetown University are
offering a championship belt for the Mid-Atlantic Business Plan
Competition. More than 150 students began the competition promoting
their business plans for everything from socially conscious candy
companies to GPS software that offers users self-guided tours of major
metropolitan areas. Twenty semi-finalists were recently announced,
representing: University of Maryland at College Park; Johns Hopkins
University; Georgetown University; Virginia Tech; George Mason
University; and, Morgan State University. The semi-final and final
rounds will be held on April 26 at Georgetown University. |
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Libraries and Rural Development
If you think about key institutions involved
in revitalizing rural America, you probably don’t put libraries at the
top of your list. Yet, as a new Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
study notes, libraries and librarians are key assets in many rural
communities. Public libraries serve as community centers, but they can
also contribute to local economic development efforts. This is
especially true when it comes to serving local entrepreneurs who can
benefit greatly from marketing research and other materials available at
local libraries. The study reviews several case studies of effective
programs (for example, in Lancaster County, PA), and offers tips for how
libraries can be better partners in support of local entrepreneurs and
their companies.
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The National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship is an initiative of the Public Forum Institute made possible by a grant from the Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City. Through NDE-news, we bring you short summaries and analyses of various trends driving entrepreneurship around the world. Subscribe now to receive your weekly copy. Archived issues are available online. |
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National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship
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All
stories © 2008 The Public Forum Institute
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