The
greatest opportunity for our rural communities is an entrepreneurial
mindset. When everyone in a community
has “the mindset” problems are solved, markets are fulfilled, jobs are created
and communities grow. In Independence, I attribute the creation and development
of Fab Lab ICC to an ever-growing circle of entrepreneurial thinkers.
Such was
my message as a panelist on Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Kansas Rural
Opportunities Conference in Dodge City recently.
When I
began developing the Successful Entrepreneur Program at ICC back in 2006, I
looked at entrepreneurship only through the lens of small business
ownership. But, in about 2010, I began to
realize that “entrepreneurship” is a mindset, a way of thinking that everyone
needs. I began to realize that rural
communities need to become more entrepreneurial in the way they think about the
problems and challenges of the new economy.
In my 5- minute introduction, I presented a rapid-fire list of “Top 10
Tips to Develop Entrepreneurial Mindset” in a community.
1. Become
a community of entrepreneurial thinkers
a. Informal
weekly entrepreneurial gatherings, such as the Entrepreneurs Brown Bag Lunch
and Breakfast series in Independence and Coffeyville.
2. Become
a Network Kansas “E-Community”
a. Gap financing for
start-ups and existing businesses
3. Don’t
spend big money on consultants or business recruiters
4. Initiate
Entrepreneurial Mindset training for community members
a. “Ice
House” entrepreneurship program for community members and college students
b. “Youth Entrepreneurs”
for high school students
c. “Catfish Tank”
challenge for elementary and middle school students
5. Invite
youth to come home
a. Give high school
graduates a mail box as a future welcome home
6. Develop
your own “Shark Tank” scenario
a. Instead of consultants, use your use
funds to sponsor start-ups
7. Learn
about SBIR/STTR grants for small for-profit entrepreneurs
a.
Some very small mom/pop operations
have been successful
b.
Kansas Small Business Development
Centers can help
8. Work with Network
Kansas to offer the “Economic Gardening” initiative to established businesses
ready to grow to the next level
9. Promote the beginning steps of business
succession planning
a. Help
businesses “tune up” and stay responsive to the market long in advance of
preparing to sell
10. Build a Fab Lab or other Maker Space
a. Every
community has enough money to support one when people realize what it will mean
for community pride and the local economy
As good things start to happen in
these “entrepreneurial mindset” communities, businesses and individuals from
outside become interested in coming to town to become a part of the action.
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