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Jack Schultz: It’s about entrepreneurship
April 12th, 2010 by Mike Knutson
People love lists, and Jack Schultz has the ultimate list for rural economic development professionals: 7 1/2 Keys to Success in Small Towns. If you haven’t heard, it’s worth reading.
But which one is “The One”? In other words, if a community had to choose, which one should it focus on?
Jack the evangelist
Last Thursday (April 8), Jack spoke to a group of community residents and students on the University of South Dakota campus. I was already on campus working on another project, so I couldn’t resist crashing the party.
J
ack delivered what I expected; he evangelized on behalf of small towns, telling the audience to incorporate his 7 1/2 principles into their development effort. I bought his book on its first printing, so I was familiar with his principles and stories. It’s good stuff.
What impressed me most, however, was Jack’s statement that Principle #5: Encouraging an Entrepreneurial Approach is probably the most important development strategy for small towns to follow. I didn’t get his exact quote, but Jack emphasized growth through entrepreneurship because the odds of landing a business through recruitment is slim. For instance, last year there were only around 200 significant “smokestack chasing” projects in the entire country, and tens of thousands of communities were pursuing them. In that light, growing your own entrepreneurs looks like a pretty good idea!
What’s Jack doing about it?
Part of the reason Jack is a hit on the speaker trail is that he’s done it. Dating back to the 1980s, Jack has been helping his hometown of Effingham, Illinois (pop. 12,384) with its economic development initiatives. When asked about the community’s entrepreneurship efforts, he responded by describing a recent initiative he’s been involved with.
Here are the basics:
- Jack helped solicit contributions of $1000 for three years from 50 residents in his community.
- The project crossed six school districts with classes being held in businesses throughout the community.
- Students take what they learn in the classroom and create their own businesses.
- An award winning teacher helped develop the project and was hired part-time to teach and organize the class.
- Twenty-two students completed the first year. Jack’s convinced over half will pursue their own business ventures.
Listening to Jack, I could hear his passion for this project. He claimed the training would be transformational, and I’m inclined to believe him. Jack volunteered to share more information with anyone who was interested; he’s already responded to my request with an e-mail. Reading it has inspired additional questions, and I hope Jack (and others) will have some time to answer them. As I learn more, I promise to share.
Entrepreneurship education. It’s something all rural communities need to learn more about.
Tags: entrepreneurship, Gen Y, Illinois, Jack Schultz, youth engagement
Posted in Community Development, Economic Development, Gen Y, Rural | Comments (
3 )
April 12th, 2010 at 8:54 am
Mike,
It was a great meeting and presentation by Jack. If you are a “small town” ED person and haven’t purchased this book, I think it’s a must. I really enjoyed his message and I think he’s right on track of where we need to go in the economic development arena. I think it would be a great post for you to put your “recommended” reading list by putting your Top 10 books for ED on your site. I would appreciate that I know. Thanks!
April 12th, 2010 at 9:22 am
Jeff,
Great idea! I’ll create that book list as long as you offer some recommendations yourself. And hopefully others will contribune their favorites as well.
April 13th, 2010 at 6:01 am
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