Posts Tagged ‘Economic Gardening’

Still wondering “what if…?”

February 25th, 2010

How do entrepreneurs find the inspiration to start their ventures?  And where do entrepreneurs turn to find the resources necessary to grow their businesses.  Those are poignant questions for rural community leaders. Obviously there are no simple answers, but I’m hoping to better understand the opportunities surrounding them at the Launch10 Conference at Dakota Wesleyan University today.  It’s a conference that brings entrepreneurs, college students, educators, and community members together to talk about their futures. 

While talking to Jim Beddow about the Launch10 Conference a couple weeks ago, I learned that fellow Wesleyan alumnus, Eric Pulse is part of new business venture in Kimball, SD (pop. 745). Thinking that he might have an interesting perspective on these questions, I gave Eric a call, and we chatted about his venture, The Original Kimball Popcorn Ball. It turns out he had a lot to share.

I’d really hoped to share the story about the startup of this rural business in greater detail today, but time just hasn’t cooperated.  I do, however, want to share one piece of advice Eric had to offer. 

Before ending our call, I asked Eric what advice he had for entrepreneurs.  He responded, “Don’t be the person who sits back and wonders in ten years, what if…?”

Sage advice.  I think it speaks to rural communities as well, which brings us back to why I’m attending the Launch10 conference.

There are lots of models for supporting entrepreneurs.  Littleton, CO’s Economic Gardening process and the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship’s E2 model come to mind.  But communities leaders, like business leaders, can’t sit back and wait for entrepreneurs to appear and then expect them to be successful on their own.  Instead we’ve got to be intention and be prepared to support them.  Or else in ten years, we’re going to be the one’s wondering “what if…?”

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5 Ways Rural Communities can get ready for Gen Y

December 11th, 2009

This is the 3rd in a series of posts offering my thoughts about an article Gwendolyn Bounds wrote for the Wall Street Journal titled “Green Acres is the Place to be.” Her article highlights a small but hopefully growing trend of young people moving to rural places.  When I started writing, I only intended one article.  But the story continues to garnish my attention. (You can read previous post here and here.)           

The people highlighted in the Bounds’ article all purchased small tracts of land in Rural America. They are raising animals, growing crops, and hunting animals for food. It’s interesting to me that none decided to live in a town or hamlet. 

I think I understand why these young people, called Gen Y, are attracted to purchasing a house and land in the countryside, and I think it’s a good thing - at least in the Midwest, where the countryside has been depopulated.  I do recognize the potential problems around urban sprawl and the conflict between hobby farms and production agriculture.  But in general, I think the positives outweigh the negatives in my part of the country. 

I also think there’s an opportunity for small, rural towns to position themselves as places where Gen Y wants to move. Previously, I’ve written about that subject in a series of posts tagged “attracting college educated.” Regardless of whether they live in town or outside, however, I think there are things that rural communities can do to prepare for and maximize the movement of younger people to Rural America.   And I’d like to share my thoughts on that subject below.

 

5 tips for preparing your community for a Gen Y

Following the theme of understanding the characteristics of Gen Y, I’d recommend rural communities consider the following activities:

1) Help create economic opportunities. Yesterday, I highlighted that individuals moving to rural places were seeking a variety of opportunities. The subject is mute if economic opportunities for the rural transplants don’t exist. To some people that means rural communities need to recruit businesses for new job growth. And that’s good strategy for some communities. But I’ve long been a fan of entrepreneurship training programs, like economic gardening. Developing and marketing a good entrepreneurship program could be a boon for attracting Gen Y. After all, Gen Y is known to be very entrepreneurial. (Read more about Gen Y’s entrepreneurial tendencies here and here.) 

2) Make sure your community has third places that help introduce newcomers. We’ve talked previously about the importance of pubs, coffee shops, cafes, and community centers that function as “informal meeting places where community is built.” (Ray Oldenburg, The Great Good Place) If you don’t believe me, check out this blog produced by Gwendolyn Bounds about a little pub in Garrison, NY. Bounds credits the sense of community she experienced while visiting the pub as part of the reason she moved to the region from NYC. 

3) Develop good broadband internet capacities and wi-fi hot spots. No doubt about it; Gen Y is very techy. In fact, some experts say young people look at technology like cell phones and other wireless devices as extensions of themselves. That’s hard concept for many older people to grasp, but not having good Internet access in your rural community will drive young people crazy - and possibly somewhere else.

4) Help young people figure out “What am I going to do in this town?” In case you haven’t noticed, Gen Y is very social. Granted, some of that social activity is on-line, but they love to get together for a good time as well. That’s what led college student Morgan Andenas to write a blog post last summer titled “What am I suppose to do in this town?” in which she recommends inviting young people to be a part of community projects that include social opportunities. Another idea for helping young people fit in can be accomplished by creating Young Professional Groups.

5) Rethink how you “engage” Gen Y in your community. Too often, older generations treat young adults like kids, which is a real turn-off to them. They firmly believe they have something valuable to contribute, and are sometimes offended when you don’t ask them to do so. I still think this post titled “How to Engage Gen Y in Rural Communities” is an excellent guide for any person or organization that wants to make younger people feel a part of their organization or community. Younger people today want to feel valuable.

 

Before wrapping up this post, I’d like to make one more point.  I realize that most small town residents in the Midwest and Great Plains probably don’t believe there’s a significant opportunity to attract Gen Y to rural communities through entrepreneurship, third places, technology and engagement.  I too have some doubts about it growing into a full-fledged movement.  But I do believe we can make our rural communities more attractive to younger people if we are intentional in our efforts.  In fact, I believe that’s something we have to do in order to have a future at all. 

And if you want a proof that intentional efforts of this nature can be successful, take a look at what they are doing at Energize Clinton County in Wilmington, Ohio.  Their efforts are already starting to attract Gen Y.

Photo Credit: Daquella manera - Flickr 

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Rachel responds from South Haven

November 24th, 2009

We’ve placed a little focus on Michigan lately.  Last week, Randy offered some thoughts about his work at the Summit:09 conference  in South Haven, Michigan.  This week Rachel Vochaska, Executive Director of the South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce shares some of her thoughts the event as well as the community’s plans to spur entrepreneurship. 

 

Interview with Rachel Vochaska

We’ve been hearing a lot about Michigan in the news over the last year, but most of the news focuses on Detroit and the collapse of the automobile industry.  What is happening in South Haven and other rural communities in Michigan? 

While the South Haven area has a well diversified manufacturing base, it has been impacted by the collapse of the auto industry and the community has suffered a significant loss of jobs.  Over a period of close to 24 months, Nobel International closed two local plants with 250 employees each.  To our favor though, the diverse nature of manufacturing in the area coupled with a number of companies who are engineering innovative solutions provides us relative stability even in this downturned economy. 

At the Chamber we are receiving numerous small business development inquiries and we are providing triage services to best meet the needs of local entrepreneurs.  We have created an inventory of services and resources for those interested in starting a small business and based on the nature of the inquiry we are plugging folks into counseling services through SCORE and the Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC).  Enrollment has reached capacity at our local community college and Michigan Works! is providing a heightened level of assistance to those who have been dislocated or who are unemployed.

We are assisting our second stage entrepreneurs in a number of ways.  We have provided leadership retreats through the Edward Lowe Foundation with the goal of encouraging peer learning and mentoring while developing leadership skills.  We continue to engage about 12 companies in this leadership development process to the benefit of the region.  We have connected in with the SBTDC who have deployed services through their Growth Group to help businesses with restructuring and identifying product diversification opportunities.  We are working with our regional Procurement Technical Assistance Center to encourage businesses to consider diversifying their customer orientation by engaging in government contracting.  Our residential companies are sticking in there, staying loyal to the area, and doing what they need to do to ride the storm out.

Being a lake-side resort oriented community well located to Chicago and other metro areas, the downturn in the economy has actually benefited many of our local businesses especially those in the hospitality industry (lodging and restaurants).  South Haven is a cost-effective, fun loving destination for both regional and out-of-state visitors.  We are working diligently in developing shoulder and off-season events and activities that will continue to draw people even during the slower months.  We are gearing up our agri-tourism sector and beginning to package not just the great natural amenities associated with Lake Michigan - the lake, white-sand beaches, our river, and the lighthouse, to name a few - but also the adventure of returning to the farm or even visiting a farm for the first time. 

With manufacturing, agriculture and tourism as the our primary supporters and our economic base, an optimism continues to prevail and entrepreneurs recognize that our abundant natural resources coupled with our ideal mid-west location positions the South Haven area as a great place to live, work, and play!      

As the Director of the South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce, your job entails supporting economic growth and opportunities in the greater South Haven area.  What are some of the initiatives you are working on that will help you achieve this mission? 

The membership of the South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce is truly representative of small business, with 68% employing four or less employees and 85% of Chamber members having 10 or less employees.  Services provided by the Chamber have been geared appropriately with small business development opportunities through programming and networking events being provided through the Chamber’s annual program of work. 

In addition these traditional services provided by the Chamber, in 2007 our Board re-defined our direction into economic development.  We embarked upon a project to identify the resources and tools available to people interested in starting a small business.  What we found out was that we didn’t lack the services or products that entrepreneurs needed to get started and to even grow their business, we lacked an effective system to inform entrepreneurs about what was available and then to deploy the resources they needed.  We found that small business development service providers and entrepreneurial support organizations were acting in isolation, and as a result of these silos the customer (the entrepreneur) wasn’t being well served.  So we set out with a mission “to provide a supportive and systematic approach to small business development that will spur economic revitalization and encourage sustainability in Van Buren County”, marking the birth of BRACE: Business Resources & Counseling for Entrepreneurs!

 

Last week, you held Summit: 09 — How Regional Cooperation Sustains Entrepreneurial Development.  What is Summit:09 and why did you ask Randy to come out and speak at it? 

Summit: 09 was a high caliber learning opportunity for community leaders, business people and citizens who have a desire to engage in making a difference (transforming Michigan!).  With a focus on regional cooperation and entrepreneurship, our goal was to bring folks into the room to hear about what the Rural Learning Center (RLC) is doing and to continue to motivate the shift in working across borders in cultivating our talent - simply said, coming together to grow our own.  At the Chamber, we understand the importance of economic gardening versus the traditional economic model of hunting (recruitment and attraction).  As a result, the Board of Directors has set a vision for our organization that focuses on entrepreneurship.  We have lead the charge to develop a county-wide initiative that provides assistance to entrepreneurs in taking their dream to fruition.  We are working collaboratively in establishing a supportive and systematic approach to small business development.  When we heard about the work of RLC we were intrigued, and we knew that we had much to learn from the Miner County experience.  Randy brought a humility to the topic and to summit, and our shared vision associated with the potential of rural economic development made him a perfect fit with our program and the direction we are heading.

We believe that it is greater than that though.  Given both the similarities and differences between our communities, we are excited about embarking upon a journey to further develop our relationship with the RLC.  We plan to advance our work by sharing intellectual property and resources via distance learning capabilities.  Who knows, maybe Miner County and Van Buren County will become a great example of interstate cooperation given this new relationship between RLC and the South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce!             

What are some of the most important things you learned from the speakers at the conference? 

Coming together with a vision and a plan seemed to be a central tenet of Randy’s presentation.  It was a good affirmation for us as we look at our own economic development efforts.  Early on in our BRACE initiative we spent a lot of time sitting around the table identifying the direction and determining who needed to be involved.  Eighteen months ago we conducted a very effective Appreciative Inquiry process that laid the foundation for our vision and our program of work (strategic action items), and next month we will re-visit the strategic planning process and determine our direction for the next 18 months.

As a result of Randy’s presentation, we have 2 communities mobilizing efforts to work through the schools by using students to conduct a community survey.  I loved Randy’s Cashflow Analysis and remain hopeful that we can carry his survey process to the next level and show true benefit to our communities relative to buying locally.

With the good also come the tough times.  Randy did a great job of not just showcasing the successes, he was also willing to reveal the struggles that Miner County and the RLC have experienced.  The audience connected at a deeper level in recognizing and appreciating that we grow stronger and gain insight through this adversity.

 

Note:  Rachel offers an interesting idea:  “We are excited about embarking upon a journey to further develop our relationship with the RLC….  Who knows, maybe Miner County and Van Buren County will become a great example of interstate cooperation.”

It is always fun to speculate on where new relationships will take us.  Connecting with the folks in Van Buren County offers great possibilities.  Where that goes is yet to be defined.  At a bare minumum, however, we all have an opportunity to learn from the entrepreneurial efforts being developed in Van Buren County. Through BRACE, it would appear that the folks in Van Buren County are ahead of most of us in this part of the country in their efforts to bring business assistance providers together and create a systematic approach to small business development.   Hopefully, we get a chance to continue that conversation.

Photo Credits:Kelly Weber at Through Kelly’s Eyes www.throughkellyseyes.com

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Economic Gardening training site launched

August 9th, 2009

I caught a tweet the other day from Chris Gibbons announcing the launch of the National Center for Economic Gardening Ning site.  Currently, the site’s purpose is to connect people who are attending the Economic Gardening Professional Training class on Sept 25-28.  In the future, Chris intends to create a more comprehensive site. I look forward to it, and hope that it contains interactive features, as this site does. 

Even though the current site is still in its infancy, there is valuable information already being contributed.  For instance, in one post, Chris explains the difference between Economic Gardening and Business Assistance.  In another post, he lays out a framework for why we should consider a national economic gardening coalition.  

Currently, I’m just a follower on the site because I’ve got a lot to learn about economic gardening.  Over time, however, I intend to be more active in my participation in the community. 

Check out the site.  I hope you become an active participant as well. 

Other Resources

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Chris Gibbons on Social Media

June 29th, 2009

The following is the second part of an interview I had with Chris Gibbons at the 7th Annual Economic Gardening Conference.  View Part 1 here. 

 

Many businesses recognize that they could benefit from a social media strategy, but they are also often overwhelmed by the subject.  In this short interview, Chris Gibbons provides three examples of businesses his economic gardening program has worked with on developing a social media strategy.

 

 

Gibbon’s three mini case studies identified the value of an economic gardening program.  Small businesses may recognize the need, but are puzzled about where to turn. 

Economic Gardening leverages a broad range of intellectual capital and practical experience to assist entrepreneurs in figuring out what makes sense for their business.

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Chris Gibbons on Economic Gardening

June 23rd, 2009

Chris Gibbons took the time for a short interview on the subject of “economic gardening” last week at the conclusion of the 7th Annual Economic Gardening Conference.  If you are like some of my friends who thought economic gardening was about growing vegetables in the garden, you’d better watch this short video.

 

 

 

OK, so economic gardening is a strategy for economic development that involves planting seeds for economic growth by helping entrepreneurs. 

Some people hear that and probably say, “Oh, it’s about helping business owners write business plans and making sure they get low interest loans.”  Well, that’s probably helpful, but people who dig into what Chris advocates understand it’s much more. 

Although the definition varies by location, Chris’s version of economic gardening involves a fairly sophisticated process of market research analysis, competitive analysis, and marketing strategy development - information most businesses don’t have access to.   

Why Economic Gardening?

As the Littleton website describes, economic gardening “was based on research by David Birch at MIT that indicated the great majority of all new jobs in any local economy were produced by the small, local businesses of the community.”  That was true in 1987 when Chris developed his program, and it’s true today.   

I talked to Chris and others at the conference about what it would take to create an economic gardening movement in South Dakota.  By “movement” I’m talking about something more than a program, although that would be a great start. 

If it’s going to succeed, economic gardening has got to be something people and organizations are passionate about.  I can’t help but wonder if that isn’t part of the problem being described about this program in Florida.

At the end of the video Chris points us to Wyoming’s model because he believes a regional approach would work best in a rural state like South Dakota.  Makes sense to me.  Hopefully, others will help us build on that conversation.     

 Other Economic Gardening resources

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Growing Economic Gardening in South Dakota

June 18th, 2009

What would it take to create an Economic Gardening movement in South Dakota? 

That’s the question we posed at the end of our presentation at the 7th Annual Economic Gardening Conference in Fort Sisseton. 

It seemed to be a fitting conclusion to our presentation because the most social networking is best when it’s focuses on people come together to create a movement. 

 

Eg Final Presentation Social Media Section

View more OpenOffice presentations from rurallearning.

 

If you have any thoughts about economic gardening and how to make it a movement in SD, I hope you will let us know.

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So what do you think of Social Media

June 18th, 2009

Today is a big day for Lindsey, Jim and I.  We’re speaking on the subject of social networking at the 2009 National Economic Gardening Conference.  It’s a big deal for us.  We believe social media has tremendous potential for community and economic development work, But we don’t consider ourselves to be either economic gardening or social media experts.  So the conference is still about learning. 

For that reason, we believe it’s important for us to engage people in conversation between sessions so that we can gain from their experiences.  We started that process last night at the conference social by asking people, “So what do you think about social media in your line of work?  (Keep in mind conference attendees come from a variety of professions.) 

 Here are a few of the responses. 

 ”Everybody keeps telling me I need to get into it, but it seems to take away from my real work.”

 ”I got onto Facebook because my kids have it;  but I don’t see myself using it professionally.”

 ”I’m working with some people who use it in their business, and they think it’s a great marketing tool.”

 ”I’m still finding my way, but I know it’s important because it’s how kids communicate.  If we want them to be a part of our rural communities, we need to figure out how we can use it in our work.”

 This last statement struck me, and is one that I want to emphasize in our presentation today.  We need to be willing to get out of our comfort zone and try different social media tools because it’s how young people communicate.

Photo Description:  Don Macke, Lindsey Karlson, and Jim Beddow at the Wednesday evening reception.

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Economic Gardening coming to South Dakota

May 4th, 2009

South Dakota and the Upper Midwest have a great opportunity to take a step forward in how we help grow entrepreneurs.  On June 17-19th, the 2009 Economic Gardening Conference will be held at historic Fort Sisseton.  It is a must attend event for anyone who believes in the importance of entrepreneurial development.

For those who haven’t heard of the term before, economic gardening is a process of nurturing and growing entrepreneurs.  The process begins with information.  Typically, economic gardening professionals help entrepreneurs find information on markets, customers, and competitors that individuals typically don’t have access to.  Once in hand, economic gardening professionals help the entrepreneurs use the information to advance their business and reach their markets.  (This is just a short definition.  There’s more that I’m leaving out.)

The process works, as evidenced by Littleton, CO’s success. I’ve followed the process from afar, wondering how small rural communities (i.e. - those under 5000 people) can implement the strategy.  (I’ll share more thoughts on this later.

The conference will be held at historic Fort Sisseton, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone who wants to understand how communities in States across the country support entrepreneurs.   I anticipate a wide variety of attendees, ranging from economic gardening professionals to enthusiasts and citizens who just want to learn more. 

I’ll be at the conference, and I’ve set a goal for networking with attendees and figuring out what South Dakota should be doing to advance this cause.  I hope to meet you there.  

Be sure to check out the conference registration site here.

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