Posts Tagged ‘entrepreneurship’
MarketPlace South Dakota: Growing Entrepreneurs
July 16th, 2011
If you are an entrepreneur or are thinking about starting a business, you should strongly consider attending the South Dakota MarketPlace 2011 on July 26 & 27 at the Huron (SD) Event Center. Attendees will have an opportunity to:- learn vital business skills,
- network with other entrepreneurs and service providers,
- and discover ideas that work for small business
Why attend?
Although this is the first year in South Dakota, the event is being patterned after successful MarketPlace events in both North Dakota and Nebraska. If you are sitting on the fence wondering if you should attend, I would encourage you to consider the following statistics about past MarketPlace events that I found on the event’s promotional materials:- 52 percent of small business respondents stated that their MarketPlace participation resulted in starting, expanding or making changes to their business. Of those who started a business since participating in MarketPlace, 43 percent said the business is a primary business and 57 percent said the business is a secondary business.
- About a third of the small business respondents stated they have added jobs in their businesses since participating in MarketPlace. A total of 14 jobs were added by those respondents (six part-time, one full-time and seven seasonal jobs). The sample of small business respondents who answered they created jobs thus created an average of 1.4 jobs per business (no distinction is made here among full-time, part-time or seasonal jobs).
- Nearly all 88 percent of those small business respondents who stated they were making changes or expanding their business as a result of MarketPlace participation sought financing to do so. These respondents used a variety of financing sources (multiple responses were allowed). Loans from banks, resources from USDA Rural Development and personal resources (savings and credit cards) were the most popular sources.
- 79 percent of small business respondents stated they utilized new resources as a result of their MarketPlace participation.
- A large number, 42 percent, of small business respondents stated they started to work with other companies as a result of networking at the MarketPlace conference.
Tags: Center for Rural Affairs, entrepreneurship, South Dakota, South Dakota Farmers Union
Posted in Rural, Training and Events | Comments (2)
Breaking the “glass ceiling” with economic gardening
April 29th, 2011
I’d like you to play along with a hypothetical situation. Let’s say you operate a business making high end gym bags. You’re really good at making these bags. People who see your bags love them. One problem, however; they are expensive. You’ve determined that you need to sell your product for $450 apiece. Surprisingly – at least to me – there is a market for your product. It’s a relatively small market, but you’ve been in business for a few years now and sense there is an opportunity to expand. But, where are those potential customers, and how do you reach them? Those are tough questions for a small business to answer. And the reality is that most small businesses don’t know how to answer them. It’s a glass ceiling that hinders way too many businesses with great products and great opportunities.Not so hypothetical
While I’ve taken some liberties with the above, it is based on a real story told by Chris Gibbons, the father of economic gardening, on Blog Talk Radio yesterday. It’s a story that emphasizes the value economic gardening programs offer small businesses. (To listen to the interview click here. Chris' interview begins at 67:15.) In this example, Chris explained that his staff used their databases and GIS mapping techniques to identify where people who meet the company’s customer profile live. What’s interesting is that they discovered that these individuals live in only 8 or 9 U.S. cities. And more specifically, they live within a few select neighborhoods in those cities. Knowing these details is vital to executing any marketing plan.So why can’t businesses do this for themselves?
Chris explained that in the Littleton program, they focus on Stage 2 companies because they are the type of businesses that are ready to create jobs. (Stage 2 companies have 10-100 employees and $1-$50 million in sales.) While large corporations regularly make use of the databases and techniques Chris described, Stage 2 companies typically don’t have the time or resources. It’s their glass ceiling. Realizing this explains why economic gardening programs are important.Your chance to hear Chris
If you are like me and missed the original broadcast, you can hear Chris by clicking here. (His portion of the interview begins at 66:15.) I’ve heard Chris several times before, but this interview especially captured my attention. And I hope you find Economic Gardening as fascinating as I do. Note: Readers may also be interested in Beth Plutchak's recent guest post about building an economic gardening program in rural Wisconsin.
Tags: Chris Gibbons, Economic Gardening, entrepreneurship
Posted in Economic Development, Rural | Comments (0)
5 Secrets to Launching a rural Economic Gardening program
April 21st, 2011
Midwesterners are usually good at growing things. In fact, many of us participated in 4-H as youngsters, where we raised animals, grew vegetables, and built projects to be entered at Achievement Days during the county fair. But for some reason, we can’t seem to grow an economic gardening program -- at least not in South Dakota. That’s why I invited Beth Plutchak of Beth Plutchak Consulting and Sue Gleason of SyzyGy50 to share their story. They’ve been instrumental in creating an economic gardening program in Sauk County, Wisconsin. Having read through both Beth’s blog post and their Final Report for the project, I thought I’d share 5 secrets that might help grow a program in South Dakota and other rural states?5 Secrets to starting an economic gardening program
#1 – There are no secrets. Let’s get that out of the way from the start. It’s a lot of hard work and innovative thinking. It also takes a little bit of risk. #2 – It takes a trained staff. Both Beth and Sue bring experience to the table in their roles as consultants. Beth had been in banking, and Sue worked in workforce and economic development. They also benefited from attending Economic Gardening training sessions sponsored by the Edward Lowe Foundation. Yet they admitted to a learning curve when digging in the databases used to help businesses. I think it’s safe to say training is a must for staff members. #3 – It requires a regional approach. Sauk County has a population of 59,000, which is larger than all but two of South Dakota’s counties. Based on what I’ve learned from Beth and Sue, I think it would probably take an even larger population to generate enough business to keep one staff person working fulltime. And I’m sure a larger population base would help with efficiencies as well. Although I don’t know what size is optimal, operating an economic gardening program in a state like South Dakota would require a multi-county effort. #4 -- Public-private partnerships may be the way to go. Although many economic gardening programs offer their services to businesses for free, the Sauk County program charged participating businesses $100. While free is probably preferable, I do like the concept of charging businesses a minimal fee. Not only does it help with the program costs, but it makes sure that businesses are committed to the process. I also like the idea of partnering with local economic development corporations and foundations. That way no one entity is bearing the full brunt of starting the project. #5 – Get started “now.” It’s never going to be perfect. Beth and Sue did their research before launching this effort, but they didn’t have everything worked out perfectly either. Read their Final Report and you will discover that some of their assumptions were wrong. They had to make changes on the fly, and they’d like to make further changes in the future. I really appreciate this because change and adaptation are a part of the entrepreneurial process. It’s great to see a public-private partnership following the same principles. Prior to reading Beth’s guest post, I hadn’t realized that the Sauk County Economic Gardening program was a pilot project. As Beth and Sue mention, they are currently negotiating with several entities to expand and continue their effort. I hope they are successful. I think they are onto a great concept. It’s the type of project that could benefit rural communities everywhere. If you have any additional questions you would like to ask of Beth and Sue, fire away. They’ve already been very gracious with their information, and I’m sure they will answer any comments as time allows.
Tags: Economic Gardening, entrepreneurship, Wisconsin
Posted in Economic Development, Rural | Comments (0)
Can economic gardening really work in rural areas?
April 20th, 2011
…or will it take a huge influx of cash to fund the program?
Editorial note: I recently invited Beth Plutchak of Beth Plutchak Consulting and Sue Gleason of SyzyGy50 to share their story about how they, as independent consultants, have partnered with the Sauk County Development Corporation to create an Economic Gardening program in Sauk County, WI. I was particularly interested in their project because I want to get a better handle on how rural communities are developing economic gardening programs. Beth responded with some great information. Guest post by Beth Plutchak In 2008 Alliant Energy Company brought Chris Gibbons, the guru of Economic Gardening to Madison, WI as part of an ongoing series on local Economic Development. At the time I had just left a career in banking to start consulting for businesses and Economic Development Organizations. My partner Sue Gleason, was still working for Thrive, an eight county Economic Development Region located in overwhelmingly rural South Central Wisconsin. There were a number of things that really rang true for me in that eight hour session:- the importance of growing local businesses rather than traditional retention and recruitment
- the availability of tools for businesses that had been unavailable in the recent past
- the data showing that even though we all knew jobs were created by small businesses, we now know that net jobs are created by small businesses with certain characteristics
- the importance of supporting local entrepreneurs.
Fast forward to 2010
Sue was also working as an independent consultant by this time. We continued our conversations on how to bring an Economic Gardening Program into Wisconsin. Agencies were interested, but the issue always came back to the budget. Fond du Lac County and the City of Mauston were able to obtain grants to put programs in place, but the nature of grant funding is to go away once the program has been in existence for a period of time. The then Executive Director of the Sauk County Development Corporation, Karna Hanna, had also attended the Alliant Energy session in 2008. She was interested in putting together a program, but her budget would not support one. We started taking a harder look at the budget elements. The main costs are staff and databases. Sue and I were already trained in the tools and had some experience using them. We had each attended the Economic Gardening training sessions at the Edward Lowe Foundation. We could contract the work and SCDC would not have to fund additional staff. The costs of databases continued to come down, largely with the help of Chris Gibbons who has been working to convince some of the large providers that there is a market for lower priced tools. Some of the databases were already available to us through the South Central Wisconsin Library System and the University of Wisconsin Business School Library. We thought, why don’t we do what rural people always do, and make the best use of what we have available, rather than waiting until we can afford more?What about the costs?
The missing piece was how to pay for Sue and my consulting time, since we would be performing the role of paid staff. One of the issues that Gibbons emphasizes in the Economic Gardening Training is the disastrous consequences for local communities of the so-called race to the bottom. Whenever companies focus on cutting costs in order to lower their prices, they are setting themselves up to be put out of business by someone with the capital to cut price even deeper. Economic Gardening gives companies the tools they need to protect their margins, and to innovate in ways that create barriers to entry for their competition. We didn’t need to provide services for free. We needed to show Return on Investment. We began our program with a pilot that ran until the end of 2010. The pilot was funded by grants from Alliant Energy, the W. R. and Floy A. Sauey Family Foundation, and in-kind donations of time. The participant companies paid $100 per company to take part. The pilot funding covered services to the companies of $100 per hour in consulting fees, plus extra costs of database passes and tools. These costs will be borne fully by participating companies going forward. The total budget for the pilot program was just under $20,000. We went into the pilot with the following assumptions:- There is a need and desire for this program in Rural Communities
- Companies will pay for services that directly impact their bottom line
- Consultants who have been through the Lowe Foundation Economic Gardening training are well equipped to provide the technical services the program requires
- The cost of ongoing professional development, both formal (Lowe Training) and informal (learning the new tools) can be borne by the consultants and factored into the costs of services
- Program overhead costs could also be borne by the consultants as the day-to-day costs of running their businesses
- It is important to have SCDC sponsor the program
- SCDC and the consultants would be able to build awareness of the program through press releases and direct contact with companies which could potentially benefit from the program, as well as word of mouth referrals
What did we learn?
We have a couple of challenges going forward. One is building word of mouth about the program. This is harder than we thought it would be. There were also costs associated with the start-up which we didn’t accurately estimate. Sue and I spent more time on program development, materials development, marketing and training than we expected we would. We are currently in talks with the family foundation that funded the pilot, concerning funding for program start-up costs as we transition to a self-funded program. We are also looking at spreading the costs among EDOs, by inviting other agencies and municipalities to take part in our model. There will likely be some kind of membership cost to establish and maintain a program, but we still expect the majority of the funding to come from fees to the businesses that take part. We intend to keep EDO costs as low as possible. The results of the SCDC pilot study can be found here. For further information see Beth Plutchak of Beth Plutchak Consulting and Sue Gleason of SyzyGy50 .
Tags: Economic Gardening, Edward Lowe Foundation, entrepreneurship, Sauk County WI, Wisconsin
Posted in Economic Development, Rural | Comments (4)
5 Economic Gardening Resources
March 21st, 2011
“All hands to the deck.” I a little help. What information would you share about economic gardening with someone new to the cause? A recent conversation with a friend, led her to advocate for the creation of a regional economic gardening program at a meeting she attended this week. Afterward, an official asked for more information on the strategy. My friend called, excited to share the news, and asked that I send her some economic gardening “resources.” Admittedly, I had limited time, but fired off an e-mail with links to a few of my favorites. That’s where you come in. I’ve listed those links below. Since you probably have better resources describing economic gardening, I’d ask that you contribute them in the comments below.First, I have to plug a short video interview with Chris Gibbons that I produced when he was in South Dakota for the 2009 National Economic Gardening Conference – “Chris Gibbons on Economic Gardening.” (this is my first crack at creating a video, so ignore the quality.) Chris started the first economic gardening program in Littleton, CO, so it was great to hear his description of the concept.
Second, I’d check out the City of Littleton’s Economic Gardening page. It offers a history and description of their program. Under the category of Economic Gardening Today, it also highlights the “three main elements” of their program in Littleton: Information, Infrastructure, and Connections. Although all three are important, I think our region needs a beefed-up effort to help companies acquire the information they need about their markets in order to grow.
Third on my list is an article titled “CI for Small Businesses.” Written by Christine Hamilton-Pennell, the article describes how competitive intelligence (a key part of economic gardening) works and how the process impacts small businesses. Christine use to work for Chris in Littleton, and currently runs her own business, which works with communities to establish their own entrepreneurship support programs.
Fourth, if we are seeking to develop a regional program (as Chris advocates in the video), we should look to Wyoming as an example. This presentation titled “Rural Economic Gardening: the Wyoming Model” offers an overview their program. I especially like that it identifies the types of databases they use to help entrepreneurs find the information their businesses need.
And finally, I saved the best for last. After getting a feel for economic gardening with the resources above, I would encourage you to join the “Eco-dev” Google Group. Experts like Chris regularly share resources about economic gardening. It’s really the go to resource for economic gardening.
So there’s my quick list. What’s on yours? Note: Many people are currently using the term "economic gardening" to describe all types of entrepreneurship support. While I think those are great, I think our region would benefit greatly from the type of focused market analysis -- competitive intelligence -- that is offered by Chris Gibbon's program.
Tags: Chris Gibbons, Economic Gardening, entrepreneurship, resources
Posted in Economic Development, Rural | Comments (5)
Homegrown approaches to rural economic development
March 7th, 2011
What are you doing to grow the economy of your rural community from within? That should be a central question every rural community leader should be asking. It’s a question I was recently reminded of while reading “Homegrown Responses to Economic Uncertainty in Rural America.” Written in 2009 by two University of North Carolina professors and an experienced economic development practitioner, the paper states: “Rural communities have been hard hit by the recession, but those that have approached economic development by looking inward to community strengths and existing resources are often faring better than those that attempt to lure companies to relocate by promising low wages and tax incentives. The latter can no longer compete in a global economy.” Building on local assets is an approach that I’ve always agreed with.3 Homegrown Approaches
After providing context for why rural communities are struggling and why attempts to recruit new businesses tend to be highly “competitive and costly,” the authors identify three potential homegrown approaches to rural economic development. The first is defined as Place-Based Development. These strategies attempt to take advantage of the local characteristics and assets of a place. For instance, since some South Dakota communities possess natural beauty because of their location along the Missouri River, they should invest in this asset in ways that help attract tourists and retirees. But as the paper also notes, it might also mean that a community should take note of its social capital as a means of growing its economy. A second approach is Economic Gardening. These efforts focus on supporting and growing entrepreneurial talent from within a community. The phrase economic gardening is best defined by the strategies developed by Chris Gibbons in Littleton, CO, where their efforts focus on helping entrepreneurs with fairly sophisticated market analysis. (Note: Becky McCray recently offered a great summary of the entrepreneurial support system developed by the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship.) And finally, the paper identifies Cultivating Creativity and Talent. Building on the work of Richard Florida, the strategies in this category focus on attracting creative and talented workers who have the ability to create innovation and new jobs. It also means investing in the talent that already exists within a community. Although these initiatives usually focus on the urban environment, there are some promising examples developing in rural communities such as Prince Edward County, ON and the Gogebic region of Michigan and Wisconsin.Our people are our greatest asset
When we started our work in Miner County, SD, we emphasized that “Our people are our greatest asset.” We did so because we wanted to emphasize that old fashion ingenuity and creativity were going to lead us into the twenty-first century. We also wanted everyone to know that nobody else was going to fix our economy for us. That’s a message that still holds true for most rural communities today. Build on the existing assets within your community because nobody is going to solve your problems for you. It’s good to know research backs it up.
Tags: Economic Gardening, entrepreneurship, people attraction, place-based development
Posted in Economic Development, Rural Life | Comments (2)
Innovation Vouchers: A strategy to support entrepreneurs
February 22nd, 2011
Rural economic development professionals often serve as connectors. Beyond the business recruiting activity that often defines their work, economic development professionals often hear from people who have an idea for a new business (or for expanding existing ones), but need help with the planning, financing, or operating of their new venture. In response, economic development professionals try to connect these budding entrepreneurs with the Small Business Development Centers for business planning, regional revolving loan funds for financing, research centers for technical assistance and other appropriate organizations. Some of the projects become thriving businesses. Some die away because the deficiencies are too great. Unfortunately, some that don’t make it are really good, which leaves us wondering, “How could we do a better job of supporting these entrepreneurs?” One answer is to develop economic garden programs, like that of Littleton, CO. Another strategy to consider is an Innovation Voucher. I recently learned about the concept of Innovation Vouchers from an EntreWorks Insights newsletter. As the newsletter describes, the process is very simple:A small business receives a voucher, generally backed with public funds that it can cash in with pre-approved consultants or research centers who help the firm address a pressing technical or business issue. Each voucher has a relatively low value (e.g. below $10,000), and the process for receiving vouchers is fairly simple. Firms must file a short application, and describe their intended activities. In cases where larger dollar amounts are expended, so form of matching investments are often required.”The Dakota Rising program is one form of an Innovation Voucher already in existence in South Dakota. Developed by the South Dakota Rural Enterprise Institute, the program awards fellowships to promising entrepreneurs. These fellowships come with a cash award of $10,000 that is to be used for professional development and business growth. In the process, the entrepreneurs also gain access to a network of other aspiring entrepreneurs and support from their local communities, who must participate as a Dakota Rising site community. Cash awards plus networking and support. A great idea. The EntreWorks article offers a more robust description of the value offered by Innovation Vouchers and is worth reading. It’s made me wonder, how many other communities are using this approach to invest in economic growth?
Tags: Economic Gardening, entrepreneurship, Innovation Vouchers, Littleton CO, SDREI
Posted in Economic Development, Rural | Comments (3)
Rural America Needs Change Agents
January 17th, 2011
Entrepreneurship and self-employment are key to a rural revival. That's the message our friend Don Macke at the RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship shared last week in an article he wrote for the New Geography blog. In addition to building a case for why entrepreneurship is important, Macke identifies three areas of rural community development that are impacted by the growth of entrepreneurship. One in particular, the connection between entrepreneurs and risk takers, caught my attention. In a section titled "Social and Economic Renewal, Don notes:Based on our field research throughout North America we would argue that the dominate group leaving rural areas are not necessarily the best and brightest, but those with a greater capacity for taking risk. This distinction is strategically important in that losing risk takers erodes a community's fundamental capacity for innovating and embracing necessary change. Attracting entrepreneurs introduces "change agents" back into declining rural communities. This introduction enhances social and economic renewal. Based on our field research throughout North America we would argue that the dominate group leaving rural areas are not necessarily the best and brightest, but those with a greater capacity for taking risk. This distinction is strategically important in that losing risk takers erodes a community's fundamental capacity for innovating and embracing necessary change. Attracting entrepreneurs introduces "change agents" back into declining rural communities. This introduction enhances social and economic renewal." (source: "Self-Employment Key to Expanding Rural America's Revival," Don Macke, New Geography, Jan. 13, 2011)Don offers a good reminder: rural communities need "change agents" who help initiate innovation. And the people most likely to fill that role are the people who are leaving rural communities. So, what needs to be done to attract (or retain) people who possess "a greater capacity for taking risks?" I'll offer the following quick list.
First, communities need to develop the environment and infrastructure to support entrepreneurs. Currently, the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship helps "coach" communities seeking to support entrepreneurs. They also offer a wide array of resources for practitioners on their website to get them started.
Second, communities need to build a stronger brand with a focus on entrepreneurship and innovation. During my time working in rural communities, I'm astounded by the innovative nature of some rural communities. Sadly, they don't attempt to communicate that attribute to the world around them. It's little wonder they don't attract more entrepreneurs.
Third, communities need to be more entrepreneurial themselves. Obviously this goes hand-in-hand with my first and second recommendations. But at the same time, the community itself must display the values of an entrepreneur and be willing to take risks. Doing so will make the community more inviting to entrepreneurs.
The list could go on and on. And it leads to the question, "What is your community doing to attract entrepreneurs?"
Tags: Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship, Nebraska
Posted in Community Development, Economic Development, Rural | Comments (5)
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December 15th, 2010
We need to spur entrepreneurship among young people in our rural communities. That's the message I heard from Lori Hintz at BASEC Buy Zithromax (Azithromycin) Without Prescription, , as she described why she has been involved with the Big Idea Contest.
Sponsored by Absolutely Aberdeen and the Small Business Development Center of Aberdeen, Zithromax (Azithromycin) trusted pharmacy reviews, Zithromax (Azithromycin) from canadian pharmacy, The Big Idea Contest calls on high school students to develop an idea for a business, and then offers cash and scholarships to those with the best ideas.
The goal is to help young people develop their skills as entrepreneurs and to encourage them to think about creating those opportunities in South Dakota. It's a statewide competition, fast shipping Zithromax (Azithromycin) , Zithromax (Azithromycin) gel, ointment, cream, pill, spray, continuous-release, extended-release, and this year they had their highest participation to date with 148 contestants.
Lori's been involved in the contest as a judge since its inception four year ago. This year, Zithromax (Azithromycin) buy, Zithromax (Azithromycin) discount, however, she attempted to increase the number of students from the region BASEC serves who were participating. It seems to have worked, buy Zithromax (Azithromycin) without a prescription. Buy cheap Zithromax (Azithromycin) , When this year's winners were recently announced, two students from a school in BASEC's region won the state competition.
Way to go Lori! And more importantly, delivered overnight Zithromax (Azithromycin) , Ordering Zithromax (Azithromycin) online, way to go students.
What did BASEC do?
Lori decided that their first step for increasing local participation was to hold a meeting with teachers from schools in the region. They came up with the idea of offering each school with participating students $300. They also created a local contest. This meant students with the highest scores in the region could win cash prizes, Zithromax (Azithromycin) in us, Online buy Zithromax (Azithromycin) without a prescription, whether they placed in the state competition or not. Then they recognized these local winners at a ceremony in front of their classmates.
No doubt this local contest played a role in the effort, but Lori pointed out that the teachers' made it happen. Whenever teachers were able to incorporate the project into the classroom and provide inspiration, Zithromax (Azithromycin) from international pharmacy, Zithromax (Azithromycin) to buy, participation increased. Students in our rural schools are so active in school activities that it's difficult to find the time to do one more thing.
That said, I think BASEC's effort to invest their time and energy into growing young entrepreneurs is very forward thinking. It probably won't pay off in a new business this year within their communities. But, real brand Zithromax (Azithromycin) online, Zithromax (Azithromycin) in canada, wouldn't it be great to see some of these students come back in the future and reward Lori by asking BASEC for a loan.
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Tags: Aberdeen SD, Big Idea Contest, entrepreneurship, youth engagement
Posted in Economic Development, education, Rural | Comments (0)
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October 15th, 2010
One of the questions that vexed me while reading Hollowing out the Middle is: How do we lay the groundwork for taking advantage of the talent that we produce in our rural communities. Buy Rumalaya Without Prescription, Usually, I'm thinking about all talent, but today I'm specifically talking about the group of young people identified in the book as "Achievers."
By definition achievers are the top performing students in our high schools who we raise with the expectation of leaving our communities to take better jobs in urban settings. Because they leave, buy cheap Rumalaya no rx, Buy no prescription Rumalaya online, the rural communities responsible for producing them lose out on the opportunity to benefit from their investment.
Some critics of Hollowing out the Middle claim that raising achievers so that they want to stay is condemning them to lives of unfulfilled expectations. To these critics, achievers can only "achieve" if they go to the city. While I disagree with the argument that human talent has to leave its roots in order to achieve its full potential, Rumalaya in australia, Rumalaya in mexico, I don't want to see talent settle into lives of mediocrity either.
So what's the alternative?
I've recently discovered the Compass Fellows program, and I'm wondering if it couldn't serve as a model, purchase Rumalaya online. Saturday delivery Rumalaya,
What is the Compass Fellows program?
The Compass Fellows program has invited 75 students with social entrepreneurship aspirations to be a part of an intense training program that will help them launch social enterprises.
As the video below highlights these student fellows gain access to high level CEOs and thought leaders, receive quality internships, buy Rumalaya from canada, Rumalaya price, coupon, and benefit from mentorship opportunities as they develop the their ideas into business plans.
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There's a lot to appreciate about the program. I connect with the idea that the training hand-on training in addition the theoretical training, and that students are challenged to produce a business as an outcome of their training. I also like that it's about talent development.
Although the video does a great job of explaining the program, buy Rumalaya from mexico, Rumalaya in usa, I'd encourage you to visit the Compass Partners website for more information.
What's the rural connection?
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Tags: brain drain, Compass Fellows, entrepreneurship, Gen Y, hollowing out the middle
Posted in Economic Development, Gen Y, Rural | Comments (0)
