We’ve collected a ton of insights over the years, but perhaps none has been more surprising than the realization that the LARGEST group of entrepreneurs are those untapped folks on the sidelines. Here’s what we…
Okay so, technically, we lied. There’s no such thing as an “ideal” partner. We know that rural champions come in all shapes, sizes, and unexpected places. (Like the mind-blowing story of our friend Mary from…
We’ve recently talked a lot about what we learned during the first few years of our Virtual Business Incubator. A program that has helped activate over 100+ businesses in 60 rural communities across EVERY region…
When we first launched our Virtual Business Incubator–we thought a 6-week program wouldn’t be enough. We thought that once the entrepreneurs left us, they’d need all kinds of additional help, so we created a robust…
In 2018 we ran our first Virtual Business incubator. A program designed to meet rural entrepreneurs where THEY are and give them the confidence and courage to make their dream a reality. We met A…
The More Diversity, The Better. In one of the earliest cohorts of our Virtual Business Incubator program (a 6-week virtual training program that takes rural entrepreneurs from the inception of an idea all the way…
We love measurement! It makes sense that economic developers and government agencies want to know how resources are allocated. We all want to see the fruits of our effort, and we all want to KNOW…
When we opened our Virtual Business Incubator in 2018, we had no idea what surprises were in store. We hope this story encourages you to look for extraordinary results hiding in what may seem like…
Thank you to everyone who entered our recent contest to win a set of books and an Activation Event for their Community! Lots of entries came in and Tricia Miller from the city of Batesville,…
If you have spent any time working in rural economic development or the rural entrepreneurial ecosystem, you know that one of the BIGGEST challenges in making innovative, purposeful things happen for your community is finding…
