Conference on building entrepreneurial climate, culture

Chambers of Commerce, governments, schools, libraries, PDAs, architects, real estate agents, banks, business owners and entrepreneurs were all represented at the 2013 Rural Pathways to Prosperity Conference in Odessa and all had the same goal – to learn how to build their entrepreneurial community.

The November 15 conference was different from typical statewide conferences where everyone comes together in a single location. Instead, it used technology to simultaneously involve folks at 11 locations around the state, making it easier for people to attend. Attendees were welcomed by the conference chairperson from her site in Colville and then joined by the keynote speaker, author Becky McCray, from her office in Oklahoma.

McCray started her presentation with “good news” about rural areas: We are still necessary. Rural areas are important food producers; important natural resource developers; home to conservation areas and wildlife; and offer most of our nation’s recreational opportunities. Then came the “bad news.” As these resources are consolidated over time, some small towns will die.

How do we make sure that our towns survive? McCray summed it up in one sentence. “Lower the barriers to entry, so more business ideas will be tried.” We need to pull down the barriers to entry for self-employment so that more people can try more business ideas. More tries mean more chances at success and successful small businesses are the best way to improve prosperity in our small towns.

After the keynote presentation, each site turned their attention to a panel of local resources that included Bill Kelley, EWU Professor of Urban & Regional Planning; Alan Stanford, Certified Business Advisor for the Small Business Development Center; Bridget Rohner, WSU-Extension Director for Lincoln County; and Margie Hall, director of the Lincoln County Economic Development Council. The panel identified the resources that they provide and spoke about the trends that they see happening with entrepreneurship and business start-ups.

Building an

entrepreneurial ecosystem

An entrepreneur is a self-employed person who starts a business and is willing to risk loss in order to make money. This kind of self-employment is growing, is more resilient and stable during a recession than wage-based jobs and self-employed people can often live in rural areas. McCray told ttendees that entrepreneurs need three things. First, they need a kind and accepting community climate – a community that values them, celebrates them and listens to them. Second, they need infrastructure. Some need industrial parks, but most need flexible or sharable spaces, access to facilities like commercial kitchens, streamlined government processes, “third places” and the most important infrastructure they need according to McCray – strong broadband. The third thing they need is support. Marketing and business assistance, networking opportunities, support from Chambers, newspapers and local government are all examples.

After a quick lunch break, the group in Odessa turned their focus to building our own local economy by lowering the barriers to entry and creating places where businesses can thrive. They looked at climate, infrastructure and support, identifying the assets and barriers for each category. They went on to prioritize them, even creating some action plans for moving forward. Watch for details on that portion of the conference in Part 2, coming next week!

Margie Hall, director of the Lincoln County Economic Development Council, wrote this summary on the Odessa meeting.