Encouraging Entrepreneurship
Nov. 28th, 2021 11:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis article talks about ways to encourage entrepreneurship in your town.
The Government’s Role in Encouraging Entrepreneurship
1. Adjust zoning codes to reduce business costs.
Also check other regulations to look for barriers, and remove as many as possible.
Do you have a wide range of building sizes? If not, can you create a similar effect by subdividing a large one into smaller assorted sections? I've seen one mall that turned their empty anchor into a massive maze of stalls selling everything from antiques to knitting to yard ornaments of fish made from upcycled tools. Many towns have a half-empty mall or strip mall, or the shell of a big-box store, that could serve a similar purpose in housing small businesses.
2. Help facilitate walkable business districts.
Does your town have a promenade, pedestrian street, plaza, or other walkable area already?
If so, look for ways to extend it. Ideally, stretch it between two or more attractions. Make sure you have parking offset nearby -- a garage, dumbbell lots at both ends, side streets, etc. You need bus stops with shelters at least at both ends, and in the middle if it's a long stretch. Ample bike racks and connection with biking infrastructure will help too. Check accessibility and make sure your pedestrian area is also convenient for people with disabilities.
If not, look for possible places to put it. Do you have a historic downtown? A brick street? A cluster of picturesque buildings? Anything like that can make a good starting point.
3. Simplify local regulations for starting new businesses.
Make sure your town's website has a Chamber of Commerce or other section for local business support. That section should include a list of clear, simple steps for "How do a start a business here?"
Do your local entrepreneurs have a mentor program? If not, start one. Mentoring is a great activity for older or retired entrepreneurs to help new ones get started.
4. Dedicate resources to economic gardening.
I love this concept.
Additionally:
* Support small, local businesses over large, outside businesses. Local money stays local; chainstores suck the money out of your town. So don't court big businesses. Throw that money into small ones, so it stays in your economy.
* Make sure those small, local businesses have a voice in municipal politics. After all, they're paying for it.
* High density = high property taxes. Low density = low property taxes. Maximizing density in your town's core will boost your budget. Make sure that at least some areas are zoned so they can increase density. You don't have to do that everywhere if people want some quieter neighborhoods, but don't block density everywhere or the sprawl will kill your budget.
The Private Sector’s Role in Encouraging Entrepreneurship
1. Provide easy access to small business loans and/or grants.
Preferably, the banks should be doing this, it's their job to loan money. But if they won't, someone else should pick up the slack. A charity might specialize in microloans. A business incubator could have a financial branch. A college could issue grants to graduates with a solid startup plan. Anyone could launch a crowdfunding project to encourage new businesses.
2. Offer business development classes at local colleges and community education programs.
Especially, anyone who sells business components can do this. A craft store can present "How to Sell Crafts from Home" while a hardware store might offer "How to Set Up as the Neighborhood Handyman."
3. Host a small business day.
If you have many -- like if you're the county seat -- then you may want to divide them somehow. One for goods and one for services. Divide the town into sectors and do an event in each, over time. Food fests are enormously popular; see if you have enough for some other theme. Seasonal events also work well such as Easter or Earth Day in spring, Fourth of July in summer, Halloween and Thanksgiving in fall, Christmas or Chanukkah in winter.
4. Get organized.
5. Get social.
Both good ideas. Just remember to include a variety of options because not everyone likes to connect the same way. Offer brick-and-mortar, phone, snailmail, email, and other options. Make sure your town's tourist stop has a big display promoting your small, local businesses -- and for pete's sake, don't charge money to be in it. List ALL of them, to capture as many traveling dollars as possible. Similarly your hotel(s) should put a flyer listing local restaurants in every room. Put your small businesses on the front and chains on the back.
I'll also add:
* Diversity. What are your local demographics? What are the disadvantaged groups in your area? Check what businesses they have. Help them connect with customers. Provide support for disadvantaged entrepreneurs to start new businesses.
* Seasonal businesses. What are your local options for temporary storefronts? Some places have tiny cubelets that house a cold treats business in warm weather. Try to pair that with a hot treats business in cold weather. Make sure your regulations don't prohibit this kind of rotation. Is it legal and convenient for people to pop up a seasonal display at the local mall or in an otherwise vacant building? What about parking lot popups such as Christmas tree sales? If you get a bunch of these clustered somewhere, like the giant parking lot of your mall, how legal and easy is it to add food trucks or carts and a row of porta-potties for a more comprehensive shopping experience? You want seasonal businesses, because if you stack them right, then the different ones can activate an area throughout most or all the year.
The Government’s Role in Encouraging Entrepreneurship
1. Adjust zoning codes to reduce business costs.
Also check other regulations to look for barriers, and remove as many as possible.
Do you have a wide range of building sizes? If not, can you create a similar effect by subdividing a large one into smaller assorted sections? I've seen one mall that turned their empty anchor into a massive maze of stalls selling everything from antiques to knitting to yard ornaments of fish made from upcycled tools. Many towns have a half-empty mall or strip mall, or the shell of a big-box store, that could serve a similar purpose in housing small businesses.
2. Help facilitate walkable business districts.
Does your town have a promenade, pedestrian street, plaza, or other walkable area already?
If so, look for ways to extend it. Ideally, stretch it between two or more attractions. Make sure you have parking offset nearby -- a garage, dumbbell lots at both ends, side streets, etc. You need bus stops with shelters at least at both ends, and in the middle if it's a long stretch. Ample bike racks and connection with biking infrastructure will help too. Check accessibility and make sure your pedestrian area is also convenient for people with disabilities.
If not, look for possible places to put it. Do you have a historic downtown? A brick street? A cluster of picturesque buildings? Anything like that can make a good starting point.
3. Simplify local regulations for starting new businesses.
Make sure your town's website has a Chamber of Commerce or other section for local business support. That section should include a list of clear, simple steps for "How do a start a business here?"
Do your local entrepreneurs have a mentor program? If not, start one. Mentoring is a great activity for older or retired entrepreneurs to help new ones get started.
4. Dedicate resources to economic gardening.
I love this concept.
Additionally:
* Support small, local businesses over large, outside businesses. Local money stays local; chainstores suck the money out of your town. So don't court big businesses. Throw that money into small ones, so it stays in your economy.
* Make sure those small, local businesses have a voice in municipal politics. After all, they're paying for it.
* High density = high property taxes. Low density = low property taxes. Maximizing density in your town's core will boost your budget. Make sure that at least some areas are zoned so they can increase density. You don't have to do that everywhere if people want some quieter neighborhoods, but don't block density everywhere or the sprawl will kill your budget.
The Private Sector’s Role in Encouraging Entrepreneurship
1. Provide easy access to small business loans and/or grants.
Preferably, the banks should be doing this, it's their job to loan money. But if they won't, someone else should pick up the slack. A charity might specialize in microloans. A business incubator could have a financial branch. A college could issue grants to graduates with a solid startup plan. Anyone could launch a crowdfunding project to encourage new businesses.
2. Offer business development classes at local colleges and community education programs.
Especially, anyone who sells business components can do this. A craft store can present "How to Sell Crafts from Home" while a hardware store might offer "How to Set Up as the Neighborhood Handyman."
3. Host a small business day.
If you have many -- like if you're the county seat -- then you may want to divide them somehow. One for goods and one for services. Divide the town into sectors and do an event in each, over time. Food fests are enormously popular; see if you have enough for some other theme. Seasonal events also work well such as Easter or Earth Day in spring, Fourth of July in summer, Halloween and Thanksgiving in fall, Christmas or Chanukkah in winter.
4. Get organized.
5. Get social.
Both good ideas. Just remember to include a variety of options because not everyone likes to connect the same way. Offer brick-and-mortar, phone, snailmail, email, and other options. Make sure your town's tourist stop has a big display promoting your small, local businesses -- and for pete's sake, don't charge money to be in it. List ALL of them, to capture as many traveling dollars as possible. Similarly your hotel(s) should put a flyer listing local restaurants in every room. Put your small businesses on the front and chains on the back.
I'll also add:
* Diversity. What are your local demographics? What are the disadvantaged groups in your area? Check what businesses they have. Help them connect with customers. Provide support for disadvantaged entrepreneurs to start new businesses.
* Seasonal businesses. What are your local options for temporary storefronts? Some places have tiny cubelets that house a cold treats business in warm weather. Try to pair that with a hot treats business in cold weather. Make sure your regulations don't prohibit this kind of rotation. Is it legal and convenient for people to pop up a seasonal display at the local mall or in an otherwise vacant building? What about parking lot popups such as Christmas tree sales? If you get a bunch of these clustered somewhere, like the giant parking lot of your mall, how legal and easy is it to add food trucks or carts and a row of porta-potties for a more comprehensive shopping experience? You want seasonal businesses, because if you stack them right, then the different ones can activate an area throughout most or all the year.
