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Economic Gardening & the Role of Libraries in Serving Entrepreneurs, Michigan Conference on Affordable Housing, June 2009
- 1. Economic Gardening & the Role of Libraries in Serving Entrepreneurs Michigan Conference on Affordable Housing June 2009
- 14. Questions? Elizabeth Kudwa Business Librarian Capital Area District Library 401 S. Capitol Avenue Lansing, MI 48933 517-367-6301 [email_address]
Editor's Notes
- Pioneered in Littleton, CO in 1989 Focus : Create nurturing environment for growing local entrepreneurs rather than recruiting businesses from elsewhere. Result : This approach has resulted in a doubling of the number of jobs and a tripling of sales tax revenue since 1989 – while providing none of the traditional economic development incentives or tax breaks.
- The Edward Lowe Foundation describes the second stage of business development as a point in the business life cycle when the casual ad hoc methods of entrepreneurial ventures begin to falter. Second stage companies have moved or are moving from a company where the founder is the owner, manager, operator, innovator – all in one – to an operation organized around a more formal organizational structure. The company now has the largest number of employees it’s ever had and issues begin to exceed the limits of what one owner can handle.
- The staff in Littleton found that improved access to market information proved to be the greatest value to small business owners. Affordable access to sophisticated market research tools (which are generally only available to large firms who can afford them) turned out to be the centerpiece of Littleton’s EG program. These high end market research tools – databases providing journal articles, GIS/mapping, demographic data, market research reports which would normally cost thousands of dollars and much more – plus the knowledge of how to use the data from these sources, can provide the small business owner with an edge and insight they’ve never had. Market Information = Public Library
- Economic gardening projects also are operating in other locations across the US including Longmont, Loveland, and Highlands Ranch, CO; statewide initiative in Wyoming, Simsbury, CT; Arcata, CA and many other locations in the US, Australia, and New Zealand.