Iowa builds rural entrepreneurship Friday, January 24, 2003 We've entered the Age of Network Capitalism, and that puts a premium on entrepreneurial skills. But how do you build and support these skills in rural areas? Iowa's rural accelerator program has a good approach. Developed by the University of Northern Iowa Regional Business Center, It involves three components. The first is a simple 2 hour overview of business concepts and skills. The second is a more detailed training called Fast Trac™. (This component is supported by a grant from the Department of Agriculture.) Fast Trac™ Tech is a curriculum developed by the Kaufman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership of Kansas City, MO. that has been used to train over 40,000 entrepreneurs in 150 cities across the United States. Learn more. The last component is on-line support network. Based on a membership model, this on-line approach builds connections among entrepreneurs. It's free-standing and potentially self-supporting. You can view the network at www.myentre.net. A very strong feature of the site is the ability for members to have live chats with counsellors. As a small business owner, would I pay $4 a month for this service? You bet. The three components of the rural accelerator program makes sense for two reasons. First, they are integrated and comprehensive. Second, unlike standalone programs like SCORE and most SBDCs, they move entrepreneurs toward building their own networks. Learn more. Go posted by Ed Morrison |		This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. links Some Background on EDPro Weblog The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it. One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information. So, spread the word...Share the knowledge. Tell a friend about EDPro Weblog. If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site: Here's the link if you are a bloglines subscriber: Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking. Background on Ed Morrison Download some background information on me here.

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