Global Entrepreneurship Week – A Good Time to Begin An Entrepreneurial Development Initiative in Iowa

November 16-22 is Global Entrepreneurship Week. Is there a better time to begin an initiative to foster and grow entrepreneurship in Iowa? It has been three weeks since I last posted an article on this blog, primarily due to some sensitive negotiations I have been involved in recently. Eventhough the negotiations are not complete I felt compelled to write something during this week when entrepreneurship honored. I have spent a significant amount of my time in recent months attempting to move the entrepreneuial development agenda in Iowa forward and like most worthwhile causes it seems like one step forward and two steps back. I am hopeful that in weeks to come it we will begin to take two steps forward and one back.

During these months of discussion, proposals and analysis I have come to the conclusion that Iowa, not unlike many other rural states is at the embryonic stage of entrepreneurial development and that we must begin any entrepreneurial devlopment at that stage as well. Far too long Iowa and states like it looked at successful programs in other states and attempted to implement something similar without building the culture, training and expertise necessary to make the program a success. Even though the state as a whole is at an embryonic stage certain parts of the state are years, possibly decades ahead of other parts of the state in developing the expertise, culture and programs necessary to be a success. Each area needs to be brought along at a different pace and state policy and programs need to catch up to the level of those areas that are furthest along.

As I look at best practices in other states, The initiatives need to be supported financially and technically at the state level but need to be designed and operated regionally. It is also apparent that regions must be large enough to support, over the long run the technical assistance, training and capital programs that must be put in place to succeed. At the present time the regional economic development regions in Iowa are voluntary and formed by the counties themselves. In many cases the localities have taken the least path of resistance forming small regions that may not be the best economic fit and in almost all cases are too small to support the programatic needs of entrepreneurism. In Pennsylvania and Ohio, states having a much larger population than Iowa, there are four and six regions respectively. I believe Iowa can and must establish six - eight regions in order for their to be at least 250,000 population in each region! One or possibly two regions in the rural parts of the state may still be well below this level but we must strive to get as close to the necessary critical mass as possible.

Once regions are developed we can begin the process of identifying where each region is in stage of  development and inside each region which localities need to catch up to the rest of the region. This will allow each region to develop at different levels and design programs that meet their individual needs but also over time to have some uniform services that entrepreneurs can expect no matter in which region they reside.

So what can be done in the meantime by those of us that support entrepreneurism. We need to start this week to identify people in each community that understand that the only true economic development must come from within. We must train these entrepreneurial leaders of the future. We must help them to develop a culture that is conducive to entrepreneurism. We must also try to educate the institutions of this state about entrepreneurism. They must understand what it is, what it is'nt and how to serve it. We must teach the general populace to encourage those that choose to take risks and accept those that may fail.

This will not be an easy task, for I believe Iowa is a society that rewards security and scorns failure but we must try. Iowa is a state that is close to the bottom of new business starts year in and year out. It is a state that has fallen behind other states economically one decade after another. If we do not begin now we are destined to continue our downward spiral. I believe the way to start this process is for those reading this blog to comment. Let's get a discussion of going. Lets suggest what and who can help the cause and then lets take action.