Training Guides Offer Help to Microenterprise Programs
The Aspen Institute offers six training guides for microenterprise organizations to help them adopt the most effective techniques for assisting entrepreneurs. The guides are based on the institute's best-practices research and address such topics as how to select effective business-planning curricula and how to best provide clients with coaching, mentoring, and consulting services. The latest volume focuses on how microenterprise organizations can foster networking activities that ultimately will benefit clients. The training guides are available on the Aspen Institute's FIELD Web site.
Best Practices in Rural Entrepreneurship
The National Center for Small Communities (NCSC) is offering best practices for entrepreneurial development in America's small towns and lessons learned from the winners of NCSC's Rural Entrepreneurship Award, which honors elected officials of small communities (under 10,000 in population) who have been exemplary leaders in crafting effective entrepreneurial development strategies. The winner and finalists of the 2003 GREA program were Fairfield, Iowa; Turner County, South Dakota; and Broadway, Virginia.
Successful, Innovative Practices in Rural Microenterprise Development
The Association for Enterprise Opportunity has developed the Rural Microenterprise
Successful Practices Project, a two-year initiative supported by the W.K. Kellogg
Foundation to identify and disseminate successful practices in rural microenterprise
development to practitioners throughout the country. The project "Learning Clusters"
focus on sectors or topic areas where there is innovation and opportunity for
substantial impact. The current clusters are the Food Sector, the Sustainable
Tourism Sector, and Access to Markets for Artisans and Food Sector Entrepreneurs.
Innovative practices identified through this project are available at www.microenterpriseworks.org.
The National Business Incubation Association's 2002 State of the Business Incubation Industry Report
NBIA's periodic state of the industry (SOI) reports provide snapshots of the
incubation industry over time. Through both statistical and anecdotal information,
the 2002 SOI report provides the latest statistics
available on business incubation and demonstrates that the industry continues
to thrive. Information included covers many incubation topics, including program
types, square footage, financial information, and services offered.
Entrepreneurs are Key to Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation's Success, According to Case Study
The Center for Rural Entrepreneurship
published a case study of the Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation (KHIC),
one of oldest and most effective community development corporations (CDCs) in
the United States. The report, Development of an Entrepreneurial Support
Organization: The Case of The Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation,
offers a detailed history and review of KHIC programs. The authors argue that
KHIC's emphasis on entrepreneurs has helped ensure that the organization does
not stray from its core mission and effectively contributes to a positive business
climate in the region. Visit KHIC to learn
more.
Report Gives Insight into Community Development Financial Institutions
Intended as a snapshot of a diverse, dynamic sector, the report presents an
overview of the CDFI industry; outlines the specific services CDFIs offer; looks
at where loan fund capital comes from; explains the impact they can have on
a community; and touches on the key trends, opportunities and challenges facing
CDFIs on the road ahead. The report, a product of the CDFI Data Project, was
released by the Corporation for Enterprise Development. Download the report. Innovative State Policy Options to Promote Rural Economic Development
The issues brief "Innovative State Policy Options to Promote Rural Economic Development"
addresses how states have built promising initatives for sustainable rural economic
development through three approaches: adapting cluster-based strategies; promoting
entrepreneurship outside of the agricultural sector; and reinvigorating the agricultural
sector through diversification and value-added agriculture strategies. The brief
was developed by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices.
Download the issue brief
(PDF). (Requires Adobe®
Reader®.)
Microenterprise as a Welfare to Work Strategy: One-Year Findings
The Microenterprise Fund for Innovation, Effectiveness, Learning and Dissemination,
(FIELD) published a report from its welfare to work learning cluster entitled
Microenterprise as a Welfare to Work Strategy: One-Year Findings. The
findings provide evidence that self-employment is a viable source of work and
earned income for TANF recipients. Study participants who enrolled in microenterprise
programs doubled their rate of self-employment, and those already in business
who entered the programs succeeded in increasing their sales, assets, and net
worth. Furthermore, individuals who are self-employed showed strong growth in
household income, as well as in household assets and net worth.
Download a free copy of the report or order a printed copy of the report for $5 from the FIELD Web site.
Revitalizing Rural Economies
The Appalachian Regional Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts
released the publication Building Creative Economies: The Arts, Entrepreneurship
and Economic Development, produced by Americans for the Arts. The document
summarizes the proceedings of a landmark conference held April 28-30, 2002,
in Asheville, North Carolina, that enabled participants to share successful
strategies for revitalizing rural economies using the arts, crafts, and heritage
of local communities. The conference was also designed to increase collaboration
and activities among key actors in this sector.
Related links:
Business Development
Sources of Funding
Best Practices
Examples of ARC Business Development Projects
Research and Data
News & Events
Education and Training
Spotlight on Business Development Themes
Building and Sustaining a Business
Attracting Financing Sources
State-level Resources
|