All things SourceLink was the theme of our March 17 SourceLink Affiliate Quarterly Conversation. We announced new projects including: ChiBizHub website redesign, Washington State Microenterprise Association (WSMA) – Evergreen BizLink, Ecosystem Building Leadership Project, SBA Community Navigators Pilot Project and welcomed new clients and affiliates: Monroe County – Launch 734,...
You don’t always appreciate what you have until it’s gone. After collectively witnessing many of our main street and small businesses across the country close in 2020, there arose a new sense of appreciation for the value entrepreneurs bring to our communities and our economy. In 2021, we saw new...
Our final SourceLink Affiliate Quarterly Conversation of the year was packed with great information and fun. First, we congratulated affiliates selected to participate in the SBA Community Navigator Pilot Program including National Urban League, Nicolet Area Technical College, New Bedford Economic Council, Rochester Economic Development Corporation and Forward Cities. Then...
Aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners in Nebraska now have access to a premier network of interconnected support resources that spans the 76,878 square mile state. It is with great pride and excitement that we welcome our newest SourceLink℠ affiliate, SourceLink Nebraska! Start where you are From inception to implementation, ecosystem building can...
Today marks the start of Global Entrepreneurship Week, an annual initiative that shines a light not only on the value entrepreneurs bring to our communities and global economy, but also the importance of building infrastructures that make it easier for them to start and scale their businesses. SourceLink℠ partners with...
Business closures and job losses caused by the pandemic forced thousands of people to reevaluate their lives and career paths. Individuals who had never considered launching a startup began creating businesses out of a combination of necessity and opportunity. According to data from the Census Bureau, Americans filed paperwork to start...
Data captured from the small businesses supported by SourceLink® affiliate organizations provides valuable information for our network to report to their community stakeholders. At our recent SourceLink Quarterly Conversation on September 23, three affiliates shared their best practices in collecting and reporting impactful insights. Tracking and supporting job creation Cameron Cushman and...
The last two years have witnessed a boom in entrepreneurial activity like never before. According to 2021 data from the Census Bureau, Americans filed paperwork to start 4.3 million businesses last year in spite of the economic recession — a 24 percent uptick from the previous year, and the most in a decade and a half,...
According to my friend Jeff Finkle (pictured right), president of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), “Supporting entrepreneurs and small-business owners with creating and growing their local companies is a crucial part of economic development.” We couldn’t agree more. The future of community and economic development is based on the success...
After such a challenging year, we asked our affiliates at our December Quarterly Conversation to identify and prioritize what they’d like to accomplish in 2021. We then discussed their plans for achieving their goals at our March Quarterly Conversation. Identifying gaps, objectives and resources SourceLink® emailed each affiliate a “Make a Plan:...
