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Research & Impact.

Field writing from SourceLink practitioners on Research & Impact.

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No Wrong Door: How Scott Asmus Is Building Nebraska’s Entrepreneurial Navigation System

Scott Asmus did not come to entrepreneurship with a traditional playbook. He came with an outsider’s eye, a deep belief in putting people first, and a determination to make Nebraska’s entrepreneurial ecosystem easier to navigate. Through SourceLink Nebraska, he is helping turn a maze of resources into a connected system built around real people, real needs, and real movement.

Rob Williams Sep 17, 2026
Network news

Getting Unstuck: Nebraska Entrepreneurship Dashboard Supports Economic Growth at City, County, and State Level

Five-year-old workforce data or, worse yet, costly, hard-to-access data became a stick wedged in the wheel of progress for early-stage company founders and civic planners in Nebraska. The 2024 Statewide Nebraska Quarterly Workforce Indicators Dashboard, a partnership between SourceLink and SourceLink Nebraska, addressed the challenge of generating accurate real-time reports based on current entrepreneur-focused data.  Data Disparity  Local companies, innovation-driven startups, and entrepreneurs drive job creation and community-based growth. In fact, small businesses with fewer than...

Pete Dulin Jun 25, 2026
Economic Development

Building Momentum: 15 Years in the Making

Detroit’s recently launched MI Small Business Helper platform took years of persistent development to become a national model. Here’s what ecosystem builders can learn from their experience. Detroit is a city that’s shown it can take a punch. It’s also shown it can build something that lands. After years of building the foundation, pushing through...

Rob Williams May 28, 2026
Economic Development

Santa Fe Small Business Navigator: Building Systems That Support Entrepreneurs at Scale

Across the field of economic development one truth stands out: supporting entrepreneurs requires more than good programs; it requires good systems.  The city of Santa Fe has no shortage of entrepreneurial talent, committed partner organizations, or inspiring success stories. What’s harder is addressing the systemic side of the work. Becoming an entrepreneur depends on dozens...

Krista Markley Nov 25, 2025
Economic Development

Understanding Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Measurement Part 4: Strategic Reporting

This four-part series addresses why tracking and measuring the activity of your entrepreneurial ecosystem is crucial to its long-term sustainability and the economic success of your community. Part 1 of this series covers why measurement is important, Part 2 discusses what to measure, Part 3 provided insights into how to measure, and Part 4 delves...

Rob Williams Feb 24, 2024
Ecosystem Building

Understanding Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Measurement Part 3: How to Measure

This four-part series addresses why tracking and measuring the activity of your entrepreneurial ecosystem is crucial to its long-term sustainability and the economic success of your community. Part 1 of this series covers why measurement is important, Part 2 discusses what to measure, Part 3 provides insights into how to measure, and Part 4 delves...

Rob Williams Jan 17, 2024
Research & Impact

Impact Storytelling for Effective Entrepreneurship-Led Economic Development

A lot is changing in the world of entrepreneurship-led economic development; from utilizing AI to increase capacity to a multitude of professional development opportunities. However, one topic kept resurfacing as we connected with affiliates and partners over the year: what’s the best way to measure the impact of our work? And what’s a compelling way...

Rob Williams Dec 21, 2023
Research & Impact

Understanding Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Measurement Part 2: What to Measure

This four-part series addresses why tracking and measuring the activity of your entrepreneurial ecosystem is crucial to its long-term sustainability and the economic success of your community. Part 1 of this series covers why measurement is important, Part 2 discusses what to measure, Part 3 provides insights into how to measure and Part 4 delves...

Rob Williams Nov 15, 2023
Economic Development

SourceLink Affiliate Quarterly Conversation – September 2023

SourceLink Continues to Grow, Adding New Staff and Affiliates  Welcome to our new SourceLink staff member, Solomon Lee. Solomon will serve as a project manager and brings considerable expertise to our team. Prior to joining SourceLink, Solomon was with Louisiana Economic Development, where he helped implement the Louisiana Business Hub platform statewide and across multiple...

Pola Firestone Oct 24, 2023
Research & Impact

Understanding Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Measurement Part 1: Why Measurement is Important

This four-part series addresses why tracking and measuring the activity of your entrepreneurial ecosystem is crucial to its long-term sustainability and the economic success of your community.   Part 1: Why Measurement Is Important   In today’s fast-paced and dynamic business landscape, entrepreneurship is center stage. Entrepreneurial communities continue to grow all across the United States, fostering...

Rob Williams Oct 23, 2023
Research & Impact

How collective data and storytelling can lead to lasting impact for underserved entrepreneurs

For the better part of the last decade, our field has greatly evolved. The concept of building networks of support, or what has sometimes been referred to as, forging “entrepreneurial ecosystems”, has been a key focus for many advancing the idea that innovation and entrepreneurship will be the future of not just our recovery- but...

Rob Williams Dec 07, 2021
Research & Impact

Five Tips for SBA Community Navigator Pilot Program Awardees

Congratulations to all the grantees awarded funds to participate in the SBA Community Navigator Pilot Program. You are embarking on work that is critical to building back inclusive and more resilient communities. We are excited to see so many in our SourceLink℠ network become hubs and/or spokes, and eager for this program roll out as...

Rob Williams Nov 15, 2021