Resources for Economic Developers

Grow Your Own Resources

• Grow Your Own Guide
  This guide is a free resource on economic development models that use entrepreneurship and small business development as the tool to create community economic growth.
• Grow Your Own: Programs and Practicing Communities
  An index of programs and practicing communities of entrepreneurship and small business development.
• The Future of Economic Gardening
  A look at the current state of economic gardening across the nation and where economic gardening is heading in the future.
• Entrepreneurs...Pathways to Prosperity
  A focus on the economic shifts that are occuring in the nation and how entrepreneurial communities can prepare themselves for economic growth in this new economic environment.
• New Engines for a New Economy
  An overview of the social, economic and environmental impact of senior entrepreneurship in the U.S. today.
• Creating the Entrepreneurship Infrastructure
  Highlights of the underlying dynamics of entrepreneurship and strategies in supporting small businesses.
• Entrepreneurship-Based Development Capital Sources
  The role of community banks in the development of entrepreneurs and local economies.
• The Future of Entreprenurship
  The opportunities, community evidence and keys to the success of entrepreneurship.
• Workforce Development and the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem
  A presentation on the value of empowering entrepreneurs through collaborative initiatives and strategies.

Kansas City Fed Research

• Are High-Growth Entrepreneurs Building the Rural Economy?
  Recognizing that innovation and entrepreneurs are a wellspring of opportunity, many rural policymakers are rethinking their strategies for spurring economic development. 
• External LinkEntrepreneurship in Low- and Moderate-Income Communities
  Introduction to the importance of entrepreneurship in low- and moderate-income communities.
• Funder's Guide to Funding Small Business Development
  Offers philanthropist, funding agencies and small business development organizations information and guidance on how to support economic growth through supporting organizations that develop small businesses.
• Gauging a Region's Entrepreneurial Potential
  Regions are facing rapidly evolving pressures from today’s global economy. Entrepreneurship is emerging as a particularly promising new engine for regional growth.
• If You Build It, They Will Come: Entrepreneurship and Community Development
  Oklahoma City’s Bricktown neighborhood’s economic success is home-grown. Is the city’s model of fostering an entrepreneurial environment an example from which other communities could learn?
• Regional Asset Indicators: Entrepreneurship Breadth and Depth
  New categories of assets, including workforce, lifestyle, finance, information, and innovation, will shape economic prospects in this globalizing environment.
• Rethinking Federal Policy for Regional Economic Development
  This article examines how federal policy might shift to align with the new global economy.
• The Role of Small and Large Business in Economic Development
  The role of economic developers on building businesses from the ground up and supporting the growth of existing enterprises.

Educational Resources

• Common Cents: Beyond the Lemonade Stand
  Discussion of kids as entrepreneurs and steps to develop a business plan for a successful venture.
• Do I have What it Takes to be an Entrepreneur - and Is My Community Ready?
  Identify what an entrepreneur is and how entrepreneurship encourages economic growth and development.
• External LinkEveryday Economics: Entrepreneurs
  Introduction of the critical role entrepreneurs play in the economy when they bring together resources to produce goods and services and then assume the risk to take products to the marketplace.
• External LinkOne Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference
  Teach students the characteristics of entrepreneurs and apply these characteristics to themselves and people in their own communities.
• External LinkThe Great American Entrepreneur
  Describe an American entrepreneur, finding out the good or service the entrepreneur has brought to the marketplace and the resources used in the production process.
• External LinkUncle Jed's Barbershop
  Read the story about an African-American barber who, despite significant setbacks, saves enough money to buy his own barbershop
• External LinkWhat is an Entrepreneur?
  Introduce students to entrepreneurs as a resource and explore their function in the economy.

Supporting Research and Resources

• A Case for Supporting Self-Employment as a Jobs Creation Strategy
  An examination of the growth of self-employment and the accompanying benefits for the economy.
• External LinkAddressing the Financing Needs of Small Business
  Summary of key themes from the Federal Reserve System's Small Business Meeting Series.
• External LinkComments from Chairman Ben Bernanke
  Remarks from the Chairman at the Conference on Small Business and Entrepreneurship during an Economic Recovery.
• External LinkEntrepreneurs and Job Growth: Probing the Boundaries of Time and Space
  Discusses the subtle effects of entrepreneurship that can lead to significant effects on business creation across both space and time.
• Microbusiness Economic Impact
  The importance of microbusinesses to the unemployment rate and health of the economy.
• External LinkRevitalizing Downtown through Entrepreneurship
  This podcast discusses how communities can create a thriving entrepreneur base through innovative approaches to support services and by reimaging partnerships among local organizations.
• External LinkThe Creative Economy Spurs Economic Development
  Collaboration among different sectors can be the linchpin in effective revitalization efforts, and projects involving the arts and culture seem to attract collaborative efforts.