Mr. Ritchie,
I would like to suggest to you an approach that most economic development directors
don't consider. It is possible to encourage entrepreneuralism among the population you
are targeting.
For two years, I demonstrated a project that I proposed to the Connecticut labor
department in which I stratified the population of unemployed people by education,
age, career experience, and amount of career experience. I then organized these people
into small teams with a common business market focus. I led the teams through the
process of analyzing their market seeking unserved or under served needs for which
they could position themselves. It was enormously successful. Working as teams, people
can be more resourceful, creative, and assertive than they can be as isolated
individuals. People bring complementary abilities and resources to the team effort
that are enormously helpful and motivating. For example, I spend two days of five
hours each with team formation exercises. The last exercise, after I have brought a
group of about 80 people into small groups of between 3-5 people and who have a common
focus, is to have each group write a team resume. This is not adding their!
!
!
individual resumes together, but evaluating what each of them bring to the
prospective market focus they are about to analyze. When people see the complementary
resources they have, they become very enthusiastic about the work they are beginning.
When you review the market analysis literature, you will see that almost all of it is
written from the viewpoint of firms that employ a marketing department. Very little of
it is written from the viewpoint of individuals seeking a market opportunity that they
can pursue.
About ten years ago, the National Federation of Independent Business Foundation (US)
contracted for a longitudinal study of the factors that contribute to success of small
business. Among the factors they found were that successful entrepreneurs were older,
and those who initiated business enterprises as partnerships or joint ventures were
most likely to succeed past five years.
Many businesses were created through my workshops among which were a recycling
business, a medical waste disposal business, an organic waste disposal business,
several Internet related businesses, and numerous consulting businesses.
I organized these workshops among middle class and working class populations.
If you are interested, I could send you more details.
Good luck.
Hugh McGuire
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On 11/15/99 12:35:58 you wrote:
>
>I am seeking ideas and information
>I have been making representations to the City Council (Palmerston North,
>New Zealand) on the need to update their employment and economic development
>policies, from the general and meaningless to something more specific, along
>the lines of employers more likely to stay in town, those that pay good
>wages, are involved in activities that are sustainable etc.
>When a new business comes to town one of the few things highlighted is the
>number of jobs it will create. This seems to be a key measure of
>desirability, presumably the wages that will be paid, ie increased spending
>power in the community. But if the jobs are Mc jobs they may be of little
>value.
>I remember from a report a friend produced, but neither of us can locate,
>from a visit to Chicago where a group had researched the vaccuum cleaner
>effect of a suprermarket - owned elsewhere, it took many millions out of the
>community.
>The damage casinos do is getting some close scrutiny.
>Can you help me with suggestions, references etc on ways to look at the
>contribution individual businesses make to a community etc
>Many thanks
>Ian
>
>http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/3142/IR/#pag
>
