Starter Story: Shayla Sadler // Empowered for Purpose
"We want joy to be seen as a human right, not something accessible based on privilege."
Starter Story: Ebony Archie & Coresa Hogan // MEMFOLK
"We want joy to be seen as a human right, not something accessible based on privilege."
Reaching Memphis’ Entrepreneurs: Epicenter Ensures Access for All
For many entrepreneurship hubs and economic development organizations, it can be surprisingly challenging to connect with the people they’re trying to help.
Epicenter Memphis faced this very problem—and their solution might surprise you.
Memphis, like many other American cities, has a bustling downtown. But there is often a disconnect between the […]
Are You Ready for the Next Entrepreneurship Surge?
We’re about to see a major boom in entrepreneurship.
Why are we so confident? There are a number of reasons people take the entrepreneurial leap of faith, and several of those factors are about to hit at the same time.
People start businesses after recessions.
First, we’re about to emerge from a recession. Technically, the COVID-19-related recession […]
Celebrating the Black Entrepreneurs You’ve Heard Of—and Recognizing the Ones You Haven’t
Black entrepreneurship has a rich tradition, but not without its challenges.
Wheeling, West Virginia Made their Main Street Relevant with Entrepreneurship. Learn how Your Community can do the Same.
Read on to learn how Wheeling Heritage leveraged entrepreneurship to create more than 2,000 new jobs and reduce their building vacancy rate by half.
The Businesses We Can Save
Let’s face the facts: COVID-19 has wrecked many small businesses. One of the saddest experiences of 2020 (aside from the sickness, heartbreak, and grief this pandemic has inflicted on us) has been walking along a street you used to know well—whether in a large city or a small town main street—and seeing the shutters. Craving a meal from […]
From Florida to Colorado: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship Success Stories
On December 16th from 2:00-3:00 PM EST CO. STARTERS will host “Rethinking Economic Development: How SOAR is Training Entrepreneurs to Restart Eastern Kentucky”, a free webinar that will share how Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) is […]
Focusing on Entrepreneurship Leads to New Businesses and Jobs in Eastern Kentucky
Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) is helping the region rethink its approach to economic development by empowering, training, and supporting local entrepreneurs.
Economic Developers and Ecosystem Builders Work to Restart Their Entrepreneurship Strategy
Both traditional economic development and ecosystem building are essential to meeting the needs of recovering and rapidly changing local economies. Catch the highlights from Restart 2020.
Principles for Effective Ecosystem Building: #1 Put Entrepreneurs Front and Center
Three experienced entrepreneurial ecosystem builders share their approaches.
If You are an Economic Developer or Ecosystem Builder, What will Your First 100 Days Look Like?
As we face the long road of recovery from the crisis of today, every economic developer and entrepreneurial ecosystem developer faces a choice.
The Real Rebuilding Will Begin after the Election, and it Will Start with Entrepreneurs, Economic Developers, and Ecosystem Builders
Do you want your community and ecosystem to move beyond politics and toward a bigger, better, and more compelling vision for local economies? Here's how we can get there.
Entrepreneurs and Economic Developers Both Want to Make a Difference in their Community. Here are Practical Ways they Can Improve their Collaboration.
Learn five ways economic developers and entrepreneurs can work better together to improve their communities.
Economic Developers Cannot Just Rely on Corporate Recruitment. They Have to Grow Their Own Ecosystem.
Economic developers need to learn from the sports world and play a little Moneyball.
Entrepreneurship is About Creation. Here’s Why We Need to Train Entrepreneurs to Create the Next Economy.
Today’s entrepreneurs focus on more than just wealth creation. They want to build a more equitable world. They want to build the Next Economy.
Business and Entrepreneurship Will Play a Critical Role in Creating a Better World. Here’s How.
Business creation and entrepreneurial thinking will play a foundational role in ushering in an economy where each of us can become our best selves as we build a better world for others. This is how we start.
What We’re Doing as a Small Business to Survive the Pandemic
CO.STARTERS is a Small Business Too: Part I — Hear firsthand from our COO about what we’re doing right now (and you can too) as a small business to survive the pandemic.
Our Economy Measures Success with the Wrong Metrics. Here is How We Should Measure Successful Economic Development
When we invest in local entrepreneurs who are building the social fabric and community health of their region, we soar toward the economy we need and the future we all want.
An Insider’s Guide to Getting Grants
Tips for grant writing to fund your community work from a former grant officer—the second in a series on funding by CO.STARTERS Director of Program Development Rebekah Marr.
Our Economy is Moving from the Industrial Age to the Connected Age. Here is What that Really Means.
Developing a strong Connected Age economy depends on fostering homegrown entrepreneurial talent and connecting those entrepreneurs to mentors and other business leaders who are ready to reimagine their community.
Starter Story: Dan Fowler // Reunion Shoe Co.
“CO.STARTERS isn’t about making a plan to set in stone—it’s much more about giving you the tools you need to make a plan. They’re all necessary tools, the basic building blocks an entrepreneur needs.”
There’s More to Funding than Grants
Other ways to fund your nonprofit idea—the second in a series on funding by CO.STARTERS Director of Program Development Rebekah Marr.
Soul Care for the Ecosystem Builder
Shining a light on burnout among entrepreneurs and the people who support them
Burnout is not a new topic for the business world. The nature and risks of employee burnout have been extensively researched in relation to large corporations. Burnout among entrepreneurs has only recently started receiving more attention.
A recent […]
What is a Starter?
How changing our words might change the way we work with entrepreneurs.
By Enoch Elwell
Words are powerful, and they shape our perception of reality. But how much can the perception of one word impact the activities associated with it?
In recent years, the idea of entrepreneurship has become more popular than ever. There have been more and more news stories about entrepreneurship—celebrating […]
Starter Story: Jaylin Randolph // H.i.L.i.F.
"The best part about CO.STARTERS is that you learn in a personal, realistic setting and you are surrounded by people who have succeeded and failed in business. It’s eye-opening.”