Community Informatics by Jane Leonard

1. Minnesota’s Entrepreneurial Gateway Community Informatics as a transformational tool for community economic reinvention

5. Defining Entrepreneurship An organization or person who manages a business undertaking, assuming the RISK for the sake of profit – financial & to strengthen the community. A way of thinking & a pattern of working with others that permeates everything you do: -Intentional about Connections -Creative & Committed -Disciplined and Perseverant A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN COMMUNITY & BUSINESSES – BIG AND SMALL!

11. Minnesota U.S. figures U.S. Census – State Economic Data 2003 This is the opportunity: support entrepreneurship.. help small business succeed… they will innovate & strengthen the economy & our communities in return 124,680 (1-19 employees) 78,575 (1-4 employees) 368 establishments of 500 + employees Distribution of MN Establishments by Business Size

12. Very small 1-19 Small 20-99 Medium 100-499 Large 500 + 145817 145 220 718 2623 4521 12941 19210 26888 78551 Total 41045 29 46 134 527 868 2948 5167 8254 23072 Rural 104772 116 174 584 2096 3653 9993 14043 18634 55479 Urban Total Estabs 1000 or more 500-999 250-499 100-249 50-99 20-49 10-19 5-9 1-4 Region Table: Number of Establishments by Employment-size class

16. Who is a service provider? Anyone who provides a service, tool, or event for entrepreneurs – whether they are government, nonprofit, university, or commercial provider.

18. Entrepreneurial Community Model Community Design Financial Resources Creative Capital Health Care Academy findings Entrepreneurial Community Champion Four Cornerstones Foundation of Infrastructure

20. Local web-based Minnesota Entrepreneurial Gateway (MEG) tied into regional and statewide systems for user- to-resource matching at the most local level possible . Entrepreneurial Community Champions Individuals, teams, and communities proactively organizing and coordinating resources, creating a more supportive environment for entrepreneurship.

25. Minnesota Entrepreneurial Gateway Custom matching, tracking, continuum of care….. SORT & ASSESS CHANNEL S U C C E E D I N G E N T E R P R I S E S C O M M U N I T Y V I T A L I T Y G A T E W A Y E N T R A N C E Thousands of service providers, many options, services, where to go, when, how?

26. MEG – a Network of Networks Local Gateway County Gateway Regional Gateway MN Entrepreneur Gateway

28. On-the-Ground Knowledge Sharing & Support

29. Online Organizing System (Knowledge Management)

30. Local, County, Regional Gateways http://nd.bizpathways.org http://www.dakotacountybizpathways.org

34. 3,000 Business Service Providers on BizPathways database Number of providers

39. Minnesota Entrepreneurial Gateway Pilot Communities Number of providers = Gateway pilot communities

43. What does a MEG Community look like? 1. You are open for business! Everyone knows where, how to start a business. 2. You’ve organized your community & business services online and on the ground to be more supportive of entrepreneurship as an 21 st century economic development strategy. (Broadband, health care, financial, education and design resources) 3. You recognize and lift up the economic power of small and diverse businesses in your community. 4. You instill from an early age the importance of supporting small businesses in your community and encourage entrepreneurship as an career option for your children and yourselves

45. Jane Leonard President Minnesota Rural Partners [email_address] 651-645-9403