Thanks to over 35 listening sessions organized by the Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDC) in 2005 and 2006, entrepreneurs, service providers, government agency representatives, local leaders, and citizens have weighed in on what efforts are needed to support entrepreneurship activities in rural America. Based on the input of nearly 1,200 people, the following are the key items identified:

• Capital and Other Funding Sources — Expand the availability of capital, loans, and grants for local entrepreneurs. Bottom line is that “emerging and potential entrepreneurs can’t get started without access to these resources.” Most importantly, entrepreneurs need the right kind of capital at each stage of business development.

• Entrepreneurial Education/Training — Provide business, finance, marketing, and money management training and educational programs to youth and adults as a way of building the entrepreneurial capacity of local people. The training needs to be provided in ways that make it easy for entrepreneurs to participate - after business hours, online, through virtual classrooms, etc.

• Less Red Tape through One-Stop Centers — Create a “fast track” system for securing necessary permits, licenses, and other legal documents.

• Value the Role of Entrepreneurs — Transform the thinking of community leaders, policymakers, and local residents in terms of what economic strategies make the most sense for rural areas. Entrepreneurship represents one of the most viable avenues for creating jobs and for strengthening and sustaining the economic health of rural communities. The role of entrepreneurs in building local economies needs to be recognized and celebrated.

• Entrepreneurial Networks and Mentoring Activities — Provide opportunities for entrepreneurs to come together with their peers and share information and experiences. Provide ongoing support to entrepreneurs through coaching and other mentoring activities and expand the awareness of the variety of organizations and educational institutions that can lend assistance to entrepreneurs.

• Create a Virtual Clearinghouse — Accessing the wealth of resources available to entrepreneurs and rural communities can be tough. Having a virtual clearinghouse accessible to entrepreneurs, community leaders, service providers, teachers, and others would be valuable. The clearinghouse needs to make it easy for entrepreneurs to navigate among different service providers and resources to meet their needs.

• Design and Implement Entrepreneur-Friendly Policies — Create an environment that is conducive to the emergence and persistence of entrepreneurial activities by implementing policies that help grow and sustain entrepreneurs.

For more information on these listening sessions, check out the following reports published by three of the Regional Rural Development Centers:

• Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development: www.nercrd.psu.edu/Publications/rdppapers/rdp37.pdf

• Southern Rural Development Center: srdc.msstate.edu/publications/238_voicesofthepeople.pdf

• Western Rural Development Center: extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/pub__6990608.pdf