EDGE (Enhancing, Developing, and Growing Entrepreneurs and Their Communities) is a community-based entrepreneurship strategy designed to enhance the economic and social base of rural communities that was initially developed in Nebraska. The program works with communities to develop small business support networks and provide education and skill development for local entrepreneurs wanting to start or expand a business. Coalition building and accessing public/private assets within the community are critical keys to the success of this entrepreneurial development strategy. Nebraska EDGE has trained and supported more than 2,000 entrepreneurs in over 100 communities. The program is located at the Center for Applied Rural Innovation at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Western EDGE was established in 2005 and is based on a model similar to the Nebraska program. Western EDGE is a partnership program of the Western Rural Development Center and the Utah State University Extension Service.
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Youth Entrepreneurship
What do kids know about business? You'll be surprised!
E-Commerce Learning Modules
- Direct Marketing for Specialty Food Products. Learn strategies to direct market and sell specialty food products.
- Electronic Retailing. More and more of our communication and social behaviors involve computers and networks. Nonetheless, it is not as simple as it might appear to connect the dots on electronic retail and turn it into a successful venture.
- Going Global: A Guide for e-Commerce Expansion. A worksheet driven learning lesson for the established e-commerce business exploring export/import opportunities.
- A Primer for Hispanic Small Businesses. In both English and Spanish, this module was founded in the belief that e-commerce education should not only be available to Spanish Speaking business owners but also that small business stand to benefit greatly from the patronage of the Spanish speaking consumer.
- Marketing Food Specialty Products OnlineThe purpose of this learning module is to assist food retailers in making decisions on the use of online technologies in their marketing and planning strategies.
RESOURCES:
Build Your Business
- Online Tutorial on Farm Leasing
- Strategies to Improve Farm Business Management
- Visual Merchandising: The Silent Salesperson. View a recording of a marketing workshop conducted by Glenn Muske, Oklahoma State University. The workshop covers some key aspects of display as a sales tool. The workshop is approximately 45 minutes long.
Building Entrepreneurial Communities
- E-Commerce Module:Connecting Rural Communities
- Strengthening Competitive Advantage of Rural Businesses with e-Commerce and Experience Economy Strategies
- Mini-Course: Developing Diversified & Value-Added Agribusinesses
Blogs to Watch