Page 224 - 1-Entrepreneurship and Local Economic Development by Norman Walzer (z-lib.org)

Energizing Entrepreneurs: Lessons from the Field 213

Success and failure, and everything in between, were found in each of
these forms of entrepreneurial support. No clear pattern of when one strat-
egy or approach achieved greater impact over another was uncovered. What
was found within all of these forms of entrepreneurial support, however, is
a set of practices that resulted in energizing entrepreneurial talent and in
stimulating development. Many attributes of these practices have been doc-
umented previously (Macke and Markley 2004). The overarching and five
most important attributes of successful practices will be discussed next:

1. A focus on entrepreneurs, not businesses
2. The right geography, capitalization and strategy
3. Use of the right approaches
4. Use of business services
5. A systems approach—performance driven and accountable

Entrepreneurs
A majority of successful efforts are more about people development than
business development. Businesses are the means to an end while entrepre-
neurs are the key creative force. The implications of this orientation are im-
portant. Addressing the technical issues of business creation, development,
and growth is not enough to ensure success. More importantly, helping in-
dividuals and their teams acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essen-
tial for business creation and development becomes a primary focus. This
view is similar to America’s embrace of a liberal arts education. Educating
people broadly and helping them learn to think will place them in a stronger
position to thrive through life’s many challenges and opportunities.
The same is true with investing in the entrepreneur as a person. The atti-
tude, aptitude, and networks of entrepreneurs will allow them to find the
best possible answers for business success. The challenge is not helping the
entrepreneur find the right marketing strategy; rather, it is helping an en-
trepreneur become good at finding the right marketing strategy today, to-
morrow, and in the years ahead given changes in the marketplace.

Geography, Capitalization, and Strategy

Helping entrepreneurs requires relationship building and a one-on-one
connectivity. Entrepreneurial development does not work well in a mass
produced or supported approach. Effective statewide support systems were
studied that reaped limited results because they lacked these relationships.
Instead, they focused on technical needs like capital and business planning
and failed to address the human and creative needs of entrepreneurs.