Page 271 - 1-Entrepreneurship and Local Economic Development by Norman Walzer (z-lib.org)

260 Scott Loveridge

more on other sizes of firms. If an area has identified a deficiency in small
businesses, the next step is to conduct an asset-mapping exercise.

ASSET-MAPPING FOR
COMMUNITY-BASED ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Many community development initiatives have failed in the past because
they started with a needs assessment and moved directly to intervention to
address those needs. A problem with this approach is that it ignores local
capacities that may be available to support the initiative (Kretzmann and
McKnight 1993). It is important to consider local capacities because the al-
ternative is outside assistance, which may be beneficial but likely not sus-
tainable. The Aspen Institute has published a free workbook on the basics
of measuring community capacity (2007), and the ABCD Institute also has
a widely used manual (Kretzmann and McKnight 1993). Inventorying
knowledge, skills, and abilities available locally is a critical part of the in-
tervention planning process (Kretzmann and McKnight 1993). If these lo-
cal capacities can be brought to bear on the issue, the initiative is more
likely to succeed, with requirements for outside assistance eliminated, re-
duced, or more focused.
Convene a brainstorming session or visit individuals one-on-one and ask
what they and the community have to offer entrepreneurs. Ask what has led
to the success of existing businesses in the area. Ask if there are other indi-
viduals or organizations that exist locally or elsewhere in the region who
can provide support to entrepreneurs. Ask what they do well. Ask about
positive entrepreneurial aspects of the community in general. And, as Hol-
ley (chapter 12) suggests in her chapter, ask people about their networks to
support entrepreneurs in order to identify and begin to weave a stronger
pattern of local linkages.
Through the asset-mapping process, community support questions raised
in this book and in a special issue of the Journal of the Community Develop-
ment Society can be answered. The next section provides details on these
questions that form a more complete assessment and help identify areas for
further development of community-based entrepreneurial systems in the
region.

KEY QUESTIONS IN FORMULATING A STRATEGY
FOR COMMUNITY-BASED ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The ability of a community to produce and support the growth and devel-
opment of local entrepreneurs is multidimensional, and no two communi-