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Detroit StartUp Week photo credits: Nick Hagen
SYSTEM
Entrepreneurship/Economic Development
SERVICES
Strategy, Special Project
The New Economy Initiative (NEI), a special project of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, has been building an inclusive network of support for entrepreneurs and small businesses in Southeast Michigan since 2007. NEI wanted to surface and promote insights from its work for this and other regions.
THE OPPORTUNITY
NEI partnered with EarlyWorks to paint a picture of business support for entrepreneurs in Southeast Michigan. The findings from an exhaustive research review highlighted the need for a regional-level support network for entrepreneurs, especially those that are underestimated or growing businesses in lower-income communities.
Of particular note, NEI uncovered a relationship between accessibility and connectedness: more connections among and between entrepreneurship support resources leads to improved accessibility for entrepreneurs. Improved accessibility leads to expanded opportunity and personal agency. Now that the foundational structure of entrepreneurial support has been established and documented, NEI posits that advancing the region will require next-level systems behavior to build an inclusive system of business support for the region.
EARLYWORKS’ SUPPORT INCLUDED:
Report development, including strategy, research, writing and design.
Executive counsel and coaching, including through leadership transition.
Messaging and content development to promote NEI and its findings.
Review and synthesis of primary and secondary research.
Website design and development, including copywriting.
