MENDOCINO Co., 8/22/19 — Are you a local business person or resident who wants to know more about resources for networking, business support, access to funding, best practices, and more? As part of an ongoing assessment of Mendocino County’s economy and an effort to develop better support for local businesses, the Economic Development and Finance Corporation (EDFC) has a new survey that you should fill out.
Small businesses are at the heart of a rural economy, and the majority of Mendocino County’s businesses are considered “microbusinesses,” according to the EDFC’s most recent report. This survey will help the EDFC and partnering organization CAMEO develop a better understanding of the needs of local small businesses and entrepreneurs, with the goal of creating a better “local entrepreneurship ecosystem,” to help support Mendocino County’s local business community and create more economic growth county-wide. The results will be incorporated into Mendocino County’s strategic five year plan.
The survey can be found at this link. There are also two versions: a short one and a long one for business owners, and a short one and a long one for stakeholders who are interested in small business issues. Surveys will be collected until September 30, 2019.
Here’s more information about the project:
EDFC Launches Survey on Local Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
Seeks Input from Community for 5-year strategic planUkiah – EDFC, along with CAMEO (California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity) launched a survey today that will help EDFC develop a strong Local Entrepreneurship Ecosystem (LEE).
Rural economies are particularly dependent on small business development and they need a supportive environment. Rural areas need to support their indigenous entrepreneurial resources with what these small businesses really need – a strong local entrepreneurial ecosystem with business training and management skills, small amounts of capital, access to markets, an environment in which to thrive, and policies that encourage entrepreneurship.
A Local Entrepreneurship Ecosystem is made up of the five ‘C’s: Coaching (all training), Capital (money), Connections (to markets and networks), Climate (regulations, policy), and Culture (how acceptable is entrepreneurship). When these pieces are in place, local economies can foster independents and small business owners and create a sustainable, self-reliant, and thriving local economy.
This survey will help identify strengths and gaps in Mendocino County’s businesses ecosystem provide information to be incorporated into Mendocino County’s strategic 5-year plan. The survey was developed by a group of community stakeholders and is a follow up to the January 31, 2019 economic summit.
About CAMEO
CAMEO is California’s statewide network made up of over 230 organizations, agencies, and individuals dedicated to furthering micro-business development in California. Annually, CAMEO members serve about 34,000 very small businesses with training, business and credit assistance and loans. These firms – largely start-ups with less than five employees – support or create 54,000 new jobs in California and generate a total of $2.5 billion in economic activity.
