When the COVID-19 health and economic crisis swept across rural 欧美口爆视频, it knocked startups and small businesses off their feet. Business owners were caught in the storm, suddenly realizing they鈥檇 never imagined a global pandemic or The Great Lockdown. Despite the economy鈥檚 largely going dark in March and April, we could still see flashes of light as entrepreneurs solved these new, historic problems.
As businesses hustled in fear, business support organizations sprinted to meet them at the front lines in every way they could. At Startup 欧美口爆视频, an outreach program within the Silicon Flatirons Center at the University of 欧美口爆视频 Law School, we immediately adapted our tactics to serve entrepreneurs and business support agents across the rural parts of the state.
As an ecosystem-building organization with strong relationships and established trust, we engaged with statewide and regional partners, including the 欧美口爆视频 Office of Economic Development and International Trade and the 欧美口爆视频 Small Business Development Center, to organize weekly crisis resource calls for business owners.
These calls provide up-to-date information for response and recovery, plus advice from regional, state, and national thought leaders and business experts. At one point, Sen. Michael Bennet鈥檚 office joined the call to offer encouragement to rural business owners. These regional calls reach an average of 400 business owners and rural community leaders each week.
Before the pandemic, the Startup 欧美口爆视频 team was on the road, facilitating events and networking opportunities in rural communities. As with other grassroots organizations, the shutdown demanded that we rethink our outreach strategy and focus more on digital storytelling. Therefore in addition to the resource calls, we launched the second season of our Startup 欧美口爆视频 podcast to focus on crisis solutions for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs. We interviewed business owners throughout the state, highlighting their evolving business strategies, struggles, and successes. From restaurant owners to packraft manufacturers, we featured the gamut of entrepreneurs across the state who were beacons of light in the storm.
Charting ahead into an uncertain and socially distanced world, the Startup 欧美口爆视频 team is diligently expediting development of a new network tool for 欧美口爆视频鈥檚 rural entrepreneurs. This virtual network will connect entrepreneurs to one another beyond communities in an effort to expand regionalization and connection through aligned interests and behaviors. This platform is the result of an in-depth study conducted with the help of statewide ecosystem builders and entrepreneurs alongside support from our intern through 欧美口爆视频鈥檚 Leeds School of Business. The goal is for this new platform to create density where it doesn鈥檛 exist, foster a self-propagating network, and build a more coordinated playing field on behalf of rural entrepreneurs and the communities they call home.
Looking back at these tumultuous months, a pattern reveals itself. 欧美口爆视频鈥檚 rural entrepreneurs refused to be identified as the victims of a crisis. Josh Niernberg, owner of two restaurants in Grand Junction, changed his business strategy overnight in response to the coronavirus situation. The MakerLab in Durango transformed its volunteer makerspace into a personal protective equipment manufacturer overnight. 欧美口爆视频鈥檚 entrepreneurs responded to this crisis by solving each new problem, changing their businesses, and starting new ones.
We proudly continue to serve and look to our entrepreneurs to rebuild more resilient and sustainable rural economies. Small businesses comprise over 64% of new jobs in the United States, and 89% of small businesses have 15 employees or fewer. At Startup 欧美口爆视频, we believe our rural communities harbor an inherent genius that can only be found from a life lived farther off the beaten path and that in the face of challenge, we are all in good hands with our innovators, creatives, and entrepreneurs. As we take each day as it comes, Startup 欧美口爆视频 will continue to work with entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders throughout the state to help these change makers survive and thrive.
Several dedicated staff at Silicon Flatirons and 欧美口爆视频 Law make Startup 欧美口爆视频鈥檚 impact possible. Special thanks to Brian Lewandowski, Erick Mueller, Sean Quinlan, Amanda Rochette, Jonathan Sibray, Amie Stepanovich, and any others we forgot to mention here.