The Vital Role of Policymakers in America's Future Economic Success

As America emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, expanding new businesses is becoming an urgent priority in communities nationwide. That's because our downtowns are pockmarked with vacant storefronts and new businesses are creating virtually all of the net job growth. In this context, policymakers have a critical role to play in driving business and employment growth as new business champions and enablers.

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For new business growth to reach every community and diversify business ownership in the process, it must grow locally, not be recruited from afar. It must be generated from the talents, skills, heritage and history of our communities. That's what the maker movement has always been about: celebrating our talents and skills and advancing their influence in our communities.

For too long, American cities and counties have sought to grow their business by attracting them from elsewhere, often resulting in the use of scarce financial incentives to lure a top-tier company from place to place. another with no net benefit to the nation. This corporate recruitment process is inherently dismissive of local talent. He assumes the solution is somewhere else - not at home.

Instead, our communities should grow their own businesses, and that's where makers come in, both to foster the growth of makers' small businesses and because makers can lead the creative process. which can generate more new locally developed businesses. This creative process needs to be further valued and supported, and creators are a unique resource to accelerate it.

Community leaders should explore with local creators how to advance creativity. Many essential local institutions may already exist, including makers' fairs, farmers' markets, local festivals, libraries, and community colleges. They provide vital services, but they also provide venues where community leaders can find creators whose expertise can be crucial to advancing local creativity.

Creators can explain how creatives can be encouraged to come together and learn from each other. What are the local gathering places for makers? How can they be strengthened?

How to encourage mentorship opportunities for small creative businesses? Research shows that new business owners benefit from talking with others who have experienced and resolved the challenges they face.

Community leaders must also ensure inclusiveness. Which communities are already part of the local fabric of new business growth? Who is missing? Where is more range needed?

Creators can offer valuable advice on how to run this awareness campaign. What are the dynamics that bring people together? How accessible are the settings? What other leaders should be involved?

Creators can also create solutions to barriers that get in the way of transitioning from a home-based business to a physical storefront. Are shared retail settings available? Are the rents appropriate? Are shared production facilities necessary?

Community leaders can also explore how local government can promote local businesses. Designer fairs, farmers markets and local festivals are often seen as dynamic ways to create great places, but they also provide a pool of local talent and opportunities for business growth. Moreover, their promotion advances the environment of creativity. Community leaders should discuss with creators how to further promote this environment.

A shift in the economic development of US cities and counties has already happened. Amid COVID-19, major retail brands have closed a record number of stores nationwide. Reliance on local communities to attract these brands in the future is no longer a promising approach. Local authorities have no choice but to rely on their...