In a wide-ranging conversation about the critical role policy plays for small businesses – especially given the confluence of factors in 2020 – Jason Wiens, policy director for the Kauffman Foundation, talked with Brandy Bynum Dawson, director of Advocacy for the NC Rural Center and Stacy Mitchell, co-director of ILSR.
The conversation focused on several topics, including the policies needed to encourage rural entrepreneurship, the need for government to put more emphasis on helping small businesses rather than big businesses, the impact of the pandemic on small business, and the barriers faced by entrepreneurs of color.
Even acknowledging that it has been a rough year, the participants agreed that now is an opportunity to advocate for the needs of small business, given that many Americans have realized how much they’d been taking their local businesses for granted.
The video, which you can watch on the Kauffman Foundation’s website, is divided into 6 short segments:
- Segment 1: Leveling the playing field for entrepreneurs
- Segment 2: Challenges faced by rural small businesses
- Segment 3: Impact of the pandemic on small businesses
- Segment 4: Barriers faced by entrepreneurs of color
- Segment 5: Government’s role in the marketplace
- Segment 6: Recommendations to support small business
If you like this post, be sure to sign up for the monthly Hometown Advantage newsletter for our latest reporting and research.
