Community Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Design: Foreword
When I started my first business, I experienced a sense of perpetual optimism. I felt invincible, thanks to a fierce desire to succeed.
I knew I wanted to grow, but I knew I couldn’t grow too fast. I was cautious, of course, with money; I’d not been given any money to get started, and I had to use my own small savings which I’d worked hard to build. I knew the value of cash flows, so I budgeted conservatively, anticipating costs of things unforeseen. I made many sacrifices early on to ensure the company was successful.
As I drew upon my own experiences, I connected deeply with hundreds of other entrepreneurs who were just getting started. So when the Community Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Design was conceived as a response to growing evidence of a chronically underdeveloped entrepreneurial ecosystem in Central Arkansas, I was thrilled for the opportunity to illuminate their experience.
We took on this assignment with a great spirit and hope. We were excited about the prospects of Little Rock’s growth potential, particularly with new leadership at its helm. When we began, I did not anticipate the moving narrative we would unearth — the sobering journey we would embark upon by delving into the history of the city, by excavating the causes and consequences of existing poverty and distress. As we present our findings and our analysis, I am reminded of the inspiring resilience of the communities we engaged and of the stories we were told. The ever-present optimism from people and communities across the city of Little Rock points to a great potential for a shared prosperity and a vibrant future.
I want to thank our team for their contributions, and for their commitment to working through the challenges of a busy season to ensure we executed, thoughtfully, the goals of this project. The chance to perform this work and identify opportunities for progress has been an honor.
Tristan Wilkerson
Managing Principal
Think Rubix, LLC
