It seems like every other word that comes out of the mouth of every politician, economist and political pundit is business: big business, small business, business stimulus, business tax breaks. Business, business, business.
But for all the talk and all the alleged improvements the government has made in the country’s business environment, the results have been less than awe-inspiring.
As communities look to small business owners to spur growth, it behooves local governments to find ways to reach out to potential entrepreneurs. In this case, that outreach came in the form of information management.
The Michigan Opportunities and Resources for Entrepreneurs Program, or MORE, has come up with a viable option for individuals looking to start their own businesses. It brings simplicity to finding the answers to potentially complex problems.
Essentially, the InsYght database catalogs all the resources available through the state into a searchable database. Using medical differential diagnosis technology, InsYght takes into account the type of business and the issues it needs to address in order to find the best resources available, all of which are free or heavily subsidized.
In other words, free and/or cheap.
The East Lansing City Council reached an agreement last week with MORE to give East Lansing residents access to the more than 26,000 resources InsYght has to offer.
This program will help current and potential entrepreneurs. More impressive, it is a business-friendly program co-sponsored by the government that offers a direct benefit to residents.
Even as government entities, such as the state of Michigan and the city of East Lansing, upgrade their websites for content and usability, it remains difficult to find the correct resources to address problems.
This database searches for them.
Oftentimes, the problem with the Internet is that there is an almost endless supply of knowledge, but much of it is nearly impossible to find. When it can be located, it almost never has material that is relevant or related.
This database not only helps entrepreneurs find this crucial information, but also it brings it to the same place. Think WebMD for small businesses — a personalized approach to identifying problems and finding solutions.
The database also is dynamic. The more communities involved, the more resources it can call upon. It is a process of collaboration that continually updates itself, which means its potential is limitless.
The flip side is that it must continue to add new resources or it will stagnate, which would be trouble for anyone attempting to access the resources.
Governments at the national, state and local levels will continue to push for business growth, but as they do so, they should look at simple ways to get through to potential entrepreneurs.
It’s not enough simply to provide resources when the businesses don’t know how to access them or that they even exist.
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