Lessons from Homegrown Entrepreneurship

Though this newsletter series which I am revamping is mostly focused on educational content, now that we are in the new year, I got a bit reflective and wanted to share.

If you look at my Linkedin, you’ll probably see the highlight reel of where I am been and what I have done. Though I have been in Europe now for now going on 7+ of years, I think some of the most formative lessons that still affect my business (and honestly character) start in a little known place in America.

The rural, Rust Belt of Pennsylvania is where I call home. It is somewhere I spent 19 years of my life, and now as we start a new year, I wanted to quantify and stop to recognize its impact on me these many years on.

Though like any teenager, I thought it was the worst only having one small shopping mall, the summer-only drive-in movie theater, and the local wings restaurant. But this community has shaped how I became a founder and how I support entrepreneurs today.

First, constraints can prompt creativity.

Being from little town, it meant that you had to be creative. As one of four children, I always had a playmate but I could only do backyard soccer, football, and swimming for so long until the snow rolled in. For me, when summer turned to fall, this went into the realm of the arts. Getting craft supplies was like gold dust, because I could unleash any creative idea I wanted in our basement-turned-art studio.

Nothing could stifle this crazy, colorful, and messy side. I tried mosaics, painting, polymer clay, you name it, and our off-white carpet down in the basement was not happy about it.

I had to be resourceful and look up how to’s in craft books (yes, pre Youtube) and watched Sunday morning craft shows like Carrol Duvall. But, this creativity allowed me to embrace the process rather than the final result, to fail (a lot), and to have the courage to teach myself.

This learning-by-doing creativity is at the essence of entrepreneurship — and I did not know it then, but I think it contributed to the confidence to embark on another creative venture, my cofounded business in 2018.

Second, nothing replaces the feeling of belonging.

Small towns truly have a sense of community, and this is something I loved and still love. When someone was sick, there was no asking for help as three casseroles would be at your door and someone would be offering already to walk the dog.

Community is a buzzword we throw around here and there — especially when it comes to ventures and entrepreneurship.

There is a difference between having an audience and having a community.

Community takes care and thoughtfulness. It is a two way street. For every casserole we got, my family jumped in and supported the next neighbor or friend with that plate of cookies or carpool.

But we often forget that on the venture journey. Imagine building a solution for your neighbor, or your friend: sitting with a customer like you would an old school teacher over a cup of coffee— listening (really listening) to their stories and pain points.

Imagine seeing faces, not just metrics.

If we approached entrepreneurship and building a business with the same care as a small town neighbor would to one another, imagine what a world we would live in?

Third, your roots can be your biggest inspiration.

During my teenagehood, I volunteered with youth organizations, there were many individuals had ambition but it felt like it was misplaced in terms of their next steps. Some were disheartened and mentioned they saw only a few career avenues for their future.

Representation is critical.

This is not only for career pathways but also for entrepreneurship.

Close your eyes and think of the word "entrepreneurship" itself and who comes to mind… now let’s question that stereotype.

We have this sentiment of what and who an entrepreneur is (and usually it is tech-focused, predominantly male, and most often white), so if you were to ask me in high school would I be here as an entrepreneur, I would have laughed.

For me, entrepreneurship was a word I could barely spell (and still get it wrong half the time), and the ‘examples’ were and are that of the likes Jeff Bezos. I did not want to build a book (now world) empire. I wanted to do something with more impact, and even in London, it took me months after starting our venture to finally call myself an ‘entrepreneur’.

This narrative around who and what an entrepreneur is needs to change.

That’s why it is part of my mission and passion to showcase the true essence of entrepreneurship — active problem solving — and the flavors of entrepreneurship that are out there. These Everyday Entrepreneurs are those who are building incredible impact businesses day in and day out without the same news coverage like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos.

And, I am hoping one by one we can change this narrative and representation one day at a time.

Look at your own story.

I would love to know what shaped your journey of entrepreneurship and if your roots, or your hometown (big or small!), impacted your journey. Let me know in the comments, and drop me a line if you would like to share your entrepreneurship story on my podcast Everyday Entrepreneurship.

Kaitlin is a Forbes recognized entrepreneur and enterprise educator who empowers entrepreneurs to solve the problems of tomorrow, today. She has supported over 950+ founders across 32 countries and has a trusted track record of providing practical entrepreneurial and pitch training with the leading UK and international accelerators, and institutions like University of Cambridge, Kingston University, UCL, amongst others. With her founder-first approach, she shares lessons, interviews, and insights on the podcast Everyday Entrepreneurship.