Vote early, vote often? :)

Vote early, vote often? :)

How many of you have elections coming up soon in your state/city?

I keep trying - maybe we can influence policy a bit? Here's a golden oldie [first iteration almost 10 years ago] - the message doesn't change, alas. but please feel free to steal/adapt any of this [and a bonus if you read to the end! ?? ]

Pro-entrepreneur public policy is (a) hard to find and (b) usually misses the point...completely. One huge reason is that entrepreneurs are NOT engaged in the process.

"Everyone loves progress; everyone hates change"

On the other hand, it is surprisingly easy to figure out where candidates stand on key issues that matter to us. First, do they use the bully pulpit to support healthy entrepreneurial activity? Or just recycle clichés? Second, do they really know and understand entrepreneurs? Or just think so? Third, ask them “Would you rather be the windshield or the bug?” We can only choose between being disrupted or being the disruptor, can't be neutral.

It's hard for insanely busy entrepreneurs to get involved in the political process which is messy, often illogical, and definitely time-consuming. But we CAN get involved in educating elected and appointed officials in what really makes an entrepreneurial economy... truly entrepreneurial.

And back that with our votes.

Let me throw out some ideas for what we should look for in what civic officials say and do. Better still, if YOU are running for office, here are questions to ask yourself!

If you can only ask one question of a candidate or official, ask if they know entrepreneurs – real entrepreneurs – and do they listen to them? Really listen? Do they get what entrepreneurs really want? If they share what they hear entrepreneurs actually saying about building on what we have... they’re a keeper.

If you want to educate them, use things like: ?https://bit.ly/CandidateGuideEntrep?and I urge you to read it closely. Check out Victor W. Hwang 's Right to Start (www.righttostart.org; also America's New Business Plan at www.StartUsUpNow.org but start with Victor.) However, Let me give you four key things to look for (shamelessly stolen from Brad Feld 's book "Startup Communities") that a smart candidate can adopt as talking points.

1. Do I?focus relentlessly on helping bottom-up activities??Or do I work with, support, and listen to the top-down, whether institutions, "power players" or The Usual Suspects? Government can fly cover for the bottom-up but shouldn't try to control them, even with the best of intentions? (See #3 below!)

1a.?Who do I listen to about growing our economies??Self-styled experts? Smart, passionate, persuasive but clueless amateurs are particularly dangerous to listen to.?Ask the entrepreneurs not those who want to speak for them.

Here's a model for entrepreneur-only listening sessions: ?https://goo.gl/WLQZrH?

2.?Am I including all the different 'flavors' of entrepreneur??Or do I get distracted by the sexy high-tech, high-growth ventures? Entrepreneurship is very much a big tent.

3. Am I helping create rallying points for the entrepreneurial community? To finding out from the entrepreneurial community (again, not those who speak for them) what would galvanize them?) In Feld's words:?Government and institutions are not leaders but they can be feeders.?And remember that all this must be led by entrepreneurs not institutions?

4.?Am I in this for the long haul??It took Silicon Valley decades to become an overnight success. We’re behind the curve, so let's get started. For example, Idaho’s entrepreneurial community is fragmented, so let's defrag it! [Start here!?https://goo.gl/6mmmy]

Bonus question: Do you see entrepreneurs as motivated by money? Or do you realize that entrepreneurship is about making cool things happen? Cool things that create great new value? Do you stand for maximizing the Benjamins... or do you stand for creating new value? And will you vote for those who do?

Entrepreneur Up!

Norris the Quixotic ;)

PROMISED BONUS! To see how little has changed, here is the OG of all this from the great? Erik Pages from 2002. 2002!!! Ouch... :?https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1260382

...surely it's time to change the narrative??