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“It takes a village” to support entrepreneurship: intersecting economic and community dynamics in small town entrepreneurial ecosystems

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Abstract

Despite the ubiquity of small towns, the forces shaping entrepreneurship in cities of limited size, reach, and scope are unexamined. To address the lack of attention to small town entrepreneurship, a comparative-case study of two small towns (Newton Falls, Ohio and Geneva, Ohio) was conducted. The study examines how and to what extent entrepreneurial activity manifests in small towns and identifies the strategies and contextual forces that promote and hinder small town entrepreneurship. Findings reveal (a) a variety of entrepreneurial activities occur in small towns, (b) community members engage in market and community-based strategies to encourage entrepreneurship, and (c) there is an ecosystem of economic and community dynamics that spur and discourage entrepreneurial activity. The findings contribute to research on entrepreneurship and economic development in small towns and generate practical implications for policymakers and entrepreneurs.

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Notes

  1. Are used interchangeably.

  2. The population of Newton Falls fluctuates around 5000. In the state of Ohio, when the population of an incorporated area dips below 5000, it is classified as a “village.” For the purposes of this paper, however, “city” and “town” are used.

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  1. Summerfield Johnston Centennial Scholar and UC Foundation Assistant Professor, Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Gary W. Rollins College of Business, University of Tennessee (Chattanooga), 615 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga, TN, 37403-2598, USA

    Philip T. Roundy

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Roundy, P.T. “It takes a village” to support entrepreneurship: intersecting economic and community dynamics in small town entrepreneurial ecosystems. Int Entrep Manag J 15, 1443–1475 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-018-0537-0

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