Like most of us, entrepreneurs often prefer to learn via stories.  Instead of taking a Marketing 101 class, they might better learn from a fellow entrepreneur telling how she developed a new pitch or identified new customers.  However, finding relevant entrepreneurs with relevant stories can sometimes be a challenge for new business owners.  That’s why a new resource from Purdue Northwest’s Society of Innovators, a champion for entrepreneurship in Indiana, will be so helpful.

The Society’s Spark Series was unveiled this week, and it’s well worth a visit. It offers an on-line video library of interviews with leading entrepreneurs and innovators who share lessons learned from their entrepreneurial journeys.  The first tranche of videos addresses topics such as marketing and branding, product development, opportunity recognition and the entrepreneurial mindset. The series features local entrepreneurs, compelling stories, and both education and inspiration!   The episodes also include learning guides and other information for both students and educators. 

As we head into the busy holiday shopping season, it’s helpful to get a better picture of what’s happening with America’s Main Street businesses. Thankfully, the Main Street America is here to help with its annual survey of Main Street businesses.   This year’s survey tracked nearly 1300 businesses operating in 48 states, and most of these firms remain quite small (with 72% employing less than 3 people).   

In general, the state of Main Street business is worrisome, with Main Street business confidence at all time low levels. A majority of respondents are still in the red, but large shares of owners (45%) report declining profits over the past few months. When asked to comment on causes of their current challenges, large shares of respondents noted outside political and social factors, especially ripple effects of the government shutdown.

While the general tenor of responses focused on business challenges, not all of the news was bad.  Main Street business owners remain confident about their holiday sales prospects, and also speak highly of the support provided by local Main Street programs.   In fact, businesses that tap into Main Street support programs performed better and expressed higher business confidence levels than their counterparts.