Entrepreneurs build communities.
Homegrown businesses create jobs, spark innovation, and keep wealth circulating locally.
When entrepreneurs succeed, the impact reaches everyone. From supporting families and stabilizing neighborhoods to strengthening schools, energizing industries, and creating the community conditions where more people thrive.
Ecosystem Design & Strategy
Most communities support entrepreneurs without a coordinated ecosystem, which makes it hard for founders to know where to go. Effective ecosystems are intentionally designed, aligned with a region’s culture, history, and needs.
Ecosystem Design & Strategy helps communities:
Understand current assets, gaps, and barriers for local founders
Clarify roles across ESOs, funders, chambers, and municipal partners
Build a shared vision and strategy aligned with local culture and economic goals
Strengthen collaboration, reduce duplication, and improve navigation for entrepreneurs
This work gives regions a clearer, more connected path for supporting founders, plus a roadmap for long-term ecosystem health.
Entrepreneurship-Led Economic Development Design
Traditional economic development often focuses on attraction, not cultivation. But homegrown entrepreneurs create jobs, innovation, and community wealth that stays local.
Entrepreneurship-Led Economic Development Design helps communities:
Center founders and small businesses as core economic drivers
Expand access to opportunity across rural, urban, and under-resourced populations
Align programs, policies, and incentives around entrepreneurial growth
Strengthen the region’s economic resilience and mobility outcomes
This approach helps leaders shift to a balanced strategy that grows what is already strong within the community.
Entrepreneur Support Program Development
Many entrepreneurship programs are built without a clear purpose, curriculum, or understanding of what founders truly need. Effective programs require deep knowledge, trust, and strong operational design.
Entrepreneur Support Program Development helps organizations:
Design or refine incubators, accelerators, workshops, or technical assistance (TA) programs
Build curriculum and learning experiences tailored to local founders or industries
Develop operational systems for intake, facilitation, and evaluation
Pilot, assess, and scale programs with clarity and consistency
These programs help business builders gain confidence, capacity, and real-world skills with a replicable model for founder support.
Collaboration Design & Partnership Strategy
Ecosystems succeed when partners collaborate. But without clear roles and shared expectations, partnerships can stall or (worse) create confusion.
Collaboration Design & Partnership Strategy helps partners:
Identify shared goals and establish aligned roles across organizations
Strengthen communication and joint decision-making practices
Create partnership agreements and accountability structures
Build cross-sector relationships that expand capacity, capital, and impact
This work turns well-intentioned collaboration into coordinated, high-functioning partnership.
Speaking & Workshops
Communities often need shared language, inspiration, and practical tools to move entrepreneurship forward. Rhonda offers keynote talks and tailored workshops that support convenings of economic leaders, educators, ESOs, funders, and policymakers to better understand the role of entrepreneurship in regional vitality.
Entrepreneurship Speaking & Workshop topics include:
Transitioning Your Community to Entrepreneurship-led Economic Development
Rural Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development
The Market Opportunity and Challenges of Entrepreneurship-through-Acquisition (ETA)
Supporting Under-resourced Entrepreneurs with Trust-centered Approaches
Sessions spark alignment, build momentum, and help communities reimagine what’s possible.
Curious what this could look like in your community?
Let’s talk about your ecosystem or program needs, and how to support your next phase of growth.