By Krissa Wrigley - Special to the Idaho Statesman; Edition Date: 09/04/08. Want to know a secret? Instead of being a fast follower, Idaho leads in the churn that makes economies vibrant. No matter the source - Inc., Brookings, Business Week - Idaho ranks in the top 10 for start-up business activity. More often than not, we are in the top five, and on a few occasions we are number one.

Why is churn important? Churning means that new companies form, create jobs, wages, revenue and profits. Products and services enter the market, and customers trade money for use and/or access to them. Revenue is invested back into the community infrastructure in terms of taxes for buildings, roads and education, and additional wealth (wages) is created.

Sometimes, companies die due to market forces, changes in consumer taste or mismanagement. No matter the myriad reasons for a company to fail, the important thing to note is that there will be another one ready to take its place the next day.

Our economy does churn as Idahoans epitomize the rugged individualism of the West. We've taken our hard-working, can-do spirit to the heights of entrepreneurial glory - from start-ups (Metageek), to small companies (Proclarity/Microsoft), to large, international corporations (Simplot or Micron), and the thousands that lie along the spectrum.

Is it pioneer spirit? Great ideas? People wanting to be their own bosses? Sheer, dumb luck? The secret is our ability to mass collaborate and distribute intelligence, a la wikiIdaho.

Crowd-sourcing includes those like SCORE and META who are willing and able to help with business plans; free and low-cost training and counseling from organization like Idaho Small Business Development Center; efficient manufacturing processes like Six Sigma or those taught by Idaho TechHelp; and those who specialize in turning Idaho ideas into Idaho businesses, like Idaho TechConnect.

All of these entities, together with the U.S. Small Business Development Administration, regularly meet to pitch their services to would-be entrepreneurs and start-ups.

Through mentoring sessions organized by the Idaho Small Business Development Center or informational fairs operated through the Small Business Success Center at the Boise Metro Chamber, service providers come together, engage with each other, cooperate, collaborate and work toward making new ideas viable businesses.

This distributed intelligence takes full advantage of those who have street smarts from owning and operating their businesses, and of those who have walked the halls of academia. Yet, it does not stop there.

In addition to dollars, angel investors - in a formal fund or group like the Boise Angel Alliance, Boise Angel Fund or the Keiretsu Forum - impart advice and time. Highway 12, vSpring, Frazier Technology and Buerk Dale Victor even join in the discussions. Legal firms like Perkins Coie, Stoel Rives, Moffat Thomas and Hawley Troxell offer counsel and advice and help you plan for growth from the beginning. The list goes on to include consultants of every kind.

I recently met with Brian Waste, a local entrepreneur, who is well plugged in to the local resources available. He has worked with TechHelp at BSU and a private consultant engineer to prototype his electric vehicle technology. His initial business counseling has come from SCORE. The Idaho Business Network at Idaho Department of Commerce, TechHelp and TechConnect have identified potential funding opportunities. Market research will be conducted this fall by BSU marketing students. And beta testing of the product will begin next spring by the city of Boise and others in the community.

Brian also mentioned he was going to swing by the Small Business Development Center and check into its business plan writing workshop.

Brian is one example of thousands of Idaho entrepreneurs, researchers, scientists, small-business owners, corporate-types and common, ordinary folk who have an idea and want to turn it into a business.

What are you waiting for? Take advantage of the resources here. Stop by, send an e-mail, pick up the phone. We are all ready to help you turn your ideas into Idaho businesses.

Krissa Wrigley is vice president of research and evaluation at Idaho TechConnect in Boise. Contact her at krissa.wrigley@idahotechconnect.com.

Starting Up is a series published on Thursdays. The columns grew from discussions between the Statesman and local tech and entrepreneurial leaders and are coordinated by Julie Howard, a specialist for the Idaho Office of Science and Technology. Reach her at julie.howard@commerce.idaho.gov.

Article written by By Krissa Wrigley - Special to the Idaho Statesman;
Edition Date: 09/04/08