Welcome to my seventh logbook, an in between seasons update on Ecosystems for Change.

In each logbook, I give you a peek behind the scenes of what’s happening in my day job as an entrepreneurial ecosystem builder in the Shenandoah Valley, some updates from the field of ecosystem building, an introduction to Unsung Heroes of Ecosystem Building doing amazing work in their communities, and a behind the scenes update about the show itself.

It’s a fun way for me to let you in on my thought processes and an invitation for you to contribute your own thoughts and experiences that make this show what it is.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• The event we convened in September that brought together entrepreneurial champions and advocates in the Shenandoah Valley
• A new advocacy organization with an online community
• Conference season is upon us! And the events you’ll find me at
• How Alax Foreman is building a community of tech entrepreneurs in Chicago
• What Nick Giraldo wants to change about how we think about economic development
• Why I’ve made the tough decision to put Ecosystems for Change on hiatus

Learn More About Alax Foreman:

• Chi Tech Collective

Learn More About Nicholas Giraldo:

• Wyoming Community Navigator

Learn More About Anika Horn:

• Website: www.socialventurers.com
• Instagram: SocialVenturers
• Newsletter: Sign up for Impact Curator

Resources:

• Common Wealth Crush
• shenandoahvalleyliving.com/entrepreneurship
• Field Notes
• Right to Start
• SOCAP Global
• Startup Champions Network Fall Summit
• Shenandoah Valley Entrepreneurship Summit
• InBIA e.Builder’s Forum
• Zebras Unite
• Tech Link Up Chicago
• The Sanctuary Chicago
• Black Tech Saturdays Detroit
• Afrotech Conference
• Nicholas Giraldo on the Wyoming SBDC Network Podcast
• Unsung Hero Spotlight: Nida Ansari
• Unsung Hero Spotlight: Sameer Popat
• Unsung Hero Spotlight: Alax Foreman
• Unsung Hero Spoltight: Nicholas Giraldo

On today’s bonus episode, I’m speaking with Chris Heivly.

Chris has over 40 years of experience working as, for, and with entrepreneurs and I was delighted to talk with him about why he wants to see more ecosystem and community builders come together and build a fort.

Chris Heivly is a life-long entrepreneur and multifaceted investor who spent forty years working as, for, and with entrepreneurs. Prior to becoming a successful startup community builder and consultant, Chris co-founded MapQuest—which sold to AOL for $1.2 billion. He currently serves as a managing director of The Startup Factory and is a highly sought-after public speaker. His first book, Build the Fort: Why 5 Simple Lessons You Learned As a 10 Year-Old Can Set You Up for Startup Success, was inspired by his widely acclaimed TEDx talk in 2014.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• Why Chris uses the metaphor of building the fort when addressing ecosystem builders and entrepreneurs
• How the fluidity of complex adaptive systems benefits entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders
• Why you have to identify and speak with as many of the actors in your ecosystem as possible
• Why collaboration and partnerships are vital to creating a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts
• How to identify the gaps in your ecosystem and bring the right people together to fill them
• How adopting a short term mindset can help ecosystem builders dive in, get stuff done, and build momentum
• Why you can’t wait for a permission slip to get involved
• How leaders and influencers set the tone for the culture of an ecosystem

Learn More About Chris Heivly:

• Website
• The Startup Factory
• Connect with Chris on LinkedIn
• Build the Fort: The Startup Community Builder's Field Guide
• Building the fort -- a metaphor for starting anything

Learn More About Anika Horn:

• Website: www.socialventurers.com
• Instagram: SocialVenturers
• Newsletter: Sign up for Impact Curator

Resources:

• The Rainforest: The Secret to Building the Next Silicon Valley, Victor Hwang and Greg Horowitt
• Startup Communities: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City, Brad Feld
• The Startup Community Way: Evolving an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, Brad Feld and Ian Hathaway
• Ecosystems for Change Season Two: The Slow and Complex Nature of Ecosystem Change
• S05E05: Start. Hand over. Repeat. The Cycles of Ecosystem Building with Larkin Garbee
• S04E06: Investing in the Lives of Founders with Todd Nuckols
• S04E08: Succession Planning: Transferring Social Capital To The Next Generation with Rick Turoczy
• EcoMap Technologies

We started this season by asking how we can tell better stories about what is happening in our ecosystems.

As I reflect on the lessons learned throughout the season, the key piece is that storytelling is not just some fun marketing campaign; it’s a tool to show the community what is possible and what the future might look like.

But most of us–entrepreneurs and ecosystem partners alike–are so bogged down in the day-to-day that we rarely have the chance to envision the bigger picture of where the ecosystem is headed. Storytelling allows us to gather and curate all these different stories of doers, makers, and dreamers into a mosaic that creates a beautiful picture as it comes together.

Once we understand that every story, whether on a blog, in a newsletter, or in a YouTube video, contributes to this greater picture and narrative, we can start chipping away at it. You don’t need a degree in journalism or media production to contribute. You just need a genuine sense of excitement about the entrepreneurs you encounter and the willingness to look for solutions.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How solutions-based storytelling, supported by clear and objective facts, moves the needle
• How the accessibility of technology creates opportunities for more diverse stories and storytellers
• Different strategies for leaning on your networks to spread your stories
• Choosing your format and making the money work
• How storytelling not only shines light on the doers and makers in your community, but allows the community to shift how they see themselves

Learn More About Anika Horn:

• Website: www.socialventurers.com
• Instagram: SocialVenturers
• Newsletter: Sign up for Impact Curator

Resources:

• Season 6: All Episodes
• Tea After Twelve
• Solutions Journalism Network
• Hometown Hustle
• The Rural Edge
• Entrepreneurship Indiana
• Connect IND
• The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials Into Triumph, Ryan Holiday
• EcoMap Technologies

Today, we’re headed to Vermont to hear stories about extraordinary rural communities throughout the US.

Austin Danforth is the chief storyteller in charge at the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI), not that he would call himself that. But I definitely do.

Austin is putting his prior career as a sports reporter and photographer to use to reshape the narrative around tech ecosystems, innovation, and entrepreneurship in rural America.

Austin and the team at CORI have produced the incredible video series The Rural Edge, as well as community case studies, reports, and tools that I, personally, have found super useful in my own work developing the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Shenandoah Valley.

Naturally, I wanted to get Austin on the show to share with us how CORI does what they do, and how they do it so well. He’s spilling the beans on the process of developing stories, how it differs from his life as a journalist, and how and why CORI has committed funding and resources to telling these vital stories.

Austin Danforth is a native Vermonter who spent more than a decade as a sportswriter and photographer before jumping into nonprofit communications with the Center on Rural Innovation. He's an avid storyteller and connection-maker who loves to experience new places and figure out what makes them tick.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How Austin thinks about shaping narratives and making CORI’s work meaningful and accessible
• Why it’s been vital for CORI to partner with funders who believe in their mission to change the narrative about rural entrepreneurship
• The tightrope walk between audience and engagement in storytelling
• How Austin and CORI think about metrics and return on investment for storytelling work

Learn More About Austin Danforth:

• Center on Rural Innovation
• Twitter: @eadanforth
• Connect with Austin on LinkedIn

Learn More About Anika Horn:

• Website: www.socialventurers.com
• Instagram: SocialVenturers
• Newsletter: Sign up for Impact Curator

Resources:

• Wright Thompson
• Tim Layden
• The Rural Edge
• EcoMap Technologies

In this episode, I’m continuing my conversation about Yearbook Indiana with Polina Osherov of Pattern, Morgan Allen of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, and Julie Heath, formerly of IEDC.

We’re jumping right back in from the break, so if you haven’t listened to part one, go do that!

In part two, we’re digging into the nitty-gritty of getting the yearbook into the right hands, how they made the budget work for the project and the state’s strategic goals, and getting community buy-in.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How thoughtful graphic design choices made it easy for founders to participate in sharing the yearbook on social
• How the team distributed over 3000 copies of the yearbook in just four months
• Calculating the ROI on getting entrepreneurship stories out into the world
• The impact of positive storytelling for ecosystem builders

Learn More About Polina Osherov:

• Pattern
• Instagram: @posherov
• Connect with Polina on LinkedIn

Learn More About Morgan Allen:

• Indiana Economic Development Corporation
• Connect with Morgan on LinkedIn

Learn More About Julie Heath:

• Connect with Julie on LinkedIn

Learn More About Anika Horn:

• Website: www.socialventurers.com
• Instagram: SocialVenturers
• Newsletter: Sign up for Impact Curator

Resources:

• S04E07: The Know-How via Know-Who of Social Capital with Julie Heath
• Logbook #6: Nida Ansari
• Hardtech Indiana
• AgBioscience Podcast
• Denisha Ferguson, Indiana Fashion Week (PATTERN article)
• People I (Mostly) Admire, Steven Levitt (podcast)
• Dear Data, Georgia Lupi & Stefanie Posavec
• Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Building with Dell Gines (free online course with Project DEEP)
• How To Take Over the World by Ben Wilson
• Entrepreneurship Indiana
• Connect IND
• EcoMap Technologies

In today’s episode, I get to introduce you to a storytelling powerhouse trio.

At every stage of the process, from vision to execution to the final product, I have rarely seen such a well-produced, coherent, and meaningful storytelling campaign as Yearbook Indiana.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation–IEDC–collaborated with Indiana-based magazine Pattern, to produce a yearbook highlighting the stories of entrepreneurs throughout the state and to highlight the positive impacts of young companies on the state’s economy.

To steer this ambitious undertaking, IEDC and Pattern brought together the three women you’ll hear from today: Polina Osherov, co-founder and executive director of Pattern, Morgan Allen, entrepreneurial ecosystem manager at IEDC, and Julie Heath, who has since moved on from IEDC.

Because there is just so much to absorb in this rich conversation, we’re splitting it into two parts.

In part one, you’ll hear about how this kind of storytelling became a priority, how the project got underway between IEDC and Pattern, and what makes a physical storytelling product like a yearbook so special and powerful.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• Five key milestones to putting the project together
• How they crafted the narrative arc for the yearbook
• How they’re fine-tuning the process for the 2023 yearbook

Learn More About Polina Osherov:

• Pattern
• Instagram: @posherov
• Connect with Polina on LinkedIn

Learn More About Morgan Allen:

• Indiana Economic Development Corporation
• Connect with Morgan on LinkedIn

Learn More About Julie Heath:

• Connect with Julie on LinkedIn

Learn More About Anika Horn:

• Website: www.socialventurers.com
• Instagram: SocialVenturers
• Newsletter: Sign up for Impact Curator

Resources:

• S04E07: The Know-How via Know-Who of Social Capital with Julie Heath
• Dell Gines
• Entrepreneurship Indiana
• Connect IND
• EcoMap Technologies

I’ve been in awe of today’s guest, Natalie Hodge, since I first learned about her show Hometown Hustle.

As of summer 2023, the show is in its second season telling the stories of entrepreneurs building their big business ideas in the small towns of rural America and changing the narrative about rural entrepreneurship.

Today, Natalie shares why she believes it’s so vital to share the stories of rural entrepreneurs, the joys and challenges of producing a web series from scratch on a tight budget, and how we can build buy-in on these stories from community and corporate partners.

Natalie Hodge is the founder and owner of Rudy’s Girl Media, a Martinsville, Virginia-based multimedia content creation company specializing in developing a diverse array of engaging projects ranging from film to literary works. Natalie is a writer, producer, and transformation coach with a background in higher education and workforce development with degrees from Guilford College and Cornell University. She is an authentic and inspiring speaker who focuses her messaging on fearlessness and the power of positive being.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How Natalie went about building her slate of entrepreneur stories
• Why it’s so important for her to share the positive impact of rural entrepreneurship on local economies
• How Natalie builds buy-in with partners from community economic development teams to corporate sponsors
• How telling stories of rural entrepreneurs has the ability to impact local economies

Learn More About Natalie Hodge:

• Rudy's Girl Media
• NatalieHodge.com
• Hometown Hustle
• Instagram: @NatalieKHodge, @RudysGirlMedia

Learn More About Anika Horn:

• Website: www.socialventurers.com
• Instagram: SocialVenturers
• Newsletter: Sign up for Impact Curator

Resources:

• Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast, RISE Collaborative
• Browntown Farms
• The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials Into Triumph, Ryan Holiday
• EcoMap Technologies

Welcome to my first interview of season 6.

I sat down with none other than Eva-Maria Verfürth, Publisher and Editor in Chief of Tea After Twelve.

While based in Frankfurt, Germany, Eva’s storytelling spans around the globe to talk about new solutions to old problems to create a better world.

As you’ll see in this conversation, Eva is driven by a deep desire to transform journalism in a way that moves beyond mere disaster reporting and emphasizes inspiration and progress, which is why I’m so excited to kick off season 6 with her.

Let’s go to Frankfurt!

Eva-Maria Verfürth is a journalist and entrepreneur with a keen interest in international perspectives and social change. Her career has been driven by the wish to transform journalism in a way that moves beyond mere disaster reporting and emphasizes inspiration and progress. In 2014, Eva and her teammate Sarah Klein founded Tea After Twelve, an international online magazine on impact innovation, technological inventions, and social change. The idea in a nutshell: reporting about what is working instead of only telling what’s going wrong. Tea after Twelve wants to connect creative minds around the world, the entrepreneurs, inventors, thinkers, and makers who have convincing ideas for social change and ecological transformation. It features projects and actions that have had an impact in their communities and have the potential to make a difference elsewhere as well.

Eva is also co-founder and managing director of Bunny Island, a German communications agency offering content production and design services, and a coach and trainer for (solutions) storytelling and communications strategy. Before becoming an entrepreneur, she worked as an editor and writer for several magazines with international audiences and in public relations for German development cooperation organizations.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• Why Eva and her co-founder developed Tea After Twelve to be an solutions-based antidote to negative news coverage of social and environmental impact issues
• How Tea After Twelve translates impactful stories from around the world for a global audience
• How Tea After Twelve has developed a global network of storytellers outside the journalistic mainstream
• Why Eva says it’s important to acknowledge the limitations of the solution in a story

Learn More About Eva-Maria Verfürth:

• Tea After Twelve
• Bunny Island
• Connect on LinkedIn

Learn More About Anika Horn:

• Website: www.socialventurers.com
• Instagram: SocialVenturers
• Newsletter: Sign up for Impact Curator

Resources:

• Solutions Journalism Network
• An Introduction to Hans Rosling
• Hans Rosling’s TED Talk
• EcoMap Technologies