Focusing on Inclusive Entrepreneurship, Impact Hub Seattle and the Center for Inclusive Entrepreneurship hosted 25 participants in the Communities for Change (C4C) Inclusive Entrepreneurship Hub.
Why Inclusive Entrepreneurship? Well, economic success is built on the courage, passion, and persistence of local entrepreneurs who create the small businesses that generate opportunity, jobs, money, and power in our neighborhoods and communities. But systemic bias, poverty, and social and economic isolation make it significantly harder to foster local business ownership in communities of color. The impact is dramatic and devastating—according to research from the Case Foundation, without these barriers, we’d have 1 million more minority-owned businesses in the United States, and nearly 10 million more jobs.
During the program, the group learned how complex this challenge really is. We noticed our tendency to go in and want to ‘fix’ things, how we often only listen to what we already know, and how overwhelming our social challenges can be – but above all we learned how powerful and enriching it is to have deeper conversations than we usually have. That’s when you notice there’s a different approach to solving problems – and the ability to do that is present in all of us.
