Announcers and coaches, at least the most loved ones, are known for communicating in ways that endear them to the team as well as their fans. My high school basketball coach introduced my younger self to many catch phrases and words of wisdom that have stuck in my head years later including the colloquial phrase ‘corn fed’. It refers, in general, to a person who is physically strong or could be described as having healthy and robust body mass typically from a rural background. My coach would refer to upcoming opponents as ‘corn fed’ if they were a strong team that had a tradition of basketball success as a result of dedicated teammates that had been playing ball together since they were kids. Corn fed teams were resilient and dominant.
With that being said, Texas, and especially Dallas, has the potential to create a breed of corn fed entrepreneurs because the local market is prime to be used to develop robust foundations to launch and nurture small businesses. According to ICBA Independent Banker article, “Nurturing New Businesses”, successful entrepreneurial communities have diversity, entrepreneurial resources and networking opportunities.
To encourage entrepreneurial spaces that foster diversity, we, as a city, must support ideas that lead to creative collaborations and innovative opportunities. The B.R.A.I.N. has a diverse network of organizations that range in specialty, for profit and nonprofit, as well as government lead.
For instance the Healthcare Wildcatters, a for-profit group, including its offshoot affiliate Tech Wildcatters, is an incubator for health and technology related startups. Its newly opened downtown hub on the 20th floor of 1910 Pacific Av. is a 17,000 square foot space for startups in their 12-week accelerator program. This unique program connects a small group of diverse entrepreneurs with investors, mentors and work space (including whiteboard walls, conference rooms and an auditorium) to nurture healthcare innovation.
Other programs that lead to successful startups are those that incorporate business workshops and coaching. The nonprofit, SCORE, helps small business owners through mentoring and training programs designed to take small business owners to the next level of professionalism. The Dallas chapter of this national nonprofit association was started in 1965 and provides confidential business counseling with qualified volunteers who are experts in their fields. Networking opportunities are offered through our partners as well as nationally promoted events, like the Small Business Expo, that is taking place on January 18 2017 at the Dallas Convention Center and registration is free.
The Dallas B.R.A.I.N. resource navigator is a tool to connect you to an entrepreneurial, small business, network of organizations and programs designed to develop and support small businesses. If your small business is hungry for a particular area of assistance, the resource navigator can allow you to narrow your search. Please contact us, for any additional information about which of our partners to connect with or if you need help defining your next step to being a corn fed entrepreneur.
