Mark Maynard | crowdfunding

Michael Shuman… there’s a local business revolution on the horizon, and we can make it happen

By Mark | February 3, 2013

Last week, I had the opportunity to spend a day with economist and author Michael Shuman. Shuman, for those of you who aren’t familiar with his work, is probably our nation’s foremost authority on the importance of cultivating, supporting and investing in local businesses. The stated purpose of his visit to Ann Arbor, which was [...]

Posted in Economics, Local Business, Locally Owned Business, Michigan, Uncategorized | Also tagged Amy Cortese, Austin, banks, Book People, Borders, business attraction, business retention, Colgate-Palmolive, Daryl Issa, economic development, Economics, Google, investing, IRA, local investing, locavesting, Michael Shuman, Mission Markets, Oregon, SEC, Securities and Exchange Commission, self-dircted IRA, self-directed IRA, smart growth, startup investing, tax abatements, Tom’s of Maine, triple bottom line, walkability, Washtenaw County Economic Development, Washtenaw County Office of Community & Economic Development | 29 Comments

Author Amy Cortese on the burgeoning “locavesting” movement, and how we can harness it in Michigan

By Mark | October 25, 2012

Next Tuesday, October 30, Think Local First will be bringing author Amy Cortese to Ann Arbor to discuss her book Locavesting: The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit From It. Following is my interview with Amy, who, in addition to being a published author, has written for the likes of the New York [...]

Posted in Ann Arbor, Economics, entrepreneurism, Local Business, Locally Owned Business, Retail, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged Accelerating Community Capital, American Sustainable Business Council, Amy Cortese, Arbor Brewing Company, blood funnel, blue sky laws, butchershop, buy local, CDFI, Chamber of Commerce, Clare, community development loan funds, Cops & Doughnuts, CSA, Dante Hesse, economic development, interviews, investing, Jobs Act, Judy Wicks, Jumpstart Our Business Startups, Kickstarter, LION, lobbying, local investing, Local Investing Opportunities Network, Localist, locavesting, Locavesting: The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit From It, Main Street vs. Wall Street, Matt Greff, Milk Thistle Farm, move your money to a credit union, Obama, Occupy Wall Street, Port Townsend, Port Townsend LION, private placement, public offering, Rene Greff, SEC, Securities and Exchange Commission, single-payer system, Slow Money, Small Business Administration, Stacy Mitchell, subsidies, tax loopholes, tax reform, The Big Box Swindle, The Brinery, Think Local First, unaccredited investors, Woody Tasch, Zingerman's | 7 Comments

Accelerating Community Capital (part one)… at the BALLE 2012 conference

By Mark | May 17, 2012

I spent the day in Grand Rapids, participating in a workshop on new models that are evolving for local businesses to raise capital from lenders, investors and donors, at the 10th annual conference of the Business Alliance for Living Local Economies (BALLE). What follow are my rough notes, for those of you who care about [...]

Posted in Economics, entrepreneurism, Uncategorized | Also tagged Awaken Café, BALLE, big box retail, biomimicry, Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, Capital Institute, Capitalism, Catskills, Co-op Power, co-ops, Common Market, cool local initiatives, Coop Power, credit unions, CSA, Cutting Edge Capital, Direct Public Offerings, Don Shaffer, Equal Exchange, Erin Kilmer Neel, financial reform, financing local companies, general store, Harlem, investing, investing in the future, Jenny Kassan, Jobs Act, John Fullerton, JPMorgan Chase, liquidity, Little City Gardens, Local Economies Project, local economy, local investing, Localvesting, Lynn Benander, Marty Gay, Michael Shuman, Michelle Long, micro-financing, Move Your Money Project, move your money to a credit union, New World Foundation, Oakland, off-grid, personal finances, Port Townsend, Port Townsend LION, Quimper Mercantile Company, regenerative capitalism, resilience, resiliency, RSF Social Finance, SCOR, SEC, Securities and Exchange Commission, Slow Money, Small Company Offering Registration, South Bronx, startup investing, Sustainability, unaccredited investors, Washington State, what is wealth, White Dog Cafe | 12 Comments

Zingerman’s co-founder Paul Saginaw on the importance of robust local business ecosystems, the upcoming BALLE conference in Grand Rapids, and the meaning of “real prosperity”

By Mark | April 22, 2012

For the first time ever, the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) will be holding its national, annual conference for independently owned, socially responsible businesses, here, in Michigan. The meeting, which is being called Real Prosperity Starts Here, is scheduled to take place in Grand Rapids this May, and, as of right now, I’m [...]

Posted in Corporate Crime, Detroit, Economics, entrepreneurism, Environment, Food, Ideas, Local Business, Locally Owned Business, Michigan, Sustainability, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged American Expres, Appalachian Harvest Network, BALLE, Burlington, Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, buy local, Community Food Enterprise, cool local initiatives, farming, food hubs, Grand Rapids, healthy food access, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Intervale Food Hub, Kellogg Foundation, local, local economy, Local First, Localist, localwashing, Michael Shuman, national chains, Paul Saginaw, prosperity, re-localization, Rodger Bowser, Rust Belt, Shift Your Shopping, Stacy Mitchell, tobacco, Vermont, Wal-Mart, Wallace Center at Winrock International, Water Street, Zingerman's, Zingerman's Community of Businesses | 17 Comments

Tag Archives: crowdfunding

Michael Shuman… there’s a local business revolution on the horizon, and we can make it happen

Author Amy Cortese on the burgeoning “locavesting” movement, and how we can harness it in Michigan

Zingerman’s co-founder Paul Saginaw on the importance of robust local business ecosystems, the upcoming BALLE conference in Grand Rapids, and the meaning of “real prosperity”

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