In spite of the billboards around town by local banks claiming to support homegrown businesses, the truth is, when our small “mom and pop” stores need capital, it’s almost impossible to come by. When a local restaurant, for instance, needs capital to grow, or to make it through lean times, there are few options, in […]
Tag Archives: crowdfunding
ZipCap: empowering America’s most loved local businesses by transforming customer loyalty into working capital
Danny Fields… the man who signed the Stooges, discovered the Ramones, and changed the world
Almost a year ago now, I received an email from a reader of this site by the name of Bob Nolan, who, knowing of my love for the Ramones and Stooges, suggested that I talk with a friend of his named Brendan Toller. Brendan, he told me, had been working on a film about Danny […]
Michael Shuman… there’s a local business revolution on the horizon, and we can make it happen
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 […]
Accelerating Community Capital (part one)… at the BALLE 2012 conference
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 […]