Briefing on Start Us Up: America's New Business Plan
nat rosasco • December 11, 2019
The Kauffman Foundation
and Public Private Strategies were pleased to host a special briefing, Start Us Up: America's New Business Plan, on December 10th. The briefing offered an opportunity to learn about the new Start Us Up coalition
and their bipartisan plan for policymakers that focuses on creating new jobs and leveling the playing field for startups and small businesses.
Start Us Up is a diverse group of organizations working together to eliminate barriers to starting new businesses. The group was formed by the Kauffman Foundation in 2019 and is comprised of more than 130 business support organizations who all share a mission of boosting entrepreneurs.
Over the last 20 years, entrepreneurship has stagnated while lawmakers favor policies that benefit larger corporations rather than small businesses. But statistics show that small business owners create more new jobs, and supporting new entrepreneurs is crucial to generating positive economic impact in communities across the country. This is especially true for women, people of color and individuals in rural communities, who disproportionately struggle to access the tools necessary to start their own businesses.
The Start Us Up coalition formed in response to these trends, and is working to spur entrepreneurship through a comprehensive policy plan that advocates for change across federal, state and local levels. America’s New Business Plan lays out what entrepreneurs really need in a simple platform based on four pillars:
- Opportunity: A Level Playing Field and Less Red Tape
- Funding: Equal Access to the Right Kind of Capital Everywhere
- Knowledge: The Know-How to Start a Business
- Support: The Ability for All to Take Risks
Examples of recommended policies include reducing and/or streamlining occupational licensing requirements, increasing access to capital, modernizing small business support organizations like Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), and more. The coalition is now working to spread the ideas put forth in the plan and is seeking opportunities to champion the proposals with policymakers.
The December 10 briefing was one such an opportunity for stakeholders, business owners and other leaders across the community to hear more about both the coalition and America’s New Business Plan. Speakers included Jason Wiens, Policy Director, Entrepreneurship, Kauffman Foundation, and Rhett Buttle, Founder and Principal, Public Private Strategies. They had an important discussion about this new coalition and how business owners can use their voices to make a change at the local, state, and federal levels.
To learn more about the policy plan and Start Us Up coalition, please watch the webinar recording or visit https://www.startusupnow.org/.
