Rural Mega Trends to Watch in 2021

Mega Trends and Rural America

We live in a very complex and dynamic global economy and society. Change seems to be accelerating. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic illustrates how globally interrelated we are now. With the start of each new year new content is generated focused on the future and what key trends to follow. I recently received my much anticipated Economist edition of predictions, The World in 2021. At e2 we’ve been tracking relevant rural trends for several decades and released a paper on it in April 2020. As 2021 launches with promising COVID-19 vaccinations, a recovering economy, and a new national government, we thought it timely to update this paper and re-release it as Top 10 Mega Trends in 2021 Influencing the Future of Rural America.

New Podcast Episodes

Be sure to listen to our latest podcast episode (#4) on 2021 Mega Trends with Shelley Paasch of NetWork Kansas. Visit our landing page to download additional resources to help you understand why following the trends can ensure rural communities not only survive but prosper!

Later this month our fifth episode, The Future of Work in America, goes live featuring Don Macke and Peter Creticos, President and Executive Director of the Institute for Work & the Economy. They talk about some of the policy issues and themes related to work during the 2020 pandemic year and the pandemic’s impact on entrepreneurship.

Don't miss this or any episode! You can subscribe to the podcast by visiting our webpage or search for it on your favorite podcast app.

Other e2 News

Resources for Rural Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Building

In 2020 we completely updated our e2 University resources. These resources provide a comprehensive framework and tools for visioning and growing rural (we also think urban) entrepreneurial ecosystems. In the past we charged for access to these field-tested resources. But any practitioner can now access these resources free of charge by joining our e2 National Practitioners Network in exchange for sharing how the resources are used. For more information about e2 University, download our Introduction Guide.

Reimagining Rural Policy

e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems has joined Rural Network, a coalition of more than 90 national, regional, state, local, and grassroots organizations connected to small, rural and tribal communities across the country.

Don Macke participated in a series of Rural Network Zoom meetings for the Biden transition team on rural policy. The last meeting in December, "Reimagining Rural Policy," featured a Brookings report by the same name.

You can view the meeting recording here: https://vimeo.com/492678973/f1084fac58.

Community Prosperity in 2021 - Your Next Steps

Last month Don Macke was a guest on Rural Community Solutions' podcast, Think Like an Entrepreneur - Become a Sparkplug, to talk about what was learned in 2020 and what next steps communities should be taking in 2021 for community prosperity. Listen here.

Field News

Rural small businesses need local solutions to survive. The Brookings Institute makes the case in this article that small businesses are key to building rural economic resiliency, and that the decisions needed to support those businesses need to come from the local level.

Who Doesn’t Start a Business in America? A Look at Pre-Entrepreneurship Leavers. This Kauffman Foundation report examines why some people who are interested in starting businesses end up not doing so. These “pre-entrepreneurship leavers” represent approximately 6% of the adult population, have similar aspirations to those who eventually become entrepreneurs (though the most significant factors vary demographically), and show the most common reason for leaving the journey was concerns about business survival. Despite these concerns, many who left entrepreneurship said they would make a different choice if given the option again.

Events

Venture Summit Virtual Connect West

Come meet, interact and network online with more than 1,500 VCs, Corporate VCs, angel investors, industry execs and founders of venture backed, emerging and early stage companies at the prestigious Venture Summit Virtual Connect West being held virtually on March 16^th-18^th 2021. e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems has made special arrangements for a unique discount of an additional 20% off the existing “early bird" savings.