17: Entrepreneurship-Led Economic Development with Zachary Barker

In this episode, we hear from Zachary Barker about entrepreneurship-led economic development. Zach's an expert in ecosystem design and delivery of entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation (ETI) led programming. He said: Entrepreneur-led economic development is the one of the best investment EDOs can make in their communities. It supports BRE efforts for small businesses, retains young talent, diversifies the local business makeup, and... even if the people who enter your program are not successful in growing a business, they become experts in business execution and thus EXCEPTIONAL employees. What's been your most influential book and why? The Four-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris this was my first glimpse into building systems to scale entrepreneurial ventures. I was a banker at the time when this came out and it shifted how I did banking, then launched me into entrepreneurship Mastering the Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish as a dealmaker (not the technical partner in a startup), I found that I was driving activity but didn't understand why I was not getting results. I had a business plan but that was a lot of assumptions where the "Rock Habits" is a "what to do today to be successful" model to follow I have adapted this style of training along with driving the entrepreneurs self-understanding of their emotional intelligence, natural strengths, and mental health to create the Entrepreneur Blueprint What is your favorite productivity tool or resource? Audible - I have some wicked ADD and it can be difficult to find quiet time to read and dig in, but listening in the car, at the gym, walking the dogs, makes it to where I can learn the whole concepts, then go back and use the book as a manual of which I have a great understanding upfront Therapy - while maybe not a tool or resource, understanding entrepreneurship is a guaranteed path towards failures, rejection, and missteps (as you have to learn what not to do before you succeed), means that you entrepreneurs (more than others) will have high potential for mental health struggles. From despair to frustration, loneliness to anxiety, knowing these will come and having a plan to preemptively address them gives me a toolkit that helps me move to the next "win" Special Guest: Zachary Barker.