A moment in time Historically speaking, down economies can cause people to rethink the future – and the concept of entrepreneurship. True to this trend, the State of Wisconsin Department of Revenue reported a 26.4% increase in business tax registrations from 2019 to 2020 for Brown County. “This increase didn’t happen only because of COVID-19,” said Kee. “Many entrepreneurs noodle on an idea for years, and often it’s just not the right time for them to start – for whatever reason – maybe personally, maybe professionally ... But during the pandemic, it was almost like everybody was on the same playing field and restricted to the same moment of time. That caused some people, especially those who had been contemplating businesses for a long time, to seriously rethink their ideas and actually take action. “I think that’s one of the main drivers of the business growth,” said Kee. “It’s really exciting. You can go back years and see some of the different success stories that happened – companies that were built and started around 2008 and 2009 after the recession, and it’s a very similar narrative to what happened during COVID-19. I think we’re in the first inning of a new wave of companies and products being built that we’ll be using on an everyday basis 10 years from now.” Franklin also cited a significant number of people being laid off amidst the pandemic, which made them re-evaluate their employment situations – that being, if the fit is not somewhere else, they were going to have to create the fit themselves. “Obviously in the Midwest, work ethic is exceptional; everyone knows how hard people here work,” said Franklin.“Many have gone back to work in some form or fashion, but I’ve met with some who haven’t been able to find suitable employment, for whatever reason, instead deciding to use the skill sets they developed over a 20- or 30-year careers and formulate their own businesses. “For example, someone who had done boat construction is now a boat mechanic, and someone else has a specialty in flooring installation, so they started their own business doing floor installing and handyman work.They’re relying on their talents to be able to start up and provide for their families because they can’t see any other way forward,” he added. Franklin explained that the free and low-cost access to many entrepreneurial resources in the Greater Green Bay area (like the Startup Hub) is one contributing factor to make these startup dreams a reality.“You can’t have the access we have in Green Bay to the people we have access to, in, say, San Francisco, at the same cost.” “We also have a growing network of people willing to help,” he said. “While every community has its own network and connections, not every community is willing to help any person at any level. I think that’s part of what separates the Greater Green Bay area from a lot of other communities.”
26 Collective IMPACT | Spring 2021
