NWA Summit 2023: Celebration of Entrepreneurship

NWA SUMMIT 2023

Elevate the entrepreneurial spirit in everyone, everywhere

The Summit’s Impact on Northwest Arkansas

Read more below about what participants experienced:

"Groundbreaking and refreshing."
"Uplifting - it's good to know that this issue is being highlighted and acted on."
"[This event was] needed."
"Grassroots."
"Everyone should have the right to start their own business."
"Dynamic (and insightful)."
""[I learned] that one of the biggest issues for entrepreneurs is the amount of paperwork the government requires. It is not consistent at the city, county, state, and/or national level. If that could be streamlined, I think we would see many more new businesses opening."
"Right to Start is doing it, not just talking about it!!"
"Informative and inviting."
"[I realized] that there is bipartisan interest in making it easier to start a business."
"The metrics were eye-opening."
"We can develop a true entrepreneurial ecosystem in NW Arkansas."
"Impactful."
"Entrepreneurship is a widely supported, nonpartisan issue. Yet, there are still many barriers that keep people from pursuing starting a business."
"Fun!"
"[I learned that] the community really desires to support new entrepreneurs and we can call on local reps to assist with state change.
"Small businesses…can be an engine for growth that is under-utilized."
"Interactive."
"[I learned about] the real experience of entrepreneurs and how we can support one another."
"Inspiring."
"[I learned that] there is unnecessary red tape when it comes to starting a business in the United States but there are also a lot of free resources."

Take Action!

This Summit was the first of its kind, where Americans from all backgrounds came together to realize the potential in all of us to be starters, makers, doers, dreamers.

Attendees met “next door” entrepreneurs and became active changemakers for the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Northwest Arkansas. We can all take action to make our community more supportive for entrepreneurs of all kinds.

Sign our Statement of Principles and support our fight to expand entrepreneurial opportunity for all. We’ll send the Statement and all signatures to the U.S. President and other elected officials in 2024 during the election cycle.

Sign the Statement of Principles

Join Our Coalition

We are born to be starters, makers, doers, dreamers.

Everyone has the right to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams… a Right to Start. When the Right to Start is realized, prosperity spreads through homegrown jobs, higher incomes, stronger communities, lower inequality, and less poverty.

Join the first-ever Right to Start Coalition in Northwest Arkansas to help change the entrepreneurial landscape and level the playing field.

Sign up to learn more!

Let Your Voice Be Heard

We asked the audience -- who all actively participated as changemakers -- about barriers facing entrepreneurs in their communities. A local artisan crafted wooden postcards, where participants could write their answers.

We then sent those postcards to local policymakers, so the policymakers could hear directly from their constituencies about why entrepreneurship needs to be a civic priority.

Here is what participants sent to policymakers:

Barriers Identified

During the Summit, participants also identified significant barriers that exist for entrepreneurs in starting and/or running a business. These challenges, and their potential solutions, are listed below.

Also, groundbreaking information about the impact of micro-businesses on the Northwest Arkansas economy was shared from Venture Forward by GoDaddy (slides are downloadable here).

Here are barriers that participants identified:

“There are too many regulations. There should be deregulation and exemptions from certain regulations for small businesses to enable competition and reduce barriers to opening.”
“More opportunities for government contracts.”
“Access to capital/loans”
“Incentives for traditional small businesses”
“Access to resources”
“Information clearing house. Capital clearing house. Compliance simplified.”
“NWA has a lot of resources and organizations supporting entrepreneurs. We need these services in all areas of the state, especially in the south and eastern parts of our state.”
“Help us find funding!”
“I would like to ask for cities to be more consistent with their approvals.”
“The confusion on where to start (this pushes people away).”
“My entrepreneurs struggle with collateral (for funding)!”
“Access to healthcare and other benefits.”
“Language accessibility: English, Spanish, Marshallese.”
“High-speed broadband.”
“Removing red tape. Streamline at city, state level.”
“Financial Literacy.”
“Have the cities notify entrepreneur when the state has a new policy or change to an active project.”
“Access to childcare.”
“Clearer information for SBA loans with clear approval notes for banks and entrepreneurs. Reduced processing times.”
“One-stop shop.”
“Increase staffing for the existing small business and entrepreneurship office— so state employees can provide for help.”
“Business education and helping immigrants understand how to start a business in the U.S.”
“Representation: having a voice for the diverse, one to help us get in spaces.”
“Helping entrepreneurs get more exposure.”
“Real estate access at affordable prices.”
“Office of Entrepreneurship state office!”
“Entrepreneurs should have access to capital that doesn’t eat into their ownership.”
“Entrepreneurship education. Especially in Jr. High/High school.”