space can be simple and small as long as it includes easy access to networking and the internet. The Smoffice became a symbol of this attitude; an office space of just 25-square feet in the front window of a downtown coffee shop. They chose to market the Smoffice the same way they marketed the Startup Stampede. They created a very simple website and used the connections of an established, successful entrepreneur to request video applications for six months of free rent through personal emails, Facebook and Twitter. “Him saying, ‘Hey, this is important. You guys should apply for this or spread the news’, really got the drumbeat going and got lots of entrepreneurs aware of the initiative and communicating it to their fellow entrepreneurs,” said Klein. The simple idea won the 2013 award for “Best Unconventional Project” at the International Chamber of Commerce World Chambers Federation competition. The announcement also led to a tremendous amount of positive press and an untold number of Facebook posts and tweets, none of which cost the community a penny. The company that won the contest, a team of three sisters, is still operating in downtown Durham. Each of these campaigns used owned and earned media to market their message and remained true to the district’s brand of a great place for entrepreneurs. Economic developers must also acknowledge a critical truth as they begin to consider new ways to spread their marketing message: digital media represent a great tool with which to begin and advance personal relationships, but they aren’t a substitute for them. The Smoffice sits in the front window of a downtown Durham business.
A NOTE ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS As we learned from our interviews in Durham and Raleigh it became clear that startups and entrepreneurs, especially those that were related to technology, were important to both economies. While both downtown districts have had success with tech startups, the job growth isn’t unique to them. According to a 2013 Kauffman Foundation report, births of high-tech startups in the U.S. jumped 69% from 1980 to 2011 while business creation in other private sector starts dropped nine percent. Kauffman says these new startups are also more likely to create jobs than other small businesses are and typically have a more diverse makeup of employees. To bring news and networking opportunities to startups in the Raleigh Durham metro region, serial entrepreneur Joe Procopio founded ExitEvent. He started the website as a hobby and was surprised by
Page 22