In other words, SourceLink Nebraska is a one-stop shop for Nebraska entrepreneurs, existing business owners, and resource partners. In 2018, the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC), Nebraska Extension, and Rural Prosperity Nebraska (RPN) collaborated to bring the SourceLink® framework to Nebraska.
When visiting the SourceLink Nebraska website, you will find The Resource Navigator® (a searchable database of resource partners), and a calendar where resource partners can submit events. In addition to resource and event access, SourceLink Nebraska offers free, on-demand education opportunities through business startup guides and Enlighten, a virtual library of training videos for entrepreneurs and business owners.
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JNW Consulting
The SourceLink Nebraska website is available for entrepreneurs and business owners to search for resource information at their convenience. For more intensive assistance, a dedicated team member provides guidance with the creation of a Personal Action Plan. Through this approach, SourceLink Nebraska works with entrepreneurs and business owners to identify support needed at every stage of the business lifecycle and create a customized plan of service providers.
SourceLink Nebraska is a statewide platform where anyone can connect with nonprofit, education, and government resources for building or growing businesses.
Bryan Baumgart Burrito Envy & Tequila
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Latino Community Development Corporation
SOURCELINK NEBRASKA ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS
Jamie Weingart
Blake Martin FranNet of the Heartland Cassie Condon North Platte
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Sandoz-BaileyPriscilla B advisory board was created to provide advice and counsel regarding the vision, mission, and goals of SourceLink Nebraska. SourceLink Nebraska Advisory Board members offer perspectives from business leaders and resource partners about SourceLink Nebraska and its program operations to support entrepreneurs and business owners in Nebraska.
Juan Montoya Midlands
Area Chamber & Development Corporation
November 2021 – June 2022
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SourceLink Nebraska is supported by the generosity of Omaha Public Power District (OPPD), the Peter Kiewit Foundation, the University of Nebraska, the University Technology Development Corporation (UTDC), the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR), Nebraska Extension, and the Nebraska Business Development Center SourceLink(NBDC).Nebraska would like to express our gratitude to the first SourceLink Nebraska Advisory Board members.
David Pollock Code
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SourceLink Nebraska Impact Update
Jon Rhodes CoFound
SourceLink Nebraska establishes the core infrastructure for Nebraska’s economic development ecosystem by elevating transparency and increasing the accessibility of resources. Likewise, SourceLink Nebraska supports economic and community development in Nebraska by enhancing the coordination of services statewide. This infrastructure will help to reveal and correct regional deficits in resource availability while promoting collaboration between resource partners.
OUR STORY
Grand Island
Connections to Resources
SourceLink Nebraska highlights entrepreneurial and business-themed podcasts and webinars that share the latest information about building businesses in Nebraska.
Access Training & Networking Events
Training & Networking Events
SourceLink Nebraska works with Nebraska resource partners to include events and training that support entrepreneurship and business development in Nebraska. Information about hundreds of events is available upon demand. Resource partners can submit to the SourceLink Nebraska events calendar as well.
The Resource Navigator®
Personal Action Plan
ECOSYSTEM SUPPORT Nebraska Entrepreneurship and Business Development Reports
Enlighten is a virtual library of training videos for entrepreneurs and small businesses across Nebraska. The Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) has partnered with local agencies and subject matter experts to develop training on a variety of topics and disciplines. From legal considerations to cybersecurity, these courses address today’s critical business topics, including employee development, protecting intellectual property, and investor relationships. This training content is available on-demand to allow entrepreneurs and business owners the flexibility for accessing information at a time that is convenient. Guides Business guides are available to help entrepreneurs and business owners learn about basic steps in various stages of the business cycle: startup, growth, and capital. These guides are intended to inform and lead to connections with experts in the respective areas of assistance.
SourceLink Nebraska shares annual reports and research distributed by Nebraska resource partner organizations. These reports allow entrepreneurs, business owners, and resource partners to learn about economic and business development activity in Nebraska.
Nebraska Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Building Efforts
SOURCELINK NEBRASKA SERVICES
Enlighten Training Videos
The Resource Navigator® is a dynamic and interactive platform that provides entrepreneurs and business owners connections to the organizations they need to start and grow their business. SourceLink Nebraska identified more than 500 individual organizations, consisting of 933 resources, that support Nebraska entrepreneurs and business owners. Most of the resources included on the platform are nonprofit, government, and education entities. Entrepreneurs and business owners can connect with these organizations through organization profile pages.
Podcasts & Webinars
Our SourceLink Nebraska team provides one-on-one support for entrepreneurs and business owners seeking resources to start or grow their business. Those who would like custom guidance are able to complete a Personal Action Plan Request Form at sourcelinknebraska.com.
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NEBRASKA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
SourceLink Nebraska features entrepreneurship and economic development initiatives such as NETForce, Energizing Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (E3), and Entrepreneurs Education Collaborative (EEC) that support access to entrepreneurial efforts in Nebraska.
SOURCELINK NEBRASKA IMPACT UPDATE | 3 November 2021 – June 2022 The information provided below illustrates SourceLink Nebraska’s program performance from its launch in November 2021 through June 2022. Three key areas are evaluated to measure SourceLink Nebraska’s impact on the economic development ecosystem: network access, network strength, and network reach. In sum, these metrics highlight how effective SourceLink Nebraska is at connecting entrepreneurs and business owners with the right resource at the right time. NETWORKPERFORMANCEACCESS A focus of SourceLink Nebraska is to increase accessibility of Nebraska’s network of resources that support entrepreneurs and business owners. SourceLink Nebraska achieves this indirectly through a website and directly with no cost one-on-one assistance from a SourceLink Nebraska Network SourceLinkNavigator.Nebraska is reducing the “who you know” barrier when building a business by creating warm connections to resource partners. This image shows visits to the website between November 2021 and June 2022.
SOURCELINK NEBRASKA IMPACT UPDATE | 4 Personal Action Plan Assistance Since the program launched in November 2021, 76 startups and existing business owners came to SourceLink Nebraska for direct assistance in a range of areas, resulting in 476 interactions between Network Navigators and clients. Based on these requests for assistance, Network Navigators made 255 direct referrals to resource partners, organizations in the network that provide business-building services. The Requests for Direct Assistance chart shows the top five requests for direct assistance from our SourceLink Nebraska Network Navigator. The numbers include requests from entrepreneurs and business owners, as well as recommended resources from SourceLink Nebraska Network Navigator assessments. Online searches for assistance using The Resource Navigator®: Entrepreneurs and business owners need access to resources 24/7, so The Resource Navigator® was developed to provide a systematic way to identify and organize community resources into an easy-to-use online database. Each web user enters minimal demographic information, and a powerful search tool scans the database and delivers a customized list of resources. Since the launch in November 2021, entrepreneurs completed 2,132 Resource Navigator® searches resulting in more than 103,361 online referrals*. RESOURCE SEARCH RESULTS SERVICE COUNT Office, Incubator, Accelerator, Laboratory, Kitchen, and Meeting Space 545 Business Planning 114 Financial Resources and Assistance 63 Starting a Business 33 Marketing/Sales 27 Economic and Site Development 27 Legal Services 26 Buying and Selling a Business 15 Tax Services 15 Mentoring 13 BusinessAssistancePlanning AssistanceStartup Loans Legal Issues Marketing/Sales *number of times resource partners appeared in Resource Navigator® search results.
An entrepreneur selling animal products through e-commerce sites reached out to SourceLink Nebraska for general startup assistance. SourceLink Nebraska helped to connect this business owner with business planning assistance, organizations that specialize in marketing, mentoring from a center specializing in serving women entrepreneurs, and legal experts.
Brandi O’Malley is SourceLink Nebraska’s Network Navigator. Brandi workforcenetworking,resourceconsulting,bringsprosper.launch,thatnetworkbusinessentrepreneursconnectsandownerstoaofresourcescanhelpthemgrow,andBrandiexperienceintraining,partneranddevelopment
to the SourceLink Nebraska team. Brandi provides top-level service to Nebraska entrepreneurs and business owners by building customized Personal Action Plans.
Two software engineers are experiencing rapid growth of their new company. After hearing a radio interview with Scott Asmus, they requested assistance. Their company needed support to scale their operation, so SourceLink Nebraska provided connections to venture fund organizations, resources that support technology development, market research, business planning, and several local networking groups.
E-Commerce for a Retail Pet Business
SourceLink Nebraska was contacted by a long-time healthcare professional after hearing an interview on a radio program with Scott Asmus. She is transitioning from working in healthcare to opening her own child care center, with a focus on the medical community requiring overnight care. She requested assistance with her company website. SourceLink connected this aspiring entrepreneur with resources for digital marketing, loans, and an organization that supports women entrepreneurs.
Rapid Growth & Scaling a Technology Business in Nebraska
SourceLink Nebraska is reducing barriers for Spanishspeaking entrepreneurs by providing all one-on-one services in Spanish. A construction worker approached SourceLink Nebraska after learning about the platform at a job fair he attended. After decades working in construction, he recently immigrated to the United States. The English language and lack of opportunities have been a barrier for him but he was inspired to create a company like his past Heemployers.constructionneededguidance to start his own construction business, but a lack of accessibility to Spanish-language resources slowed his progress. Alan Martinez connected him with various organizations specializing in serving Spanish-speakers.
Connecting Clients to Resources
The following examples feature entrepreneurs and business owners who have requested assistance from SourceLink Nebraska. Bringing the Big Apple to Nebraska A New York-based technology company is looking to expand into the Nebraska market. The business owner found SourceLink Nebraska by conducting a Google search. They requested assistance with funding and access to the market and SourceLink Nebraska created a customized plan that connected them with eight resource partners who could assist with loans, digital marketing, market research, and engaging with economic development organizations. Building a Business to Support the Medical Community
Reducing Language Barriers
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SOURCELINK NEBRASKA IMPACT UPDATE | 6 Anyone can provide a referral, but SourceLink Nebraska links entrepreneurs and business owners to the right resource at the right time. SourceLink Nebraska’s advantage is a deep understanding of the 517 Resource Navigator Profiles (933 mapped), which are part of the business market they serve, and how they are doing it. The SourceLink Nebraska Training & Events Calendar included 303 events posted between November 2021 and June 2022, with and additional 176 upcoming events for July to December 2022 at the time of this writing in June 2022.
NETWORK REACH SourceLink Nebraska creates engagement among entrepreneurs, business owners, and resource partner organizations. To have a strong economic development ecosystem, engagement must be a top priority. SourceLink Nebraska leverages social media, community engagement activities, and project collaborations to make building a business a more streamlined experience for Nebraska entrepreneurs and business owners. are key performance metrics for network reach from November 2021 and June 2022. Social Media Performance
During the first months of operation, social media channels continued to grow. Social media not only builds awareness of services and resource partners, but it allows SourceLink Nebraska to reach entrepreneurs where they are and where they have questions. NEBRASKA SOCIAL MEDIA 7,436 impressions | 5,551 page 4,025 reach LinkedIn 492 followers | 421 page views
visits Facebook
Engaging with the Community
Nebraska Media Appearances
The Nebraska Business Development Center’s Omaha Small Business Development Center was awarded a grant to support building businesses in the communities of North and South Omaha.
CHANNELS Twitter
NETWORK
SourceLink Nebraska worked with News Channel Nebraska to produce a series of three commercials that ran in November, March, and June in more than 500,000 households across Nebraska. These commercials were also produced in the Spanish language and appeared on Telemundo. In addition, Scott Asmus was featured on KIOS Radio’s Live and Local program, The Good Life Small Business Podcast, and the Heartland Franchise Guy Podcast. First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO) Grant
SourceLink Nebraska offers a range of opportunities to connect with entrepreneurs, business owners and resource partners. Outlined next are engagement activities that occurred between November 2021 and June 2022.
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The purpose of this grant is to help strengthen local economies through entrepreneurial development and job creation by supporting training, technical assistance, education, and microfinance. SourceLink Nebraska will be the resource connecting tool to support this effort. STRENGTH
SOURCELINK
Avenue Scholars Business Bootcamp
The RISE Business Academy is a 12-week program focused on developing a prosperous business in the community for those having lived experience with in the criminal justice system. Through support and community services, the RISE Business Academy aims to create and promote self-sufficiency, independence, and economic growth through entrepreneurship.
NETForce Executive Board Scott Asmus was selected to serve on the NETForce Executive Team. NETForce is an actively engaged group of collaborating partners focused on building Nebraska’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by promoting education and career opportunities available to youth and adult entrepreneurs across Nebraska.
CEC Conference 2022 In April, Brandi O’Malley and Alan Martinez attended the Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities Conference (CEC) in Columbus. The CEC Conference is an opportunity to educate community members on the various tools and resources available to assist them in helping entrepreneurs grow and prosper in their communities. Local, regional, and national presenters shared how they found success in building their entrepreneurial ecosystems.
2022 Nebraska Economic Developers Association (NEDA) Conference In May, Scott Asmus attended the 2022 NEDA Conference. For three days, economic development professionals from across the state came together in Valentine, Nebraska, to take advantage of leading educational programming, ideas, and networking opportunities applicable to their everyday work lives. Asmus facilitated a breakout session highlighting the SourceLink Nebraska program.
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The EEC hosts monthly in-person and virtual events to support entrepreneurs in learning about important aspects of starting a business. SourceLink Nebraska is a proud partner in this effort.
Entrepreneurs Education Collaborative (EEC)
The RISE Business Academy Advisory Council is a growing community of ambassadors supporting the program in specific ways. Scott Asmus was invited to be a council member.
RISE Business Academy Advisory Council
2022 MarkeTech Conference Scott Asmus and Alan Martinez facilitated a SourceLink Nebraska breakout session for the 2022 MarkeTech Conference in Kearney. MarkeTech is presented by the GROW Nebraska Foundation and is the premier marketing and technology conference in Nebraska. MarkeTech draws attendees from surrounding states. Participants include business owners, marketing directors, entrepreneurs, resource providers, and media.
Avenue Scholars provides comprehensive, individualized support services to help Omaha-area students identify, prepare for, and ultimately enter financially sustaining, high-demand careers requiring an associate degree or less.
SourceLink Nebraska Network Navigator Brandi O’Malley hosted a learning session for Avenue Scholars Business Bootcamp participants. The students learned about connecting to entrepreneurial resources in Nebraska.
EEC is a cooperative alliance of the Better Business Bureau, Catholic Charities of Omaha, Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce’s Reach Initiative, Nebraska Enterprise Fund, Nebraska Business Development Center, U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE Mentors of Omaha, Omaha Public Power District, and Business Ethics Alliance.
Personal Action Plan Embedded on Partner Websites SourceLink Nebraska is working with resource partners to add the Personal Action Plan Request Form to their websites with a goal of creating an integrated system that will help entrepreneurs and business owners connect with support across Nebraska. This approach allows for entrepreneurs and business owners to receive support inside and outside their communities.
Food Processor Mapping Project – Rural Prosperity Nebraska SourceLink Nebraska partnered with Rural Prosperity Nebraska to map Nebraska food processors. This project assists Nebraska’s economic development ecosystem by strategically supporting food system resources and business development across the state. Alan Martinez is the project leader for this effort.
One of the most important things SourceLink Nebraska does is to bring together the entrepreneurial ecosystem. When the program began, SourceLink Nebraska linked together entrepreneurial support organizations and then connected them to entrepreneurs and business owners.
Energizing Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (E3) Project The Nebraska Community Foundation, NetWork Kansas, and Valley County Economic Development are collaborating on the Energizing Entrepreneurial Ecosystems project. E3 established a core cohort of six communities/counties that will go through a threeyear peer learning experience to build locally driven, community-centric entrepreneurial ecosystems. The core cohort members include Valley County, Holt County Economic Development, Sidney, Red Cloud, McCook, and Keith County. SourceLink Nebraska is serving as a support to help entrepreneurs connect with resources.
CREATING COLLABORATIONS For more information email info@sourcelinknebraska.com or visit the website sourcelinknebraska.com info@sourcelinknebraska.com sourcelinknebraska sourcelinknebraska SourceLinkNE SourceLink Nebraska Scansourcelinknebraskawithyourphonecamera
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