Well, I have been doing my homework lately. I came upon some information about how significant location is for start up companies. It seems that Silicone Valley is the first place everyone thinks of. Then come Boulder and Boston. So, I got a little excited and decided to consider moving to one of these hubs. Then I did my research. The cost of living in those areas is through the roof, and so is the traffic. And the payoff is questionable.
I tried to convince myself that being surrounded by a healthy business environment and educated individuals would certainly be worth the move. And then the light bulb went on. How does putting oneself in supreme debt exemplify intelligence? This is a question that all the great minds have asked at one time or another. [If it feels a little radical, it is. That’s when it falls into the realm of the lone pioneer forging a new path into the new world. It doesn’t help that I was just watching a film about Michael Reynolds, the earth ship pioneer and fanatic. ]
So, my proposal is that all the people who are part of an expensive entrepreneurial hub mutually decide to move to a different place. And, why not Toledo, Ohio? I moved to Toledo for personal reasons but it has a lot going for it. I bought a house for $18,000 cash. Can you do that? Imagine how much money you would save on your mortgage payment. There are beautiful parks, rivers, and scenery here. You would not believe how beautiful Ohio is. Rolling hills, farmhouses, nature preserves. And the traffic is miniscule. I just hop on 23 and I can go anywhere in Toledo within 15 minutes.
We have a great coffee shop called Panera’s which is probably the same as all of you have. We have new office spaces and hotels popping up everyday. The only thing we don’t have here is entrepreneurial minds and positive business role models. Toledo eats businesses for dinner. But, if enough people formed a hub here we could act like pesticide for bad business practices.
So, what do you think? In Toledo your bills can get SO cheap that you can get your budget balanced for the first time since starting out on your entrepreneurial adventure. You can be part of a start up hub that could be a model for other startup hubs. And you could provide me with some badly needed intelligence and motivation J
