Local Vision Needs Incubation

Ray Goforth once said, "There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed." For local communities standing at the crossroads of growth or decline, this quote cuts to the heart of the matter. Too many towns are led by those stuck in small thinking and poverty mindsets—people afraid to dream big and terrified of failure. 

Communities without vision aren't just standing still; they're actively sliding toward irrelevance with each passing day.  But here's the thing about vision: it's easy to talk about innovation, entrepreneurship, and creativity. Actually, putting those words into action and achieving results? That's the challenge. Let me offer some concrete ways local communities can turn vision into reality.

The Art of Failing Forward - True innovators understand a fundamental truth: innovation requires failure. If you're not failing, you're not pushing hard enough. The art lies in failing fast, failing cheap, and knowing when to pivot. Every great innovator in history failed more than they succeeded—but each failure taught them something invaluable for their next attempt.  Consider Ty Cobb, one of baseball's greatest hitters with a lifetime batting average of .367. He failed to get a hit 63.3% of the time, yet each strikeout taught him what to expect next. Those failures became his teachers, turning every at-bat into a learning opportunity.

Why Vision Matters More Than Ever - The Bible tells us in Proverbs that "where there is no vision, the people perish." Substitute "community" for "people," and you've captured the essence of local economic development. In my work with communities, businesses, and media companies across the country, one truth stands out: stagnation always traces back to a lack of vision. Show me a great community or business leader, and I'll show you someone with extraordinary vision. One simply cannot exist without the other.

Turning Empty Buildings into Economic Engines - So how can communities demonstrate vision while inspiring innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship? Most smaller towns share a common albatross: empty buildings. While not every vacant structure fits the bill, many of these old buildings are architectural gems just waiting for a loving occupant with fresh ideas. The numbers tell a compelling story. Incubated businesses have an 87% survival rate after five years, compared to just 44% for non-incubated businesses. That's nearly double the success rate—a difference that can transform a community's economic trajectory.

Consider what's possible: The Koffman Southern Tier Incubator in Binghamton, New York, supports 65 member companies that have collectively generated $817 million in economic impact, created 808 full-time jobs, and raised $655 million in capital since 2017. Just last year alone, these companies created 199 new jobs.  Hartford, Connecticut transformed an old Swift Gold Leaf Factory into a thriving community incubator for innovation, opportunity, and job creation. While Hartford isn't a small town, this model scales beautifully to communities of any size with even an ounce of vision. I encourage every community to create its own version of an incubator that promotes, encourages, and houses innovation, creativity, and local entrepreneurship. That's vision with action.

The Multiplier Effect - The beauty of business incubators extends beyond the startups they house. They create ripple effects throughout the local economy—from increased spending at local suppliers to new jobs that keep young talent from leaving town. When you nurture one successful business, you're really investing in the entire community's future.

Currently, there are approximately 1,400 incubators operating across the United States, serving as engines of job creation and economic revitalization. They're particularly effective in both highly specialized urban areas and diversified rural communities, where they provide crucial support networks that young businesses desperately need.

Of all the topics I've explored over the past year, vision stands out as the most critical trait a local community can nurture. Many traditional problems—declining population, shuttered storefronts, brain drain—can be traced directly back to a lack of innovation, dreams, and vision.  A community with big dreams can travel farther than its leaders ever imagined. A community with an innovative spirit can reverse decades of decline and poor decisions. A community with strong will and vision can reach heights previously thought impossible.

If you build it—the vision, that is—they will come. And they won't just come. They'll follow leaders and business owners who dare to think differently, who see possibilities where others see only problems, who transform empty buildings into incubators of opportunity.  Don't let a lack of vision be your downfall. Let it be your driving force and mission. The question isn't whether your community can afford to invest in vision and innovation. It's whether you can afford not to.

John A. Newby is the author of the "Building Main Street, Not Wall Street" column dedicated to helping local communities, government and business combine their synergies allowing them to thrive in a world where truly-local is being lost to Amazon and Wall Street chains. His email is john@truly-local.org