Tim Williamson is president of Idea Village, an
independent nonprofit, which started in the last decade
with five entrepreneurs asking “how do we help
each other?”. It really moved into action after
Hurricane Katrina.
The group came up with a plan to do four things:
First, consult, offering strategic advice to help entrepreneurs
get through situations;
Second, identify resources, such as mentors and expertise;
Third, find capital, such as loans and venture capital; and
Fourth,provide therapy, helping entrepreneurs go through
the ups and downs of being in business.
Prior to Katrina, 1,000 entrepreneurs had come to the
group, and Idea Village had assessed more than 400.
Post-Katrina, Williamson said, it has been trench
warfare—there is no handbook, no guidance. If
you were able to come back as an entrepreneur, it
was the most incredible experience, and you did
what you did because you had to.
The Idea Village
decided they had to do four things: search and rescue,
triage funding, recovery, and rebuilding. They
began by searching for a database of entrepreneurs
because everyone was displaced.
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