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Breaking Down Barriers

Breaking Down Barriers

Hosted by Economic Impact Catalyst

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Episodes

101

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

EN

About the show

This podcast explores the opportunity to build wealth in local, regional, and national economies through entrepreneurship-led economic development. Episodes feature changemakers with innovative approaches to empowering people to start businesses that create wealth for their families and improve outcomes for their communities. Conversations highlight work being done in communities across the US to break down barriers to entrepreneurial opportunity in underserved and underrepresented communities. In this series, we share authentic stories about the impact that entrepreneurship-led economic development has on the local economy and connect a global network of passionate economic developers. Find out more at economicimpactcatalyst.com/impact

Listen to episodes

60 recent
June 16, 202628 min

Building a Technical Assistance Program That Works (and Proves It)

In this episode, EIC CEO David Ponraj, VP of Clients Molly King, and Associate Product Owner David Oliver break down what it actually takes to build a technical assistance (TA) program that serves entrepreneurs well and produces the data story your funders need to see. From intake form design to impact tracking, this is a practical, field-tested guide for economic development organizations, SBDCs, and small business program managers.What You'll Learn:Designing your program structure — How to clarify whether you're delivering one-on-one coaching, cohort-based TA, or a hybrid model, and why getting this right from the start prevents burnout for coaches and abandonment by business ownersMinimum viable intake — Why collecting the right data at intake is critical (and why it's nearly impossible to get after the fact), plus how to reduce friction with two- or three-question interest forms and range-based demographic fieldsThe no-wrong-door approach — How to build a referral network so that every business owner who comes to you gets connected to the right resource, even if they don't qualify for your programSetting advisor expectations — How to structure coach/provider relationships, ensure clarity on hours, payment, and case logging, and build in bi-monthly feedback loops that keep advisors engaged and sharing best practicesGetting out into the community — Why a website and newsletter aren't enough, and how to activate minority chambers, Main Street organizations, CDFIs, and community partners to reach underrepresented entrepreneursTracking what matters — Key metrics including capital accessed, jobs created or retained, revenue growth, business survival rates, session volume by advisor, and time-to-first-contactHandling mismatches — Practical strategies for identifying and resolving mentor/mentee misalignment before it becomes a problem, including CSAT surveys and monthly feedback forms for both partiesHow Catalyzer automates all of this — A live walkthrough of how milestone properties, intake forms, and session logging work together so advisors never have to leave a session to update economic impact dataKey Quote: "What gets measured, gets managed—and gets told as a story." — Molly KingTry Catalyzer: 👉 catalyzerapp.com/start — set up a free account and see how it works for your community.

June 9, 202638 min

Fill the Gap, Not the Seats: Building High-Impact Cohort Programs with Karen Collins of LAUNCH Chattanooga

What separates a truly impactful cohort program from one that's just filling seats? In this episode, hosts Taylor Sherbine and David Oliver sit down with Karen Collins, Director of Programs at LAUNCH Chattanooga, to explore what it actually takes to build, run, and sustain cohort-based entrepreneurship programs that meet real community needs.Karen brings a rare perspective: she's sat on both sides of the table as a funder, a grant writer, a participant, and now a program director. She shares candidly about Launch Chattanooga's evolution, including their bold pivot to launch the Kitchen Incubator of Chattanooga—the only freestanding kitchen incubator in Southeast Tennessee—and the board pushback they had to overcome to make it happen.In this episode, you'll hear:How to design a cohort that actually fits your community: why community discovery and stakeholder mapping must come before program designBuilding an application process with purpose: how to align intake questions with funder requirements and participant fit, without closing the door on anyone's entrepreneurial dreamThe "whole entrepreneur" approach: why what happens in someone's personal life affects their business, and how to build wrap-around referral systems into your program designData strategy from day one: why waiting until after the cohort to think about outcomes is already too late, and how Launch Chattanooga is rebuilding their data infrastructure with CatalyzerDrop-out recovery and waitlist engagement: the relationship-first protocols that keep doors open and bring participants backFunding alignment and when to walk away: all money is not good money; how to stay mission-focused even when grant funding doesn't fit your populationAI in cohort curriculum: an honest take on where AI tools help, and where they fall short in serving community-specific needsFeatured Guest: Karen Collins, Director of Programs, LAUNCH ChattanoogaKaren is a former executive director, federal grant writer, and city government leader who went through LAUNCH Chattanooga as an entrepreneur herself before joining the team. She brings deep expertise in data-driven service delivery, community advocacy, and cohort-based program design.Resources Mentioned:LAUNCH ChattanoogaKitchen Incubator of ChattanoogaCatalyzer (EIC's platform for tracking client outcomes and business coaching)StartSpark (national network co-founded by Hal Bowling)

June 2, 202633 min

Talent Is Everywhere, But Opportunity Isn't: LeSean Shaw on Closing the AI Gap for Underserved Communities

In this episode of Breaking Down Barriers, host David sits down with LeSean Shaw, co-founder of Empowered AI and Actual Reality Technologies, and a Toledo, Ohio native on a mission to make artificial intelligence accessible, equitable, and community-centered.LeSean shares the powerful "bean in a bowl of rice" lesson passed down from his great-grandmother—a metaphor that shaped his drive to create safe spaces for underserved communities in tech. A self-made entrepreneur, LeSean brings a grounded, honest perspective on what it actually takes to build something meaningful from the ground up.In this conversation, LeSean and David explore:Why LeSean left a corporate path to build AI education nonprofits in his hometownHow AI can unlock a "creative renaissance" for communities that have long had the talent but not the opportunityThe difference between AI fluency and AI transformation, and why meeting people where they are matters more than buzzwordsThe brain drain problem facing Midwest "flyover cities" like Toledo, and how to stop losing homegrown talent to coastal citiesHow LeSean pulled off the largest AI conference in the Midwest—Great Lakes AI Week—with 2,300+ attendees, 150+ speakers, and guests from Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Wendy's, and the White HouseThe role of MADD Poets Society, a literary arts nonprofit, in building confidence and oratory skills in the communityHis message to the next generation: "Those who stay ready don't have to get ready."Connect with LeSean Shaw & his work:Empowered AIActual Reality TechnologiesGreat Lakes AI Week

May 26, 202638 min

From Napkin Idea to $68 Million: How Velocity Built a High-Tech Incubator That Actually Works

What does it actually take to run a high-tech incubator in a public-private partnership — and make it work at scale? In this episode, Molly King is joined by Taylor Sherbine from the EIC team, plus Paula Macpherson, Executive Director of Velocity in Sterling Heights, Michigan, and Meghan Hubbs, Velocity's Small Business Program Manager, for a candid conversation about what it looks like to build, fund, and grow a thriving innovation ecosystem.Velocity is one of 21 Michigan Economic Development Corporation-designated Smart Zones and one of three international landing zones in the state. In just a few years, they've gone from half a building being dark to 100% occupancy with a 12-business waiting list, and grown their investment attraction numbers from $19.2 million to $68 million in a single year. Paula and Meghan share exactly how they got there.In this episode, you'll hear:How Velocity serves businesses from "idea on a napkin" all the way through their high-tech, medtech, and small business accelerator tracksWhy they built one unified intake instead of multiple forms and how that decision transformed their data qualityWhat it means to collect data for your organization, not just for your funders and why that distinction changes everythingHow signature programs like Donuts in Defense, Founders First Friday, CEO Roundtables, and Coffee and Conversation were born out of real community gapsThe challenge of tracking investments and follow-on funding when entrepreneurs are too busy (or too private) to self-reportWhat happened when they stopped trying to be everything for everyone and what that focus unlockedPractical tips for attracting businesses in defense, aerospace, hard tech, and manufacturing sectorsPaula's lesson on scaling is one you'll want to write down: "We can't be everything for everyone. Get really good at what you do well [and] find partners for the rest. The growth follows."Whether you're an economic developer, incubator manager, SBDC director, or community builder, this episode is packed with real-world insight from practitioners who've done the work.Connect with Velocity: https://www.mivelocity.com/Connect with EIC: https://www.economicimpactcatalyst.com/

May 19, 202645 min

Building From the Ground Up: Entrepreneurship-Led Economic Development with Tarsha Hearns

In honor of National Small Business Week and Economic Development Week 2026, David Ponraj sits down with Tarsha Hearns of Economic Growth Strategies for a candid, practical conversation about what it really means to put entrepreneurs at the center of economic development strategy.Tarsha brings over two decades of ecosystem-building experience in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and beyond, and she doesn't hold back from calling out copy-paste program design to naming the trust problem that quietly fractures ecosystems from the inside.In this episode, we cover:What entrepreneurship-led economic development actually means and how it differs from the traditional playbook of chasing big corporate relocations, including a look at programs and resources dedicated to entrepreneurship-led ED that Tarsha has tapped intoThe Dallas Collaborative for Capital Access and how a JP Morgan Chase-funded initiative brought together CDFIs, city officials, and ESOs to tackle a capital desert in South Dallas without launching yet another loan fundWhy speed of capital matters more than amount or cost and how EIC's Catalyzer platform is implementing automated underwriting to help CDFIs say yes fasterThe "copy-paste" trap and why importing a program that worked in another city without assessing your own ecosystem is a recipe for duplication, not impactThe trust problem nobody talks about—how broken referral loops, siloed data, and lack of follow-through erode confidence across the ecosystem, and what to do about itData collection done right—practical tips for capturing client outcomes at every touchpoint, including how to build incentives into your grant structureRapid-fire advice—what communities should start doing (quarterly convenings), stop doing (operating in silos), and the free C-Cube Toolkit to help get those ecosystem conversations startedResources mentioned:Economic Growth Strategies Ecosystem Assessment — start here to identify gaps in your ecosystem's infrastructure, data strategy, and capital access programsIEDC — the leading professional organization for economic developers, with programs and resources dedicated to entrepreneurship-led economic developmentC-Cube Toolkit — a free resource for starting ecosystem coordination conversationsCalifornia SCALE Network — statewide referral network model connecting SBDCs, CDFIs, chambers, and more

May 12, 202633 min

More Than Metrics: The Human Side of Small Town Economic Development

In this episode of Breaking Down Barriers, host David Ponraj sits down with Erik Reader of Reader Area Development to celebrate National Small Business Week, Economic Development Week, and the 100th anniversary of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC).Erik brings 15+ years of on-the-ground experience in community and economic development— from running a chamber/tourism hybrid organization and leading the Illinois Main Street statewide network, to working with CDFIs and SBA CDCs. He joins David to talk candidly about the state of small towns across America, what it really takes to bring a Main Street back to life, and why the human side of entrepreneurship matters more than any metric.In this episode, you'll hear:Why remote work and post-COVID migration are reshaping small towns and creating new opportunities for communities under 50,000Whether brick-and-mortar businesses on Main Street can still thrive (spoiler: never say never)Erik's AREA framework—Assistance, Retention, Expansion, and Attraction—and why attraction should always come lastDavid's addition to the model: Succession and why protecting existing businesses is more valuable than funding new onesWhat Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) is and why it may be the safest path into business ownershipReal-world examples from Havana, Illinois and Geneva, Illinois on what deep community engagement can unlockWhy the best downtowns lean into their quirks instead of copying what worked somewhere elseThe art of community storytelling—from placards and visitor guides to AR/VR preservation (like Dunedin's Kellogg Mansion)Connect with Erik Reader:LinkedIn: Erik ReaderWeb: readerareadevelopment.com

May 5, 202631 min

The $200 Billion Blind Spot: Why Community Lenders Keep Failing Small Business Owners

What if the real problem with small business lending isn't the banks, but that nobody's actually built the system around the business owner?In this conversation, David sits down with Charles Kollo, Head of Innovation at BBIF, a Florida-based CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution), for a candid conversation about why the $200 billion community lending ecosystem is ripe for disruption, why CDFIs have been slow to modernize, and what it will actually take to put capital access back in the hands of business owners.Charles brings a rare global lens to the conversation: he's built a digital bank in Sub-Saharan Africa, worked with major banking groups across Côte d'Ivoire, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and beyond, and now applies those lessons to the U.S. CDFI space.In this episode:Why CDFIs were created (and why they've been slow to innovate)The outdated 1970s credit scoring system that's still running the showWhy high interest rates from alternative lenders are essentially a "laziness fee" (and what accurate risk prediction could change)The real victim in the lending ecosystem: the small business ownerWhat mobile money in Africa can teach us about capital deployment in the U.S.The three ingredients needed to actually solve this problem: clarity of thought, tools, and distributionWhy EIC may be positioned to bridge the gapLinks & Resources:Rethinking Capital Access for Small Businesses with Charles KolloLearn more about CDFIs: cdfi.orgLearn more about BBIF: bbif.com

April 28, 202655 min

From First Pitch to $100K: How STartUP Northshore Built the Gulf South's Biggest Community Competition

What does it actually take to build a pitch competition that changes lives and keeps founders in their hometown? In this episode, Molly King, VP of Clients at Economic Impact Catalyst, sits down with Cenzo Caronna and Shivang Thakor of STartUP Northshore to pull back the curtain on the Inspire Startup Slam, one of the Gulf South's largest pitch competitions, running out of a 100-year-old theater in Hammond, Louisiana.Cenzo and Shiv share how they've built a $100K prize ecosystem (combining $50K in non-dilutive grant cash with in-kind services) serving a three-parish rural region north of New Orleans, and why the event they designed for "the person who got dragged there" has become the cornerstone of their startup ecosystem.In this episode:How STartUP Northshore came together across St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington Parishes, and why trust-building in rural communities requires a boots-on-the-ground, not broadcast, approachThe full founder journey: from the ID Institute 12-week accelerator → Launchpad ($5K competition) → Inspire Startup Slam ($50K)Why they scrapped winner-take-all after year one and what they changedThe six judging criteria, including one most competitions miss: commitment to and potential impact for the North ShoreHow they built a $100K prize pool starting with their own money, a Chevron partnership, and a cold call from Capital OneThe pro tip that saved them $28,000 (hint: book a theater, not a conference room)Why in-kind services like accountants, marketing firms, and coworking space may matter more than the cash prizeLeading vs. lagging indicators: why business formation is a "vanity metric" and what STartUP Northshore actually tracksPractical advice for other program managers: expect the unexpected, do non-scalable things, and text your foundersThis year's winner didn't make the finals the previous year. He kept building with STartUP Northshore's support and came back to win the whole thing.Guests:Cenzo Caronna, Executive Director, STartUP NorthshoreShivang Thakor, Program Manager, STartUP NorthshoreHost: Molly King, VP of Clients, Economic Impact Catalyst

April 15, 202640 min

The Future-Ready SBDC: AI, Advocacy, and the Mississippi Model

In our season seven opener, host David Ponraj, CEO of Economic Impact Catalyst, sits down with Sharon Nichols (State Director) and Derek Stephens (Assistant State Director) of the Mississippi SBDC Network to explore how one of the country's most forward-thinking SBDC networks is embracing AI and technology to deepen their impact on small business owners. The conversation covers the evolution of their tech infrastructure, the irreplaceable role of the human business counselor in an AI-driven world, their journey with EIC's Catalyzer platform, and a vision for what the SBDC of the future looks like. Sharon and Derek also share powerful client success stories, including a Pearl River County manufacturer approaching $1M in export sales and Mississippi's SBA Small Business Person of the Year, that illustrate why this work matters. The episode closes with a forward look at 2026, including the Mississippi SBDC Network's accelerator launch, statewide pitch competition, and the expanding network of community-embedded entrepreneurial support.Guests:Sharon Nichols — State Director, Mississippi SBDC NetworkDerek Stephens — Assistant State Director, Mississippi SBDC Network; oversees program communications, strategic partnerships, tech strategy, and special projectsHost: David Ponraj, Founder & CEO, Economic Impact Catalyst (EIC)Rise Center at Ole Miss: https://www.mississippisbdc.org/rise

August 26, 202557 min

Software that Enables Community Engagement with Miami-Dade County's Strive305 Hub

I this episode, we're bringing you recent panel discussion on how Miami-Dade County is building a more inclusive '305 economy.' Our guests, Anthony Bonamy and Manny Cid share practical strategies for connecting entrepreneurs to the right resources, eliminating blind spots in support systems, and creating responsive programs through initiatives like Strive305Hub that truly serve local businesses and founders across the county.Watch the full discussion here

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