We publish The Main Street Journal, a hub for local investing news and events, to expand the audience, reach, and power of the emerging local investment movement in the United States. Shifting even a small fraction of the tens of trillions Americans have invested in Wall Street to local businesses, projects, and people on Main
Six Guidelines for Business-Investor Conversations By Jenny Kassan and Michael Shuman What kinds of conversations can a business owner have with potential investors without breaking the law? Over the past year many local investment advocates and practitioners have sought our advice in answering these questions, and this blog attempts to provide some answers. The law
Every Community Needs a Neighborhood Exchange Three years ago, the Maryland Neighborhood Exchange was just a dream. We envisioned creating a website listing great local investment opportunities in Baltimore and mobilizing residents to invest in them. Here’s what’s happened since: The Exchange has helped 44 Baltimore businesses successfully raise $3.3 million from nearly 6,000 investors.
If you’ve read my blogs over the past year, you understand why local investment is an essential tool for revitalizing your community. It also can improve your own bottom line, as well as your family’s and friends’ bottom lines. Now I want to show you how you can become an expert local investor. Here are
Every community in America is struggling to recover from a year of COVID-19 shutdowns and could benefit from a surge in local investing. Yet only a handful of communities are prepared to embrace this strategy. An inspiring example is Market Center in Baltimore. I’m now working with the Market Center Merchants Association to embark on
Last week, I offered 18 of 27 New Year’s Resolutions on how you can create a vibrant local investment ecosystem. You and your neighbors can use your savings to boost your community’s economy and speed its recovery from COVID-19. I suggested ways to get your local businesses “investment ready,” to create more investment options for
“As so many Americans feel powerless to confront a financial system designed to serve the few, Shuman offers us real choices: tools that align our lives with our values. That’s power. I love this highly readable, timely, surprising book.”
–Frances Moore Lappé, author of Daring Democracy and Diet for a Small Planet
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October 4 – November 1: Local Investing in Montana Workshop Series, hosted by the Center for Community Ownership.
