The New Economy, This Week in Denver

Okay, the cat's out of the bag. We admit that one of the primary reasons we formed the Mile High Business Alliance is to help us address this big question: 

How do we effectively provide for our needs without destroying people or the planet in the process?

We chose to work with locally owned businesses because they are the foundation of our community. Local entrepreneurs are in the business of providing the goods and services we need. And, they are connected to our community and more likely to be accountable for HOW they do business. Because, you see, we believe that business is about more than making money. It's about providing for our needs - both physically and, our need for a sense of place, of belonging, of community.

The world is changing. Our access to information alone has created a world that's completely different than it was fifty years ago. However, we still have needs - for healthy food, safe housing, fulfilling work, and the tools and skills that help us in our daily lives. Now's our chance to innovate new solutions to address changing circumstances.

"The Economy" has become synonymous with "Bad News." But the only solutions that have been presented to us are to throw taxpayer's money after huge corporations and private banks. How is paying for our money twice a real solution? How can that do anything except dig us deeper into this hole?

Although we don't have federal bailouts or deep pockets or public funding or policies that favor our kind of business, we do have the resources and capacities we need to address this one big question. These include real people with real relationships, local capacities and resources, and the ability to create local public policy that supports our values.  

This is why we exist. To help identify those resources and to build stronger connections. Because we believe that if local business is successful, our communities will be more stable and healthy. 

In the face of changing circumstances, it may seem like your best option is to remove excess spending or distractions and focus on what you've done in the past to make your business succeed. But we're suggesting something different. Now is the time to open up more to the connections and resources that are available in our community.

This is the week for local business in Denver. This is the week where our community is coming together to address our need for a stable economy, and how we're going to get from here to there. We ask you to join us - not simply because the face of business is changing, but because you are in business. What happens to our local businesses impacts all of us, and we are working to connect you with the resources you need to thrive.

The rest of this newsletter outlines this week's important events. It's not too late to participate. We hope you join us, as we work together to build an economy that is more local, more stable, and more connected. 

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