By Tina Metzer, Co-Founder, RuralRISE
Entrepreneurship in rural America is not just an economic tool—it’s a lifeline, an equalizer, and a catalyst for personal and community transformation.
For some, entrepreneurship offers a second act: older adults using their lifetime of experience to start a new business, consult remotely, or turn a hobby into a source of income. For others, it’s a first step: young people, fresh out of school or still in high school, launching side hustles, creative ventures, and tech solutions.
We’ve met farmers who have diversified into agritourism or value-added production, stay-at-home parents making extra income through online shops or services, retired professionals sharing their skills through virtual coaching, and recent grads launching apps or businesses from their hometowns rather than relocating to an urban center.
What they all have in common is a desire to stay rooted and to build something meaningful.
Entrepreneurship provides that opportunity. It allows people of any age to create their own path, define their own success, and invest their energy back into their communities.
Every successful entrepreneurial story we see in rural America hinges on one critical factor: connectivity.
We’ve heard it for years, but it bears repeating: broadband is no longer a luxury—it is essential. Without it, you can’t participate in today’s economy. You can’t access remote work, market your business online, take virtual classes, or manage digital tools. Without it, rural entrepreneurs are at a structural disadvantage from the start.
From the mom creating extra income through an online shop, rural influencers, to the artist selling digital downloads, to the rancher running a precision ag operation, or the teen launching a social media consulting gig—reliable internet access is what makes these ventures possible.
Connectivity enables entrepreneurs to reach global markets while staying in local communities. It closes distance gaps, reduces isolation, and creates real choice for people who want to live where their roots are.
Entrepreneurship + Connectivity = Opportunity
When we combine entrepreneurship with connectivity, we unlock powerful economic opportunity—especially in rural communities.
To realize that potential, our communities need more than a simple landline connection. They need access to high-speed internet options like fiber that give aspiring entrepreneurs the level of connectivity they need to take their pursuits to the next level.
With $42.5 billion in Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment funding in front of us, our policymakers have an opportunity through public-private partnerships to expand that connectivity by prioritizing fiber deployments that will connect our rural communities with the best technology possible. Technology that meets the speed, latency, and reliability needs of communities today, and well into the future.Think about what this means at the community level:
- A young adult can stay in their rural town and still earn a living by freelancing online – maybe they tell the story of their rural life on a farm.
- Someone with experience can share that knowledge online and teach without traveling.
- A family can grow a home-based business that contributes to the local economy.
- A community can retain its talent instead of losing it to urban migration.
And when those businesses succeed, they don’t just help the owner—they create jobs, drive local spending, strengthen civic engagement, and often become mentors and champions for the next generation of entrepreneurs.
This is the kind of economic development that is sustainable, place-based, and resilient.
The Power of Rural Entrepreneurship
A few weeks ago, I had the chance to attend the International Economic Development Council’s Rural Retreat under the big skies of Montana—I came back both energized and deeply affirmed.
As always in our travels, the experience reminded me of something I’ve long believed: rural communities are not waiting to be saved—we are leading the way forward.
As always the conversations in our travels across rural America reaffirmed a truth I’ve seen play out time and again in rural places across the country: real growth doesn’t happen in isolation. No matter the sector—agriculture, tourism, tech, or manufacturing—progress comes from people working together. It comes from networks, partnerships, trust, and vision. It comes from ecosystems. And at the heart of these ecosystems? Entrepreneurs.
RuralRISE: Elevating Voices and Building Ecosystems
At RuralRISE, we are deeply committed to lifting up rural innovation and building the ecosystems that support entrepreneurs at every stage. That means expanding broadband access, convening partners, supporting shared learning, and amplifying the stories of those who are doing the work.
Because at the end of the day, you can’t build an entrepreneurial ecosystem without internet access.
And you can’t talk about economic development without including the lived experiences of those making it happen—on the ground, in real time, in rural communities across the country.
From the barn to the broadband line, from handmade to high-tech, rural entrepreneurship is not just alive—it’s rising.
Let’s invest in it, connect it, and grow it together.
