Throughout the state there are entrepreneurs like Steiner making products or providing services on a small scale. Many view their business as just a hobby that brings in a little extra money each month. But to Curry and others, the little businesses are foundations for the economy. They provide tax money to cities and states. They offer hope and incentive for neighbors and friends who see peers doing something they thought impossible.
Success breeds success.
Curry said there are 32,000 microbusinesses registered in the state. They employ about 73,000 people. To assist those businesses, cities and counties across the state have started building incubators, or offices designed to assist and promote fledgling companies. The state has helped fund many of these. So has the Appalachian Regional Commission, which cites entrepreneurship on its Web site as one of the keys to helping the entire region.