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Breakthrough Nebraska Entrepreneurship Dashboard Supports Economic Growth at the State Level

Out-of-date and inaccurate workforce data hinders key decision-making for small business entrepreneurs and early-stage startup founders, who drive job creation nationwide, and civic planners focused on economic growth.

A wide daytime view of downtown Omaha, Nebraska, seen from a landscaped urban park. In the foreground, a reflective pool borders paved walkways, terraced seating, trees, and bright orange light poles. Small groups of people are scattered throughout the park. The city skyline rises in the background, including the WoodmenLife Tower, the First National Bank Tower, and the Omaha World-Herald building, beneath a blue sky with scattered white clouds.

Written by Rob Williams and Scott Asmus

Out-of-date and inaccurate workforce data hinders key decision-making for small business entrepreneurs and early-stage startup founders, who drive job creation nationwide, and civic planners focused on economic growth. As partners, SourceLink℠, a national program based out of the UMKC Innovation Center at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and SourceLink Nebraska, a program of the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, produced an innovative entrepreneurship digital dashboard, enabling decision-makers to gain insight into entrepreneurship development in their community and more capably act. The dashboard can be adapted and used in any state or region. https://sourcelinknebraska.com/dashboard/

First of its kind in Nebraska, the dashboard gathers, visualizes and reports key entrepreneurship data, such as: number of firms with one employee, average wages for firms by size and age, even breakdowns of different types of companies (e.g. microenterprise, main street, innovation-led, and second stage), all of which is difficult or expensive to source. Founders at early-stage startup companies as well as civic planners now have access to accurate real-time intelligence about the Nebraska small business ecosystem.

“Existing entrepreneurship data is frequently inaccurate for new and young firms, even though those firms account for all job creation. Available data often lags five or more years,” says Rob Williams, Director of SourceLink. “Virtually no reliable sources exist for self-employed data, except through expensive paid databases, or proprietary and difficult-to-access sources. Given that nearly all net new job creation comes from early-stage firms, the need is critical to understand what is happening within that part of the entrepreneurial stack, so that leaders can build and improve upon the conditions that allow more startups to grow and thrive.”

SourceLink’s solution was to extract data using Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI) Census data and present it in an actionable dashboard. Instead of static reports or lagging indicators, the dashboard provides a living view of what types of businesses are in Nebraska, the breakdowns of who is employed and how much they earn in wages, and even segments by business sectors. For instance, one key insight for Nebraska is that microenterprises and Main Street businesses make up 97% of firms operating across the state, underscoring the critical role entrepreneurship plays in economic strength, community vitality, and long-term workforce growth. The data also reveals a sharp increase in employment within Nebraska businesses after age 24, highlighting an opportunity to capitalize upon existing work-based learning frameworks and entrepreneurial career pathways that better engage younger talent to help retain the next generation of Nebraska’s workforce and future business leaders.

“For Nebraska, this dashboard creates an opportunity to move beyond assumptions and better understand how collective entrepreneurial support efforts contribute to economic growth across the state. By identifying where new businesses are forming, who they employ, and how wages change over time, communities and leaders can make more informed decisions around entrepreneurship, workforce development, talent retention, and entrepreneurial career pathways,” says Scott Asmus, SourceLink Nebraska Program Director. “We are excited about the potential for this tool to help local leaders, economic developers, community partners, and statewide organizations strengthen collaboration, improve planning, and support more coordinated strategies for entrepreneurship and long-term economic growth across Nebraska.”

Expanding the model developed for Nebraska, SourceLink’s latest entrepreneurship dashboard can be adapted by other economic development institutions across the United States. SourceLink is a national leader in building entrepreneur support systems for economic development. Its online platforms and dashboards have served more than 165,000 requests for business help and facilitated nearly one million connections nationwide.

To learn more about the dashboard and how SourceLink can work with your community, contact Krista Markley, kmarkley@joinsourcelink.com.

To explore how the new dashboard can support local entrepreneurship development in Nebraska, contact Scott Asmus at SourceLink Nebraska, info@sourcelinknebraska.com.

About SourceLink

SourceLink℠, a program of the University of Missouri-Kansas City housed within the UMKC Innovation Center, helps make entrepreneurship easier by connecting business owners to the resources they need to succeed. For more than 20 years, SourceLink has supported nearly 200 organizations across the nation in building strong entrepreneurial ecosystems through consulting and technology services. Its online platforms and dashboards integrate directories, guides, and tools that have served more than 165,000 requests for business help and facilitated nearly one million connections nationwide. A recognized international leader in entrepreneurship-led economic development, SourceLink partners with organizations who wish to champion economic growth, ensuring entrepreneurs have access to opportunity and the support they need.

About SourceLink Nebraska

SourceLink Nebraska serves as a statewide resource navigation program that strengthens Nebraska’s entrepreneurial and business support ecosystem through collaboration, connectivity, and coordinated access to resources. A program of the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) within the University of Nebraska at Omaha College of Business Administration, SourceLink Nebraska helps entrepreneurs and business owners identify resources to start, grow, and sustain their businesses.

Founded through the collaborative support of Omaha Public Power District, Peter Kiewit Foundation, the University of Nebraska System, the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Nebraska Extension, the University Technology Development Corporation, and the Nebraska Business Development Center, SourceLink Nebraska was created to improve connectivity across Nebraska’s entrepreneurial landscape and expand access to business support statewide.

Through a coordinated network of trusted resource partners, SourceLink Nebraska develops customized support pathways that help entrepreneurs access guidance, expertise, and opportunities aligned to their unique goals and stage of growth. At its core, the program exists to make business support more connected, accessible, and easier to navigate for entrepreneurs, business owners, and community leaders across Nebraska.