5 Ways to Make It Big in a Small Town

To connect into your local smaller entrepreneurial ecosystem:

1. Find local angels and venture lawyers.

Get to know the venture lawyers in your state, because they know all the key players in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Somewhere in your state, probably in your university towns, there is an active angel investing group working with early stage entrepreneurs. Meet them as well, but don't get excited yet, as they aren't going to fund you, unless they are tech entrepreneurs themselves. If you're credible, they'll send you on to someone they know who can help. In small eco-systems, everyone knows everyone and word quickly spreads about a quality entrepreneur with a great idea. You are in.

2. Target focused, small funds.

Smaller funds are springing up around the country that either focus on your geography or your industry. This fit alignment makes them more likely to jump on a plane and work with you than some of the larger, more famous funds who want to write bigger checks later in the process anyway.

3. Go to entrepreneurial watering holes in your region.

Investors gather at equity conferences, entrepreneurial competitions, demo days and pitch days. Scout them, get to know them, seek their advice and help. Get to know other entrepreneurs as well; they can help you navigate and evaluate the investor community. Getting to know investors at the regional level is important when you need to stitch together financing from several angel groups or smaller funds.

4. Understand how national networks can help with specialized needs.

Don't settle for local solutions when you need to build national-level credibility in the early stages. Recruit the best talent, both tech and management, that you can attract, and bring on the highest profile industry-specific advisors, initial corporate pilot partners and other key partners as early as you can. Finding good talent willing to relocate is often the biggest headache in smaller ecosystems. Prove you can do it early on.

5. Act with integrity.

A smooth-talking entrepreneur with a great resume may be able to hide past problems in a big city. No way in a smaller entrepreneurial community. Every one of the angels, lawyers, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs in a smaller eco-system will know how you treat your employees, how you negotiate a deal and then live by its terms, whether you are "good people" or not. An entrepreneurial failure can be forgiven. But cheating the spirit of an agreement, skating an ethical line, treating people badly doesn’t get forgiven. So don’t be a jerk.

Small is beautiful and focus wins.