The Northern Entrepreneurship Workshop Proceedings and Report

The Northern Entrepreneurship Workshop, held in March 2009, brought together entrepreneurs, academics, and leaders to define the unique nature of northern entrepreneurship and design a relevant educational program. The workshop identified specific regional barriers, such as high labor turnover and competition with the public sector, as well as advantages like limited competition and strong community support. The resulting framework includes a proposed curriculum with courses on northern regulations, cultural competencies, and community economic development, alongside recommendations for a 'boot camp' for youth and a circumpolar entrepreneurship network.

• The workshop produced a specific definition of a 'northern entrepreneur' as a self-identified northerner shaped by their geography and community social fabric, who is 'dynamic out of necessity' and often works in co-operatives to address service deficits in northern communities.
• Northern entrepreneurs face distinct disadvantages, including a small and segmented consumer base, high costs of importing, and a 'brain drain' caused by out-migration. They also struggle to compete for labor against the public sector, which offers higher salaries and greater job security.
• Key advantages for northern businesses include limited competition due to the dominance of government and large private initiatives, as well as strong community buy-in and networking opportunities facilitated by the small size of the communities.
• While start-up capital is widely available through various government and private programs, there is a critical lack of 'after care' or support systems to help entrepreneurs maintain and grow their businesses after the initial launch.
• The proposed Northern Entrepreneurship curriculum identifies eight essential courses, including 'Northern regulations, legislation and policies', 'Cultural Competencies', and 'Community Economic Development of the North', emphasizing that all case studies and assignments must be northern-based.
• Participants recommended establishing a 'boot camp' focused on social entrepreneurship for high school students to foster entrepreneurship as a career option at an early stage.

APA

Buckler, C., Krueger, A., Poelzer, G., & Normand, L. (2009). The Northern Entrepreneurship Workshop Proceedings and Report. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/northern_workshop_2009.pdf

Chicago

Buckler, Carolee, Audra Krueger, Greg Poelzer, and Laura Normand. The Northern Entrepreneurship Workshop Proceedings and Report. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2009. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/northern_workshop_2009.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Buckler |first1=Carolee |last2=Krueger |first2=Audra |last3=Poelzer |first3=Greg |last4=Normand |first4=Laura |title=The Northern Entrepreneurship Workshop Proceedings and Report |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=February 2009 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/northern_workshop_2009.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{buckler2009northern, author = {Buckler, Carolee and Krueger, Audra and Poelzer, Greg and Normand, Laura}, title = {{The Northern Entrepreneurship Workshop Proceedings and Report}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2009}, month = feb, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/northern_workshop_2009.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }