299. The Decline of Entrepreneurship in America, Systemic Inequity in Supporting Small Businesses, and the "Capital vs. Labor" Debate (Seth Levine & Elizabeth MacBride)

The Full Ratchet (TFR): Venture Capital and Startup Investing Demystified

Seth Levine & Elizabeth MacBride of The New Builders joins Nick to discuss The Decline of Entrepreneurship in America, Systemic Inequity in Supporting Small Businesses, and the "Capital vs. Labor" Debate. In this episode we cover:

• Why did you write the book?
• I’d actually like to start w/ Chapter 6, which is a history of entrepreneurship in the US… we can’t really do it justice in the interview but can you give us an overview of the history and where we are at today?
• You cover that entrepreneurship has been declining in the US for the past 40 years and more significantly within the past 15. What are some of the big factors that have led to that decline?
• Why are entrepreneurship and new business creation so important for the future of our country and society?
• How does the Silicon Valley version of entrepreneurship differ from the reality of entrepreneurship?
• What does the real profile of entrepreneurship look like vs. what we see in the data on the tech / venture-funded part of entrepreneurship?
• What can Main Street entrepreneurs learn from the Silicon Valley model of entrepreneurship?
• You did a lot of research and pulled together data sets/stats for the book — what were some of the most surprising findings from the data?
• Can you define the ‘capital vs. labor’ debate for us and give us your stance on that debate?
• Is this book a call-to-action… are you trying to encourage more broad-based entrepreneurship?
• Seth, how do you reconcile your interests and recommendations from the book with your career which is geared toward funding a very small percentage of founders that are focused on building multi-billion dollar outcomes?
• You address some issues that are systemic to our country -- government policies, economic system, etc. -- How big of a role do you think politics have in shaping entrepreneurship for the future?
• What advice or final thoughts would you like to share w/ listeners?

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