Summary
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Jeff Amerine, founder and managing director of Startup Junkie, a consulting service that supports, inspires, and educates entrepreneurs at no cost. With thirty years of experience, Jeff has an extensive background in business leadership and early-stage investments. Throughout the episode, James and Jeff discuss the startup community in Northwest Arkansas and how Startup Junkie assists entrepreneurs.
Thanks for tuning in!
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Show Notes
(0:57) Introduction to Jeff
(1:35) Jeff’s Background
(3:08) About Startup Junkie
(5:49) Surprising Success Story
(8:33) Favorite Startups
(12:07) How Startup Junkie Helps Entrepreneurs
(16:13) About the Startup Junkie Podcast
(22:15) The Best Version of Tomorrow
(24:55) Why Businesses Should Be Founded in Bentonville
(29:33) How the Startup Community Has Evolved
(33:21) What’s Next for Startup Junkie
(37:11) Closing Questions
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‍Links
JAMES BELL‍‍
‍BENTONVILLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT‍
STARTUP JUNKIE
JEFF AMERINE
CALEB TALLEY
MARTHA LONDAGIN
FUEL ACCELERATOR
KIVA NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
STARTUP JUNKIES PODCAST
REVUNIT
MICHAEL PALADINO
JOE SAUMWEBER
OX
CHARU THOMAS
NWA WORKPLACES
JON CADIEUX
EFORALL NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
RISE OF THE REST
STEVE CASE
JAMIE RODOTA
PHIL LIBIN
UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS OFFICE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION
SARAH GOFORTH
ATENTO CAPITAL
412 ANGELS
CADRON CAPITAL PARTNERS
NEWROAD CAPITAL PARTNERS
BLUE MARLIN PARTNERS
BECCA SHADDOX
PERMJOT VALIA
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Quotes
“We’re at the point where I often hear Bentonville is the next Austin and that’s one of those things I both love and hate. My response is always, ‘We don’t want to be the next Austin, we want to be the next best version of ourselves.’” – James Bell, (21:26)

“These people are accessible. It’s not like you have to get a decree to see them. You’re going to run across them on a bike trail or in a coffee shop. So, proximity to great people would be a benefit.” – Jeff Amerine, (25:25)

“People here are by nature entrepreneurial and helpful. They had to band together. So when people come here from elsewhere, they’ve captured that, they’ve built on that, and it’s gotten even better.” – Jeff Amerine, (26:41)

“You can walk out any door in any one of these cities on any given day of the week and there’s something small business or startup going on. So that regular cadence of activity and engagement is really something.” – Jeff Amerine, (32:13)‍‍
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Exploring the Prosperous Startup Scene in NWA with Jeff Amerine‍
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Jeff Amerine, founder and managing director of Startup Junkie, a consulting service that supports, inspires, and educates entrepreneurs at no cost. With thirty years of experience, Jeff has an extensive background in business leadership and early-stage investments. Throughout the episode, James and Jeff discuss the startup community in Northwest Arkansas and how Startup Junkie assists entrepreneurs.
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The Benefits of Founding a Startup in Bentonville
When it comes to why individuals should establish their startups in Northwest Arkansas, or Bentonville specifically, there are two deciding factors. The first is that NWA is a region with a strong concentration of vendors and suppliers. Therefore, if a startup does anything related to enterprise and creates solutions for them, Bentonville is a target-rich environment for them to take advantage of.
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“These people are accessible. It’s not like you have to get a decree to see them. You’re going to run across them on a bike trail or in a coffee shop. So, proximity to great people would be a benefit.” – Jeff Amerine, (25:25)
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The second factor is that the NWA community is incredibly welcoming to outsiders. Therefore, it doesn’t matter where you’re from, people are glad you’re there. When locals encounter people that are not from the area, they are genuinely eager to help. This mentality differentiates the NWA region because it has allowed the area to become this melting pot of an ecosystem where people pay generosity forward.

“People here are by nature entrepreneurial and helpful. They had to band together. So when people come here from elsewhere, they’ve captured that, they’ve built on that, and it’s gotten even better.” – Jeff Amerine, (26:41)

Advancements in the Startup Community
The startup community in NWA has progressed exponentially since the early 2000s. During that time, the field of startups was in its infancy, meaning there were no angel associations, mentoring groups, and entrepreneurial support organizations. This is because the area as a whole was captivated by the geographic expansion of the big companies that were already established here. Therefore, a lot of initiatives that supported larger businesses were present, but there was not a startup scene.

It wasn’t until pioneers like James Hendron with Accelerate Arkansas and Jerry Adams, founder of Arkansas Research Alliance, started laying the foundation for entrepreneurial support organizations that the area started to become more resourceful for startups. Now the startup scene in NWA is vibrant, and the emphasis placed on the importance of startups is different than in the past. The community is starting to realize that small businesses are the lifeblood of the economy, and that has only made the startup community even more welcome to the area.

“You can walk out any door in any one of these cities on any given day of the week and there’s something small business or startup going on. So that regular cadence of activity and engagement is really something.” – Jeff Amerine, (32:13)
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Get Connected!
‍Thanks for tuning in to this episode of The Bentonville Beacon! Join us weekly for more stories from entrepreneurs and business leaders who are making a positive impact on Bentonville’s culture, community, and lifestyle. Don’t forget, Bentonville is a place where you can have more of what you want and less of what you don’t!