It’s been awhile since I’ve been in here, so I guess I had better start with the research.

Back in February 2010, under the auspices of the Microbusiness Research Institute, I released MRI’s first full-fledged research paper (as opposed to the many white papers I’ve written).

I’m pretty excited about it because I intend it to be the start of something big. Besides, it a good paper that presents some interesting new concepts about microbusinesses.

The paper documents and analyzes empirical information and survey data collected during IssuesLive, a series of public forums billed by its organizers as a public dialogue and needs assessment for microbusinesses. The IssuesLive events were sponsored by Microbusiness Strategies, in partnership with the Minnesota Small Business Development Center network and MRI.

It’s called A Profile of Microbusiness: The 2008 IssuesLive Minnesota Regional Pilot, and it’s available for download from the MRI web site here.