How do you know what people need before you commit your time and money to an idea?
An encouraging conversation can be a starting point. The harder work is understanding who needs what you’re proposing, how they’re handling that need today, and whether they will take part. Those questions matter whether someone is opening a business, forming an organization, or proposing a community project.
The decisions behind that work deserve attention. Understanding how someone reached a decision can help you ask better questions about your own.
Welcome to my publication. I’m Kyle Odeen, and I grew up in Green Bay. I want to understand how businesses and communities develop, especially here at home.
My work with the Chamber’s economic development team and producing local radio with Jim Schmitt brought me closer to people doing that work. This blog gives me a way to keep learning from them and make what I learn useful to others.
I enjoy listening carefully, taking notes, and asking questions. My understanding is still developing. I’ll approach each subject with research and curiosity, and be clear about what the evidence supports and what remains uncertain.
What you can expect
I’m writing primarily for local founders, business owners, and operators. If you run a business, I want these articles to help you examine an assumption or find a useful question for your next decision. If you’re interested in Green Bay’s development, you’re welcome here, too.
As the publication gets underway, I plan to publish one original article each week. The articles will draw on conversations with local founders and community builders, research, and useful observations.
I’ll explore what people tried, what informed their choices, and what they’re still figuring out. You should be able to understand why a decision made sense to them and consider whether that reasoning applies to your situation.
Our first season is Finding Demand
We’ll begin with a question that comes before many other decisions: how did someone recognize a need and learn whether other people shared it?
Finding Demand will explore how people noticed something missing, decided it was worth acting on, and earned support or participation.
The evidence can take different forms. Enthusiasm tells us someone likes an idea. Attendance shows a willingness to spend time. A donation shows support for a cause. Repeat use suggests an ongoing reason to return. A purchase shows a willingness to pay for a particular offer. Each answers a different question.
Those questions will guide my preparation, while each guest’s answers shape the story. I want to follow what the conversation reveals, including answers that challenge what I expected.
Where the work is headed
Stories in development include LPA with Juan Corpus and CityDeck with Jim Schmitt. They’re examples of the organizations and projects I’m exploring through conversations about Greater Green Bay.
Over time, I’ll gather supported lessons into one practical Finding Demand guide or checklist. It’s in development. Each contribution should give you a question to ask, an example behind it, and a clear sense of where the lesson stops applying.
Future coverage will also help readers find, understand, and use local growth resources. I want to explain what those resources offer and whom they serve, so you can judge whether they fit the problem you’re trying to solve.
I also run Odeen Marketing, where understanding a founder’s expertise and audience helps us create clear messaging and consistent content. That approach shapes this publication, and I want you to be able to judge it through the usefulness of the work.
Return for the weekly articles, and suggest a guest, project, or question worth exploring. I’m especially interested in decisions you’d like to understand better and people whose knowledge could help other readers.