Recently, there has been buzz over the smaller cities that are attempting to run with the ‘big dogs’ in terms of places to startup. Trying to lure entrepreneurs to come to (or stay in) their small, cozy towns with small, but growing, innovation communities, all to try to save some money on cost of living and beer, and give them a shot at being a big fish in a small pond. Their not-so-crowded airports inject you into the community, the free flowing highways get you there faster, and their reasonable restaurants let you save your money for more runway. But moving from your own small town isn’t a hassle at all, and standing out in large, crowded networks is easier than ever, right? Plus, you haven’t made it until you are in New York or San Fran so, what are you waiting for... get that checkbook and dolly out and get to moving!

See what I did there?

Sarcasm aside, there are plenty of reasons to startup where you are, right now. Building a company isn’t easy, period. It takes time and effort and will test your patience wherever you are--so why do you need the added stress of ‘making it big’ in a ‘big city’? You don’t. Your town or a town close to you is waiting to support and celebrate your efforts. The people there are waiting to read about their very own “Johnny” or “Sally” who just started their own business and they're excited to help in any way they can. I'm sure we could go on for days with reasons why you don't need to move to launch a successful startup... in fact, let's do that!

I started [a list] (http://lister.io/rbradk/reasons-to-startup-where-you-are "Reasons to Startup Where You Are List") with some examples to get us going, but I want to hear from you, as well. Contribute to the list over at Lister: http://lister.io/rbradk/reasons-to-startup-where-you-are

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Hiring talent is easier if you know how to find it. Who says different?

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Silicon Valley is more a mindset than anything else now a days. Brad Feld talks about entrepreneurial density. Find your local meetup groups and hot spot coffee shops and hang around them to create you own mini Silicon Valley. Being around like minded individuals is huge.

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Often you live where you do for a reason; family, friends, or other connections. Especially in the early days, you should think hard before giving these up to move somewhere for an untested idea that's going to be really hard, anywhere.

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Many investors are starting to look outward. Sarah Lacy, founder of PandoDaily, has even said that the Valley has done what it's going to do. You could be better served staying where you are and being one of a few awesome investment options, than moving and being one of many.

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If you're one of the many startups outside the valley or NYC that's focused on something other than the next consumer-facing app or social network, it may be hard to find others who "get" your goals, targets, and metrics.

Just adding to the list not enough? Want to meet great entrepreneurs and investors who share interest in making the Midwest a great place to startup? And to make it easier to meet great people, use discount code diff20 for 20% off when you head over to Everywhere Else Cincy’s site and sign up! I’ll see you there.