Purpose The purpose of this paper is to argue that defining, measuring and developing skills are crucial to successful entrepreneurship and that being able to do so can help to build strong rural entrepreneurial ecosystems. Design/methodology/approach The literature on entrepreneurship success and entrepreneurial skills is reviewed, and this knowledge is used to create and describe the Entrepreneurship Skill-building Framework (ESBF), which provides a scaffold for thinking about the identification, measurement and development of essential entrepreneurship skills. The same literature is used to develop a tool for effectuating the ESBF, called the Readiness Inventory for Successful Entrepreneurship (RISE), which assesses entrepreneurship skills using the communimetrics theory of measurement. Findings Both the ESBF and the RISE are detailed, and they are applied to the successful development and maintenance of rural entrepreneurial ecosystems, with an example from practice. Specific implications for rural entrepreneurship-focused economic development are also discussed. Originality/value The ESBF represents a new way of framing entrepreneurship skills and their development. The RISE is a skills assessment tool that is clinical, not predictive, utilizing an innovative theory of measurement. Together, they offer a fresh approach to thinking about the purpose and effective implementation of entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Executive Summary: The Readiness Inventory for Successful Entrepreneurship (RISE) is a promising practice in entrepreneurial learning. RISE targets entrepreneurial skill-building over the creation of business plans or models as a pathway to entrepreneurship. RISE applies Communimetrics, an innovative theory of measurement, to clinically assess 30 entrepreneurial skills across four types of management. An entrepreneur's baseline skill level is established on a skill development ladder, and routine coach and entrepreneur assessments inform skill development needs. This paper outlines the RISE model and discusses how it fits into broader university engagement through Small Business Development Centers, centers for entrepreneurship, and other university programming to train entrepreneurs.