In this episode of Your Startup Community, Chris Heivly asks a simple but critical question: Are startups seen as normal or weird in your city?

He explains why entrepreneurship is a social permission game and how small cultural signals shape whether founders step forward or stay quiet. From family reactions to media coverage to how leaders show up, culture quietly determines what grows.

If you want a real startup economy, founders cannot be treated like outliers. They have to be seen as legitimate and worth backing.