Philanthropists are often encouraged to think like venture capital investors. Rick DeVos wants small business investors to think more like philanthropists. The founder of StartGarden, a seed fund that supports a healthy environment for startups in Grand Rapids and west Michigan, writes on Michigan Radio’s Website that Michigan’s strong tradition of philanthropy can help to boost development of small business:

What if we took that same type of giving – rooted in generosity and seeking impact that isn’t always completely quantifiable at the outset – and applied it to how we invest in new Michigan businesses? I would suggest that building a culture of early-stage business investment that was even a fraction as deep and meaningful as our culture of giving would have an immense impact.

If we are going to create new generations of for-profit businesses, we must be willing to set a portion of our resources aside for the speculative, the messy, and the unknown. These new businesses will require seeds of generosity because the impact that they are seeking, much like philanthropic efforts, is very seldom quantifiable at the outset.

Call it an expanded bottom line.