Hiring women is not the right thing to do.

Hiring women is the only thing to do for businesses and auto dealerships that want to succeed.

Gender-diverse companies are more profitable, creative, and attractive places to work. Millennials are attracted to diverse businesses and flexible workplaces.

Diversity is a key factor that attracts the “creative class” (as Richard Florida calls people who work in fields that require problem-solving). Diverse communities are creative communities, and they’re better equipped to keep up in the digital age.

The cumulative results of a gender-diverse society are breathtaking. As Alec Ross notes, “States and societies that most systematically and intentionally advantage the position of women in business and in the economy . . . are those that compete and succeed.”

We live in echo chambers, and it's killing our republic.

As websites increasingly track and customize what we see based on our interests, we are rarely exposed to new and challenging ideas . . . unless we mindfully curate our educational cuisine.

There are three ways to build a mindful echo chamber -- and myriad ways why it's important to do so.

Join Scott Meyer as we walk along the Mississippi River and share a bid idea on building your business and community in this week's Digital Homesteading.

Let me introduce you to this world-changer: Gary Greff. He was a teacher, with a background in education and physical education. He came home to Regeant, ND, population 125, and he saw something that frightened him. I’ll let him pick up the story about the Enchanted Highway and how to save a community with a bold idea.

Greg Tehven has made it his life's mission to make Fargo the greatest city on earth. Rather than build a list of residents to email them about upcoming events, he focuses on building relationships.

As he notes, this is a generational project and much like the Lutheran Church where he grew up, he's in it for the long haul. By filling a room with people he cares about, he has been able to create great change.

In this episode learn about the importance of offline connections and their ability to create change for businesses and communities.

Unique experience provides an opportunity for one-of-a-kind creation. As businesses and communities we need to focus on local problems. In looking at local problems we have an "imagination differentiation" that enables us to see solutions others miss. This breds imaginative creation that can exported to similar communities around the globe.

A few weeks ago we wrote about the importance of having an equal playing field for rural communities.

The thrust of the argument is that for the first time we have the opportunity to build businesses right where we are. If we don't have equal access to tools to build those businesses (like fast internet), it's more difficult to build successful businesses.

The story has developed since then and the FCC has opened their new rules for debate. For four months citizens can weigh in on what the rules should be for internet access. Should Internet Service Providers (ISP's) be able to charge for faster access to content or does everyone need to have the same speed to their sites?

We take a deep dive on the issue in this week's Digital Homesteading podcast as we look at lessons from the past and a vision of what the future could look like.

What makes a community great? Travel across the ocean and learn from Guernsey, where a plan of societal reinvention is underway. Then talk with a community developer to learn what tools we can use in our community to make it great.

In this episode of Digital Homesteading, learn what you can do to build the community you want to live in.

Find previous episodes and learn more at 9clouds.com/blog.

Travel creates knowledge according to our guest today, Manuel Marabese.

Manuel changed his career path from philosophy to motorcycle guiding for tourists in his pursuit of knowledge. In today's episode Manuel talks to use how you can take a leap and follow your passion, whether starting a business or traveling remote jungles of Cambodia on motorcycle.

Through his adventures, learn the power of travel, the pursuit of knoweldge and why Italians are still mama's boys even when they are traveling across the globe.

Finding a job, interviewing and mastering the follow up requires special skills in the digital age. In this brofounder edition of Digital Homesteading, brothers John Meyer (of the responsive infographic design company Lemonly) and Scott Meyer (of the digital marketing firm 9 Clouds) discuss how to find a job during a recent talk with university students. Listen in a learn the skills you need to master the digital job market.

The mic is flipped around as I was interviewed by Voice of America's Angela Sharpe. Angela walked through why we created the Digital Homesteading podcast, how to get started on digital media and the most important things businesses in rural areas need to know about. Join us as the tables are turned in this episode of Digital Homesteading.