Small businesses generate new jobs and employ more than half of the working class in the world; they’re also beneficial to the local community.
Here are 10 ways that small businesses can make a profound local impact:
1. Community Identity
Take a stroll down Main Street, and you’ll likely notice that your community has its own unique character and charm. From the mom-and-pop shop, the local CPA, and the dog grooming business to an antique emporium, coffee shop, yoga studio, and beyond, small businesses contribute to a community’s identity. Many municipalities and tourism boards have prioritized preserving the community’s unique character – transforming that character into an advantage.
2. Local Involvement
Small business owners are an integral part of the communities in which they live and work. Thus, they tend to be cognizant of how their decisions may impact their neighbors. In addition, local small business owners tend to be involved in the community. For instance, they may sponsor local Little League teams, donate to the city’s homeless shelter, or participate in community charity events.
3. Community Health
In addition to contributing to the local community’s unique identity and being involved locally, small business owners help to build a sense of community. Their businesses tend to be people businesses. Small business owners tend to build relationships with their customers, knowing many of them by name. Many small business owners band together, forming casual or formal relationships, such as a merchant’s association. As foot traffic to one business increases, other nearby businesses may benefit through increased exposure or referrals.
4. Pedestrian and Environmental Attributes
Pedestrian-friendly town centers have their unique vibe — and potential environmental benefits. For example, small businesses clustered near residential areas may reduce automobile use, resulting in better air quality and less urban sprawl.
5. Increasing the Tax Base
When local residents shop at small businesses within their communities, their tax dollars stay within the local economy, helping to improve their community as a result. Likewise, local small businesses tend to buy locally as well, pumping more of their profits back into the community than their chain store counterparts.
6. Local Jobs
Small businesses are job creators, and most of those jobs are local jobs. Rather than having to commute to another city, employees work closer to home. Not only does this reduce traffic congestion, but supporting local businesses also supports your fellow community members who work at them.
7. Entrepreneurship
Small businesses are the product of the business owner’s entrepreneurial spirit. By starting a small business, the business owner is taking charge of his or her future. Entrepreneurship fuels America’s economic innovation and prosperity and serves as a key means for families to move out of low-wage jobs and into the middle class.
8. Innovation and Competition
Small businesses, like any business, need to stand out from the crowd to survive. They must serve a legitimate need in the community and do it better than their competitors. Having multiple small businesses all striving to be unique, innovative, and better can result in a healthy marketplace and well-served consumers.
9. Less Infrastructure and Low Maintenance
Compared to shopping malls and chain stores, local shops tend to require fewer public services and less infrastructure. While a new music store owner may require a business license and occupancy permit, the process of opening a shop is much less demanding on the city planning department than building a new department store would be.
10. Diverse and Locally Made Products and Services
One-of-a-kind and locally made products can attract customers to the community, bolster tourism and contribute to the local flavor of the community. Locally made goods are also attractive to residents who want to minimize their carbon footprints, support local businesses, and keep their tax dollars close to home.
importance of small businesses to local communities These are just a few of the ways that small businesses are important to local communities. So next time you’re considering heading to a large chain store, don’t forget the importance of shopping small and helping local businesses take back Main Street!
Article Written by Paul Nugent is a small business advocate
