Main Street Business Insights: Scaling with Purpose
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sat down with Mindy Bergstrom, owner of Cooks Emporium, Nook & Nest, Z.W. Mercantile, and The Recipe, all located in downtown Ames, Iowa.
The Dalles, Oregon © Alicia Gallo
In late spring, the Main Street America Research team launched the latest in our series of small business surveys. We heard from 996 small business owners in 46 states plus Washington, D.C. (A big thankful shoutout to North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Indiana, Texas, and Oregon for rallying their small business owners.) As is normally the case with our surveys, we heard from very small businesses: 40 percent of all businesses represented here have only one full-time employee, and more than three-quarters have fewer than 5 full-time employees. Retail and food and beverage businesses represent 62 percent of the sample, and professional and personal services represent another 14 percent of respondents.
These surveys have shown us that the pandemic didn’t slow down Main Street entrepreneurship, as nearly 30 percent of respondents represented businesses that had launched since 2020. At the same time, we continue to hear from longstanding local businesses as well. Forty-two percent of respondents had been in business for ten years or more, and about 1 in 8 respondents represented a business that had been operating for 30+ years.
Main Street is a Network of Manufacturers and Makers
We have long been keen to understand — and excited to celebrate — small-scale manufacturing efforts on Main Street. In this survey, we sought to understand just how common Main Street makers really are. According to the data, approximately one-third of all Main Street businesses indicated that they manufacture a unique product, sold either direct to the consumer or through another business. In our downtowns and neighborhoods, folks are producing custom jewelry and apparel, baked goods, beer, bath and skincare products, roasted coffee, candles, art, and other goods.
Main Streets manufacture many products locally, including food, beauty and skincare, art, and more. © Main Street America
Currently, our best estimate indicates there are about 175,000 businesses in Main Street districts throughout the network. Based on the data in this survey, that suggests there are between 55,000 and 60,000 makers and small-scale manufacturers in Main Streets across the U.S.
Small Business Confidence Falls Slightly
We have been monitoring small business owners’ confidence in their business success over the past four Small Business Surveys with this question: “As you think about the next three months, how confident are you that your business will perform successfully?” We ask business owners to answer with a number, where 0 indicates that they are “not at all confident” and a 10 indicates they are “extremely confident.”
The Main Street America Research team has monitored small business owners’ confidence in their business success since Fall 2022. © Main Street America
In the current survey, we see a slight dip relative to previous surveys. The average value from the Spring 2024 survey was 7.5, compared to 7.7 in Fall 2023 and Spring 2023, and 7.6 in Fall 2022. In the current survey, 52 percent of respondents indicated a confidence level of 8 or higher. In Fall 2023 and Spring 2023, 61 percent of respondents had that level of confidence, and in Fall 2022, 59 percent indicated an 8 or higher.
We suspect that the diminished confidence values may come from uncertainty due to a variety of factors: the election, high interest rates, and continuing inflation impacting some segments of the economy. But there is also indication in the data that small businesses are facing real slowdowns. In the last two surveys, we asked whether small business owners generated profit, broke even, or operated at a loss over the previous 12 months. In the Spring 2024 survey, 42 percent of respondents had generated a profit and 21 percent operated at a loss. In comparison, in Fall 2023, 51 percent had generated a profit and 15 percent had operated at a loss. This is a trend we will continue to monitor in future surveys.
Small Business Owners Seek Support from Main Street in 2024
Small business support is an important goal for many Main Street organizations. As we conduct these surveys, we periodically ask what types of support would be of greatest interest to business owners.
In the Spring 2024 survey, grant opportunities were the top choice, with 75 percent of all respondents expressing interest. Fifty-nine percent indicated that they would be interested in appearing on a national map and directory of Main Street businesses. Forty-four percent, meanwhile, expressed interest in learning more about the emerging best practices of other small business owners, and 36 percent were interested in either technical assistance with promoting their businesses online or joining an online network of small business owners for peer-to-peer support.
Respondents express an interest in grant opportunities, inclusion on a national directory of Main Street businesses, and learning about emerging best practices. © Main Street America
Interestingly, we see some disparate levels of interest in support for selling products on an e‑commerce platform for Main Street businesses, depending on whether the business owner respondent produces their own goods and products. Thirty-one percent of makers and manufacturers said they would like help selling their goods in this way, compared to 13 percent of business owners who do not produce their own wares.
Small Capital Investments Would Make a Big Difference
Main Street leaders who regularly engage with small businesses and think about economic vitality would likely agree that capital investment is an enormous barrier and a critical challenge for small business owners. In this survey, we asked, “If you could access affordable capital to grow your business, how much would you need?”
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Over 80 percent of small business respondents need less than $25,000 in affordable capital to grow their businesses. © Main Street America
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Small business owners report needing capital to invest in operations and physical improvements to business spaces. © Main Street America
Seventy-two percent of respondents indicated a need for capital. But of those who expressed this need, 27 percent indicated an amount less than $10,000, and 59 percent indicated they would need less than $25,000. On a subsequent question, 56 percent of respondents indicated an interest in using that capital to invest in inventory, equipment, machinery, and raw materials, and nearly half (46%) said they would use the capital to invest in physical improvements to their business’s physical space.
It is sometimes easy to assume that the amount of investment that small businesses seek is huge. This data indicates that Main Street businesses are not looking for bank financing or anchor investments in businesses. Local Main Street organizations could likely provide a substantial boost to local businesses by raising small amounts of capital to give away in support of their local entrepreneurs. Crowdfunding campaigns, pitch competitions, and entrepreneurial ecosystem building could all make a difference in supporting small businesses with small investments.
Conclusions
The results of the Spring 2024 Small Business Survey suggest that Main Street leaders can effectively support business owners in their districts in multiple important ways, whether financially through targeted small grants or loans, or via marketing channels by promoting businesses on local directories or broader Main Street maps. Recognizing the prevalence of local “makers” selling distinctive goods can be tied into district branding or Main Street-wide marketing efforts. The tick down in business owner confidence, however, is something we need to monitor.
We are grateful to the Main Street Network for helping us reach out to entrepreneurs across the U.S. with our small business surveys. We are eager to support local Main Street programs and local businesses in new ways, and these surveys are instrumental in helping us make the case for new grant programs, new tools, and new partnerships to strengthen local economies and thriving districts.
We encourage you to follow our social media accounts and keep an eye on our email newsletters to hear about upcoming small business surveys that will help us monitor trends and deepen our understanding of the needs within the Main Street Network. You can subscribe to receive updates here >
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Meet a recipient of the HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program
Economic Gardening Takes Root: Redesigning the Bricks & Clicks Business Retention Program During the Pandemic
Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance explores how they redesigned their Bricks & Clicks Business Retention Program during the pandemic.
Business Spotlight: Women-Owned Businesses on Main Street (Part 3)
Meet some amazing women business owners!
Local Impact: Small Business Saturday
Small Business Saturday® is more than a day to shop. It’s a nationwide movement that shines a spotlight on the importance of supporting small businesses in communities across America.
Community Spotlight: Benson, North Carolina
The Town of Benson started a special project to highlight their downtown businesses.
Community Spotlight: Berkley, Michigan
The Berkley Downtown Development Authority (DDA) proudly debuted its Downtown Berkley Shopping Bag for a Cause through a partnership between Better Life Bags.
Main Spotlight: Learnings from the ESHIP Summit
Supporting new and existing small businesses, and the entrepreneurs who run them, represents a vital aspect of the revitalization of downtowns and neighborhood business districts.
Creating Equitable, Inclusive and Transparent Cities: A Year in Review
The Equitable Economic Development Fellowship is a two-year, one million-dollar effort funded by the Surdna Foundation and the Open Society Foundations to help equity, transparency, sustainability and community engagement become driving forces in local economic development efforts.
Community Spotlight: Mini-Grants Offered to Small Businesses in Jefferson, Iowa
The Jefferson Rotary Club partnered with Jefferson Matters: Main Street to offer mini-grants for building facades and storefront signage to two dozen businesses for up to $500 each.
A Memorable Makeover on Main Street
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) partnered with Retailworks, Inc., a commercial interior design, display and branding firm headquartered in Milwaukee, to launch Wisconsin’s Main Street Makeover Contest.
Creative Discovery on the Maker Trail in Enid, Oklahoma
Kelly Tompkins of Main Street Enid shares more about the Maker Trail project and how it inspired creativity and helped people discover downtown.
City Sidewalks, Dressed in Holiday Style
Too often, as we’re strolling our favorite Main Street, we pass empty or dark shop windows that make us want to hurry home a little bit faster. Imagine instead, a charming streetscape adorned with vibrant, lively window displays, showcasing retailers’ favorite products and seasonal gift ideas.
Community Spotlight: #ShopSmall in Goldsboro, North Carolina
Small Business Saturday promo pic from Downtown Goldsboro, North Carolina, showing all the folks who took the pledge support a small business in their community.
Using Local Search Trends to Attract More Customers to Your Main Street
We’ve put together a practical list of some of the things that local store owners can do right now to help them capitalize on this increasing trend in local searches.
Network Spotlight: Main Street Iowa Restaurant Week
From authentic comfort food to farm-to-fork fresh and everything in between, these restaurants, bars, and cafes are key to the thriving social, business, and residential life in the historic commercial districts in Main Street Iowa communities.
Fab Lab Sparks Rural Opportunities
Located in southeast Kansas, Independence (pop.8,799) is home to Fab Lab ICC, which is on track to be the world’s leading innovator in combining entrepreneurial mindset education with a fab lab maker space.
Community Spotlight: Morganton, North Carolina
The craft beer industry is playing a key role in the rebirth of Main Streets and neighborhood commercial districts across the county.
Rethink Storefront Accessibility to Rethink Community Viability
Appealing to mobility-challenged shoppers yields benefits beyond the store.
Sparking a Movement in Small Business and Small Towns
Being the only person in the know can be fun, exhilarating even. Except when you are the one person out of 600+ in a room and you know bad news is coming.
The Lowdown in Downtown LaBelle
Fritz the dog has made his way into the hearts of the residents of LaBelle, Florida, and helped our Main Street Community find a way to make what we do more noticeable.
Pop-Up Altavista 2.0
Altavista On Track, the local Main Street organization, is working to cultivate and sustain local entrepreneurs with an educational business launch competition, Pop-Up Altavista 2.0.
The Bright Center: A Space for Winchester’s Bright Minds to Create, Innovate and Thrive
In Winchester, Virginia, one woman’s vision and commitment to downtown’s revitalization created an innovative community space for the Creative Class.
Why Business Retention and Expansion Plans are Important for Downtowns
A business retention and expansion plan, properly implemented, not only helps keep businesses open but possibly even helps them expand.
Business Investment Guides: “Think B.I.G.”
The first rule of conducting business is “make it simple.” The easier it is to pay for merchandise, get entertainment or obtain a service, the more likely it is that people will take advantage of those options.
Small Box – A Creative Retail Project
Main Street communities across the country are no stranger to seeking creative strategies to solve their most nagging issues – vacant buildings, marketing downtown, bolstering retail to name a few.
Supporting Immigrant Entrepreneurs in the Heart of Boston’s Main Streets
To understand the role that immigrant business owners play in Boston’s small business ecosystem, you need only to walk through any Boston Main Streets district.
Measuring the Economic Impact of Storefront Improvements
Façade appearance is a critical aspect of the overall aesthetic appeal and unique character of downtown.
Sign Design Guidelines
A lot of signs are necessary to make a downtown work well, but not every community knows what a good sign system looks like, or how instrumental it can be to the creation of a successful downtown.
Improving Performance in Main Street Iowa Communities
Main Street Iowa, a program of the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Iowa Downtown Resource Center, created a one-of-a-kind three-year program to provide help for performance venues located in Main Street districts.
