Small Business & Entrepreneur Support

“We Want a Stronger Mix Without Overreaching the Market.”

You want more activity, more variety, and more reasons for people to spend time downtown. But you also know the market is limited. Recruiting the wrong businesses creates churn. Pushing too hard and too fast leaves owners stretched and frustrated.

Healthy downtowns depend on existing businesses staying strong as much as it does by attracting new ones. This work strengthens what is already there while creating realistic paths for entrepreneurs looking to enter your downtown market.

What This Solves

Small Business & Entrepreneur Support is designed for communities that want to grow and maintain their downtown mix without chasing businesses their market cannot support.

This work directly addresses:

  • Businesses that feel stretched or unsupported

  • Recruitment efforts that miss the mark

  • Gaps in the downtown business mix

  • Unclear pathways for local entrepreneurs

The goal is not rapid expansion but to help create a healthier downtown business ecosystem.

What We Do

We start by listening. Through direct conversations with business owners and key community stakeholders, we build a clear picture of how your downtown businesses are operating, where pressure points exist, and what support would actually help.

From there, we identify:

  • Practical actions to support existing businesses

  • Realistic opportunities for new or expanding businesses

  • Micro business and entrepreneurship strategies aligned to your market

This work is grounded in what your downtown can support now.

How the Work Typically Unfolds

Step 1: Business and Ecosystem Assessment

We meet with downtown business owners to understand operations, challenges, and opportunities from their perspective.

Step 2: Gap and Opportunity Identification

We analyze your business mix to identify gaps that are realistic to fill and areas where existing businesses could grow or adapt.

Step 3: Support Strategy Development

We define targeted support actions, programs, or partnerships that address the most common needs surfaced by businesses.

Step 4: Recruitment and Entrepreneurship Paths

We outline practical recruitment strategies and low-barrier pathways for micro businesses and entrepreneurs.

What You Get

By the end of the engagement, you will have:

  • A clear picture of your downtown business ecosystem

  • Targeted actions to support and retain existing businesses

  • Practical strategies for micro business and entrepreneurship

  • Recruitment guidance aligned with market reality

This creates growth without unnecessary risk.

Best Fit For Communities That

  • Want to retain and strengthen existing businesses

  • Are cautious about overreaching their market

  • Need clearer direction on business recruitment

  • Want to support entrepreneurship in realistic ways

If you want a healthier downtown mix without forcing growth, this work provides the structure.

Typical Outcomes

Communities often see:

  • Stronger relationships with business owners

  • More focused support efforts

  • Better-aligned recruitment conversations

  • Increased confidence among entrepreneurs

Growth becomes intentional, not reactive.

What Comes Next

Some communities use this work to stabilize and support their business base. Others combine it with:

  • Real Estate Redevelopment Support

  • Downtown Destination Positioning

  • Downtown Action Planning

  • Organizational Capacity Building

Strong businesses are the backbone of downtown progress.

Ready to Strengthen Your Business Mix?

If your goal is to support existing businesses while creating realistic paths for entrepreneurship, Small Business & Entrepreneur Support helps you get there.

Next steps:

A healthy downtown grows at the pace its market allows.