Small Business Does More Than Make You Money

by Gwen Payne of The Invisible Mom

You have likely already heard the term, “Buy local, or bye local.” This is simply a way of saying that supporting your local businesses is a great way to support your community. But, as a future business owner, your business also plays a role in bolstering your hometown. How? Keep reading for the answer and for a few quick tips from Nanny Institute (a family-owned business) on how to get started.

 

Economic Health

There’s a lot of talk about the global and national economy, but not nearly enough about local economies. Having a small business is one of the best ways to boost your local economy, which is important on many levels. Your local financial state consists of everything from jobs to housing prices and vacancies. As a business owner, you are in a unique position to create jobs for the people that already live where you are.

Just as importantly, when people have an opportunity to buy local products and services, more money stays close. Money spent at small businesses stays in that town at a rate of approximately $0.67 per dollar. Where does it go? It pays your employees. It pays city taxes. It’s used as donations. It goes to pay other small businesses for their products and services. Having a small business creates a positive ripple effect.

 

Entrepreneurship Encouragement

Something else you can do as a business owner is encourage others, particularly young people, minorities, and those with special talents. Further, by supporting up-and-coming black-owned businesses, you empower your local community and, importantly, help to close the racial wealth gap.

 

Promote Diversity

Local businesses not only drive healthy competition but they also offer up a valuable opportunity for people to experience a diverse range of locally made goods. For example, if you own a specialty food shop, people will have access to ethnic or unusual cuisine or ingredients that they might not otherwise. This can help to instill a sense of respect and value in other cultures as it helps us gain a sense of understanding about that in which we are not familiar.

 

How To Start A Business

Starting a business means handling many moving parts. Some of these include:

• Forming your LLC. An LLC is a legal business structure that gives you some tax advantages each year. Additionally, you’ll have management flexibility, meaning that you can change your hierarchical organization chart at any time without government interference. You’ll need to establish an LLC operating agreement, which is a fairly straightforward and inexpensive process if you use a formation service instead of an attorney.

 

• Master marketing. Marketing is where many new business owners get caught unaware. While it’s easy to hope that your products will bring people in on their own, this isn’t always the case. Luckily, if you’re on a budget, you can use a free logo maker to get started, then spread the word over social media.

 

• Go back to school. If you want a thorough understanding of how your business operates, as well as the tools and skills you need to succeed, consider going back to school. These days, you can take courses at home on a variety of subjects related to your business, such as accounting. Of course, you don’t need to go back to school to start a business, but having extra tools in your arsenal is never a bad idea.

 

• Know your niche. Your niche is an area that you specialize in. Identifying this keeps you from suffering the frustrations of being the proverbial Jack of all trades but master of none. Your small business should not be generic but instead, serve your target demographic curated products and services they want and need.

 

• Don’t skimp on the equipment. Having an office with all of the right tools is always a good idea. If you haven’t already, fill your workspace with the things you need to succeed, including a reliable computer with a good webcam (invest in a great headset if you do a lot of calls).

 

You obviously need to earn an income and turn a profit, otherwise, you would not have started your own business. But, you can do so much more than benefit your own bottom line. When you create jobs and impact your community, you pave the way for others to do the same. The small business that you start today may be the very beginning of a domino effect that has a lasting, positive impact on the place you call home.

 

A small business, the Nanny Institute was founded in 2017 to provide affordable college-level training for nannies and sitters. With over 30 adjunct faculty who are experts in their field and passionate about elevating childcare, the US Nanny Institute developed a new, nanny-centric curriculum with over 50 hours of online training. Call 941-773-9020.