If it takes a village to raise a child, you could also say it takes a village to build a business. Yes, your business is your baby—but it sure is nice to have a lot of support when it counts. One of those places you can get (and give!) that support is with local government organizations, nonprofits, and small business associations.
What Kind of Organizations?
No doubt you’ve heard of your local business improvement area (BIA) or other local business association. That’s one type of organization we’re talking about.
But there are other local government organizations that you can join, participate in, or even help lead that can be beneficial to you and your business. For example, your municipality probably has boards for your local community centre, bylaw adjustment, design review panels, local investment, conservation authorities, heritage designations, and much more. Obviously, many local boards won’t be super relevant to your business—you probably won’t find a whole lot of synergy with your business sitting on the elections compliance board—but others might be helpful for reasons we’ll get into. Aside from boards, your local community might have government-sponsored community initiatives or public appointments.
Finally, there are nonprofits that might align with you and your business. For example, your area might have a nonprofit that promotes more wheelchair accessibility in all businesses, or a community gardening group that’s trying to add more greenery to neglected spots. These types of organizations could also be part of your proverbial village.
Shape Your Community
You started your business in your community for a reason. Maybe you like the demographic. Or the values. Or it’s where you grew up or where you’ve lived for a while and your business fulfils a need. Your small business is an important piece of your broader community.
By joining one of these groups, you can further shape your community into a better place—and one more friendly to small businesses such as yours. Perhaps you own a café and you join your town’s board on recommending bylaws for sidewalk patios. Or maybe joining a group that teaches seniors and kids gardening skills aligns with your values as a seller of household green technology. Or maybe you’re on your city’s diversity and inclusion board because a more inclusive community is better for everyone, including your business. The point is, your business has a list of needs and values, and there’s no doubt a BIA, government body, or nonprofit out there that can help fulfil those needs and values.
Networking
You’re only as good as your network. Of course, it’s a good idea to get to know other business owners in your neighbourhood. Even if you aren’t interested in sitting in on every BIA meeting or planning their annual holiday party, it doesn’t hurt to show your face and get to know your broader business community. Similarly, cultivating relationships with people in your local government and nonprofit spaces could be useful parts of your business network someday. And who knows, maybe they’ll need something from you—which is presumably why you got into business in the first place.
Mutual Support
Small business owners need a lot of support. After all, while the big guys can rely on different in-house departments for things like tax filing or IT maintenance, at your business, you’re it. You wear 15 different hats a day because you don’t have a big organization to do it all for you. This is where your network comes in. Wouldn’t it be handy to know local government employees who sit on the same accessibility board as you who can help you understand a zoning problem you’re dealing with—or at least point you in the right direction? Can you imagine how helpful it would be to have friends in your local nonprofit explain parts of the neighbourhood demographic you don’t understand? And what better support is there than fellow small business owners in your local BIA who you can compare notes with about payment systems, third-party IT support, or what a cloud-first strategy looks like.
Be proactive about building your village. BIAs, local government bodies, and nonprofits are already shaping your community and business environment, so why wouldn’t you want a say in that? Join a few and help build a better community for you and your business.
