By Cari Easterday
You’ve probably heard it a million times. Small businesses are the backbone of the economy. But it’s not idle chatter; we have the data to support it.
Across the country, according to the Small Business Administration, small businesses employ approximately 45.9% of the workforce and represent 43.5% of the US gross domestic product (GDP).
And while those numbers are impressive, the SBA also tells us that 52% are understaffed and 65% are struggling to increase employee pay for a number of reasons including inflation.
Those are just two issues we hope to address with the Downtown Detroit Partnership’s newly launched Small Business team.
Small businesses create jobs, improve neighborhoods, support local initiatives, and boost the overall economy. However, as many small business owners and entrepreneurs will tell you, they struggle with access to new technologies, lack the bandwidth for social media and marketing efforts, and often have trouble navigating city processes.
These challenges came through loud and clear over the last year as the DDP conducted research and held focus groups with the Downtown’s small business community, that ultimately led to the creation of the DDP’s Small Business team. The team’s strategy is centered on elevating engagement with small businesses in Downtown Detroit and positioning the DDP as the organization to go-to for small business needs and resources.
We’ve assigned four dedicated staff to run the program: Cari Easterday, Elise Fields, Chelsea Salame, and Kitty Whitfield.
This team will:
- Foster stronger engagement with small businesses through consistent communication and support.
- Highlight and support local businesses and encourage more patronage via storytelling, and marketing campaigns.
- Support initiatives like Downtown Markets, Downtown Street Eats, and the Small Business Straightaway through technical assistance, selection and advocacy.
- Connect businesses to the plethora of resources and data available to them through DDP.
- Encourage existing and future businesses to look to the DDP as the go-to organization for personalized support.
- Host small business workshops, networking events and job fairs.
- Issue a monthly newsletter packed with useful information and send real time alerts on issues impacting the Downtown.
With 278 businesses, Downtown Detroit is home to a thriving, diverse small business ecosystem, and it’s up to all of us to help them succeed.
We’re excited to see what we can accomplish through these efforts. If you’re a small business, we hope you’ll visit our website and contact us with questions. We’re ready to help.
