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Helping you build vibrant main streets

Are you a Main Street director or small-town economic development leader tasked with supporting and growing small businesses?

 

You wear enough hats. SmartStart is here to help you build a pipeline of small businesses ready to fill your storefronts.

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Our mission is to help small towns start and grow their small business ecosystems.

Here's how
we help

SmartStart is a turn-key package you can implement to help emerging small business owners in your community. Using our curriculum, you will walk them through a proven business development process, connecting them to expert support, and fostering a strong business community.

 

We do this through Engagement, Education, and Support.

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Engagement

Targeted, non- traditional marketing strategies

Small business outreach and engagement can get lost in the shuffle of your regular business activities. Idea and early-stage business owners are notoriously hard to reach, and even harder to keep engaged. They are busy with the day-to-day running of their businesses, which are often started as a side hustle outside their regular 9-5 job. 

 

We can help.

 

We provide you social media post and email templates with a scheduling calendar so you can keep your business owners engaged and connected. We've designed and tested these materials to ensure they create a strong brand and messaging that resonates with and has a proven track record of reaching these hard-to-find business owners. 

 

Don't waste another minute scrambling for a post. Our expert marketing team goes way beyond the basics FOR YOU, curating content and engaging with local business owners so you become THE resource for networking, asking questions, and business best practices in your community.

Education

Fully developed small business curriculum

We know your calendars are busy! Between your Board meetings, annual festivals, and monthly mixers, it can be hard to find the time to curate resources specific to the small business owners in your town.

 

SmartStart makes this process easy with a fully developed schedule of small business support curriculum that is plug and play for your community. We provide you everything you need to run these workshops, and we will meet with you each month to prepare.

 

The workshops are designed to be interactive so small business owners not only learn essential skills of business development—they apply them right then and there with peer and expert feedback. No dry lectures here!

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Support

Individualized and interactive guides

Even two years post-pandemic, economic development and small business assistance programs struggle to meet everyone’s needs when it comes to accessing services. So, we made a DIY option for business owners to access resources on their own time, at their own pace: the SmartStart Dashboard.

 

Your community will have access to this platform. It is an individualized and interactive step-by-step guide to help entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses, virtually.

 

The SmartStart Dashboard eliminates the uncertainty of starting a business by outlining what steps to take and when to take them, and identifying who can help at each step of the way. It is designed to be free for business owners

 

The Education Workshop curriculum cadence follows the phases of the Dashboard, so small business owners can DIY or attend the monthly workshop to dive in deeper and get more support.

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Learn more about the Dashboard by clicking the button below.

SmartStart has amplified our community's entrepreneurial ecosystem and engagement. SmartStart’s innovative platform guides aspiring business owners along a clear business journey to success while connecting them with seasoned mentors and local resources. Through monthly workshops and continuous communication, SmartStart has actively cultivated growth and collaboration, ensuring Morton continues to foster a strong and sustainable economy.

Leigh Ann Brown, Executive Director and CEO, Morton Economic Development Council and Morton Chamber of Commerce

SmartStart Delavan has been pivotal in transforming Delavan's entrepreneurial landscape through exceptional small business coaching and mentorship. Their efforts have created an environment that encourages innovation and growth. By strengthening relationships within the business community, they've spurred economic development, attracting investment and talent to our city. As the City Administrator, I'm impressed by their impact on both new and established businesses, contributing greatly to our community's newfound vibrancy.

Matt Fick, City Administrator, City Of Delavan, IL

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