How to Reach and Support Every Microbusiness Owner

In a previous blog post, Three Microbusiness Owner Profiles, we introduced you to three distinct types of microbusiness owners that we have identified in our work: the Explorer, the Connector, and the Builder. These profiles aren't just helpful labels. They are a guide for how to better engage, support, and champion the entrepreneurs in your community.

In this post, we’re diving into how to reach each profile and provide the kind of support that encourages them to take their next step.

Reaching the Explorer

Explorers are curious, but quiet, and cautious, often flying under the radar. We see them poking around the online SmartStart Dashboard and engaging with resources privately. They’re gathering information and confidence before they ever raise their hand.

The explorers may show up for a workshop, but they will remain quiet and slow to engage. They are there to collect information and investigate if the group is for them.

How to reach them:

• Social media or an invite from a friend or leader of a group they are in (The coordinator of a Farmer's Market they participate in, for example.)

• Use soft, welcoming language in your marketing. Think: “Dreaming of starting something?” or “Not sure if your idea is a business yet? Start here.”

• Share short stories of people who started small - someone who baked bread on weekends and is now running a cottage bakery.

• Include links to no-pressure resources: downloadable guides, short videos, and self-paced learning - like the SmartStart Dashboard.

  
  

How to support them:

• Keep their first step low-risk and private - like their own SmartStart Dashboard account, a simple checklist or goal-setting worksheet they can download from social media or an email.

• Celebrate micro wins (like registering a business name or setting up a vendor booth for the first time).

• Offer consistent encouragement without pushing them to “go big.”

  
  

Reaching the Connector

The Connectors are energized by community. They want to learn, but they really want to talk, share stories, and feel like they’re part of something. These are the entrepreneurs who show up to monthly workshops.

How to reach them:

• Promote events through social media, email, local partners, and in-person invites.

• Show the vibe of your events - photos of smiling faces, groups in conversation, or quotes from past attendees.

• Make it easy for them to show up with short, well-timed events with clear takeaways.

How to support them:

• Build space into workshops for casual networking or small group discussion.

• Keep workshops interactive

• Use follow-up emails to keep the connection alive. Invite them to the next session or to join a peer group.

• Ask them to invite a friend. They are your best word-of-mouth marketers.

Reaching the Builder

Builders are ready to grow. They’ve moved beyond the “what if” and into “what’s next?” They’re looking for systems, tools, and accountability. They will come to monthly workshops, but only when the topic is something they need for their business right now. The builders want a structured program that will move them from A to B within a short time frame. We created our 12 week SmartStart Growth Challenge for the builders.

How to reach them:

• Speak to their ambitions: “Want to double your revenue?” “Ready to turn your side hustle into your full-time job?”

• Use testimonials and stats to show results they could achieve.

• Offer discovery calls or quick intake forms to funnel them into structured programs.

How to support them:

• Provide structure and targeted action plans

• Give them access to mentors and coaches.

• Provide tools that track real progress—sales, customer growth, revenue goals.

• Help them set and stick to measurable goals.

Why The SmartStart System Works

As we started to understand who we were trying to reach and how they prefer to engage, we realized that we need more than a one-size-fits-all solution. Each profile is a different on-ramp to the entrepreneurial journey. The steps they need to take are the same, but how they get to those steps and implement them in their business is different for each profile. The more tailored our support, the more likely we are to reach them, see them grow, and succeed.

Your community has all three types and each one needs a different nudge.

Are your current programs welcoming to Explorers? Are you creating connection for Connectors? Are you offering Builders a path to grow?

Do you want help setting up a system to reach and support your local microbusiness owners? Connect with SmartStart. We are here to help!