The Secret To Engaging Local Microbusiness Owners

If you are trying to connect with, engage, and serve your local microbusiness owners, but feel like you are hitting a wall, you are not alone.

“We’ve tried workshops and no one comes.”

“I’m not sure how to reach local home-based business owners.”

“We don’t know what our microbusiness owners need.”

Sound familiar? We hear this from local leaders, chambers, Main Street programs, and economic developers everywhere.

The Problem

Microbusiness owners can be hard to connect with. They are used to doing all the things themselves. They are usually operating with their heads down and not looking up for help until the need is urgent. Some are literally hiding in their basement.

And let’s be honest, you’re busy too - running programs, planning events, juggling budgets. So, how do you connect with your local microbusinesses to support them before emergency hits without adding more hours to the day?

Well…there is a secret to connecting effectively to your microbusiness community.

The Secret

It's not just any secret. It’s a secret so powerful that it is only whispered in hushed tones. The kind of secret that feels like it should be locked in a vault and guarded like they are the crown jewels. Tjis secret has been perfected and passed down only by the most dedicated and elite of community leaders.

In our work, we have watched in wonder as masters of this secret used it to not only connect, but gain the trust of their microbusiness community. We have put this secret to the test. Guess what? It works.

Wondering what the secret is?

Are you ready?

Here it is…

Talk to people.

Yep. That’s it. No fancy app. No pricey consultant. No 17-step program. Just conversation - the kind your grandma called “visiting.”

How To Implement The Secret

Don't just pop in when you have a flyer for the next event. Actually, get to know your local entrepreneurs. Ask real questions. Not just "How are you?" "How's business today?" Learn the why behind their answers.

Here’s how the pros do it:

Walk your Main Street. Make it a practice to pop in on shop owners. Say hello often enough that you’re known more for visiting and good conversation than showing up once a year to collect dues or ask for a raffle basket donation for the next event. (Don’t stop with the business owners. Get to know the building owners, too.)

Get Off Main Street. Pay a visit to the graphic designer who makes t-shirts for local organizations in his basement, the lawncare guy, the kitchen-table jewelry maker. They are business owners, too.

Ask real questions. Get to know them. Why did they start their business? What’s their biggest seller? Do they stock any products from other local business owners or artisans? Ask about other business owners operating under the radar. What’s keeping them up at night? What help do they really need? Where do they go for help?

Connect the dots. Share resources, introduce them to other business owners, or connect them to someone who can help them with whatever they are struggling with.

Be the go-to. You don’t have to be the person with every answer. Be known as the person who cares enough to know where to find the answers.

Repeat. The goal is to build relationships. They don’t happen in just one visit.

Thriving microbusiness networks aren’t built by slick programs. They’re built by leaders who walk around, knock on doors, and ask real questions. When you build these relationships, business owners are more likely to participate in your programming and because you really know your business owners you are more likely to be able to create programs and find resources that they really need.

How Engaging Microbusiness Owners Looks In Real Life

But I don’t have time to “visit”

It doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming. Here’s how this could look for you:

• Make the goal of visiting at least one business owner a day. Even if it is a quick pop in to say “hi!”

• Pop into a shop during your lunch break for a few minutes to chat with the owner if they are free.

• Grab your morning coffee at a local shop once a week and chat with the owner and employees.

• Be an example of shopping local and talk with the owner while you are there. Two birds with one stone.

• Stop at the local bakery. Talk to the owner. Buy a pastry and take it to another business owner.

• Visit your local farmers market and connect with the vendors.

• Get to know that parent who has a business at your kid's next little league game.

The truth is, microbusiness owners don’t need another flyer or email in their inbox. They need a face, a voice, and a genuine connection. Every time you say hello, every question you ask, every resource you share builds trust. And trust is what turns “no one shows up” into “we can’t wait to be there.”

So this week, start with one business owner to stop in on. Start the conversation. Build the relationship. That’s how real engagement begins.