By Nicole Leinbach Hoffman

The Benefits of Working With Community Groups

The No. 1 job of a business owner is to run a great business. So, it is short-sighted not to take full advantage of opportunities in their own community to help achieve greater success.

This sentiment, however, is easier said than done. After all, business owners are busy folks. But are they too busy to align themselves with the right community partners that help support their businesses?

There is a vast and diverse group of both private and public sector organizations to help these busy merchants achieve stronger retail gains. The only hurdle is retailers choosing to welcome them into their routines or not.

Retailers should begin this process by looking at their local community and state-level organizations to identify the support that makes sense for them and their often one-of-a-kind businesses. Beginning at the local level, most retailers have access to municipal support, such as city resources, as well as a local Chamber of Commerce and other community support.

While each community varies in the operational resources it has to benefit retailers, all these business owners have support beyond their local communities. State-level organizations, such as the Retail Association of Maine and Kentucky Retail Federation, provide tremendous support for retailers of all sizes and exist in all 50 states. Keeping this in mind, let us explore how working with these types of organizations can boost retailer success.

Looking Local

Your local municipality and your Chamber of Commerce offer a variety of resources, such as visibility and adding credential to your business. This is particularly important if you consider how residents lean into their town to gain trust and insight into where to shop, what to do, and much more.

Local-level participation also gives businesses support and insight into the local demographics of customers and competition. Those are two key factors when you are trying to position your store for long-term achievement.

Additionally, many local organizations — including state-level support — provide educational resources, local media support, and other community-based incentives to help merchants achieve greater success. The types of organizations that support retailers from a local perspective include the following.

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Nicole Leinbach Hoffman is the founder of RetailMinded.com, a well-respected retail industry resource that has been recognized worldwide for its leading business insight since 2007. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Business Insider, the UK’s Telegraph, CNN, the Today show, and countless other industry resources. Additionally, she has supported American Express’s Small Business Saturday as a spokesperson and is the author of the book Retail 101: The Guide to Managing and Marketing Your Retail Business, published by McGraw-Hill. With a core concentration on small businesses and independent retailers, she welcomes you to connect via Instagram at @RetailMindedWorld and Twitter via @RetailMinded.