Small Business in Dacula

I appreciate the businesses that serve our residents and that are located in our City. It really takes guts to want to be an entrepreneur in these hard economic times. I want to congratulate the small business people and national companies that invest their money, time, and lives in our City.

Starting your own business is a risk. About 30% of all new businesses will fail to be profitable in the first several years of operation. But starting your own business may be an answer to the problem of unemployment or underemployment for many. Most small businesses in the nation have only one employee, the owner, who works out of the home. But even with this statistic, small business is the major employer in the nation, and I think that is true in Dacula as well.

Why then do small businesses fail? One reason is, of course, the economy. Most startup businesses are underfunded. In our economy, it is hard right now to get entrepreneurial funding from banks and financial institutions.

A business may be started for the wrong reason. The owner may underestimate the time and hard work necessary to run a business. The business might be located in the wrong place. The owner may not understand how to plan using strategic, careful methods.

There may be regulatory problems that the owner didn’t consider, or there may be major, established competition for the customers of the startup.

Simply opening a business and waiting for customers just doesn’t get it. I found this statement from statistics gathered by the Small Business Administration interesting, “No website. Simply put, if you have a business today, you need a website. Period.”

I think this means that you have to be active on the “WEB” and social media, but you also need to be active in the locality also. If you don’t have a professional looking website describing your activity, you will lose business to those businesses that do. If your business is not active in the community, your business will lose customers to those businesses that are active community participants. One way any business can begin to work the community is through the Dacula Business Association. Joining with other businesses in the community is a first step. These are people you can network with who understand meeting a payroll, employee problems, what social media means, and the need for personal time.

When it comes to the success of any business, the business owner is ultimately the “secret” to success. Setbacks in business are to be expected. How the owner approaches those with drive, determination to learn, and a positive mindset will ultimately determine success or failure of a given business.

I am always pro-business in my outlook. Businesses mean jobs. Jobs mean a more successful community. Successful communities are places people want to visit and live. Spend you dollars in the community supporting your local businesses. It means success for you too.