There’s nothing like the pride you feel when people adopt your local startup and welcome it into the community. There’s a buzzing sense of life and vitality that you get every time someone steps in your business. It’s no surprise that many startups are choosing the little cities over the big metropolises—but you should keep in mind that not every startup idea can work in a small town.
Making it big in small towns means having to do a lot of serious research about which stores would work best. What’s the current market situation? What is the public interested in? What’s can you make available in the local market? Take advantage of social media platforms to study the market so you’re well informed as you begin your journey.
When it comes to local startups, you have a lot of freedom to embrace big ideas that take it further. Here are some examples:
Restore old buildings and rent out the space.
This is as simple as taking office buildings and setting it up so it could outfit many other startups. Include the usual services like cubicles, computers, internet access, meeting rooms and others and ask for members to pay a monthly rental fee. While this type of business is already common in larger cities, many small town start-ups don’t have affordable access to these services. This will serve as a great hub for networking and holding meetings. Those who need their own quiet space to work will definitely appreciate this as well.
Find out what your community loves to do and base your startup on it.
Enthusiasts can be found everywhere. Ask around and find out what locals like to do when they’re off work and create a startup based on that. This has not only proven to be profitable, but it also contributes to the community’s pride and identity. For example, if many residents are avid fishermen but have to commute to other cities to get their gear, you can meet this need and tap the market. You’ll be bringing community members together and this will provide other profitable opportunities like offering classes.
Sell online but set up shop locally.
If you want a broader range of clients, it’s easy to start an online shop but have the store and warehouse based in your small town. This will allow profits from outside the town to benefit the local community while providing many jobs to residents as well. Warehouses are relatively inexpensive so it won’t add too much to the cost of having a storefront in town too.
With a lot of thought and research, the potential for success in a small town is greater than you would expect. Startups all over the country are making it big every day. The best part about it is that a successful startup means a successful community as well.