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A small company's community can be the lifeblood of its business, but for that to happen, connecting with locals has to go deeper than peppering houses with flyers. Often, the most successful enterprises are those that contribute to the area in tangible and intangible ways.
After all, when small business owners live and work in a community, and hire people from the community, it makes a big difference to the state of the neighborhood overall. Other ways of giving back, from providing sponsorship for the little league to supporting the school band with new uniforms, can ultimately benefit business revenue too. Read on for pointers from some seasoned pros.
<img class="right_image" src="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/rcs/lifeandmoney/storage/public/community-ties_body-2_1283072077.jpg" alt="A business owner participates in a local food drive" />
<h2>Put yourself out there</h2>
It's essential to be a part of your physical community, of course, but we do <a href="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/lam/articles/money/career/technology-tools-for-small-businesses" data-link-source="tiny">live in a digital world</a>, so it's helpful to spread your efforts online as well. A great way to do this is to start a social network group around a <a href="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/lam/articles/well-being/well-being/hobbies-for-a-happier-you" data-link-source="tiny">hobby or passion</a> related to your business, says Garit Boothe, founder of Garit Boothe Digital, a digital marketing agency in Salt Lake City, UT. "Do you own a nursery? Start a group about local gardening. Are you a massage therapist? Start a group about healthy living, meditation or exercise," Boothe suggests.
At the same time, you can build up your social media presence by developing content that communicates what you do, why you do it and who you do it for, leveraging this on your channels to draw customers in. To keep your business top of mind among locals and high in search results, make sure your company is included on review sites and online listing sites and that your website is optimized and loads quickly on any device.
<div><img class="right_image" src="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/rcs/lifeandmoney/storage/public/Karla Trotman.jpg" alt="President and CEO of Electro Soft, Inc Karla Trotman sitting in a workshop, smiling towards the camera" /></div>
<div>Photo by Whitney Thomas</div>
<h2>Find a need and fill it</h2>
When the pandemic hit, Electro Soft president and CEO Karla Trotman discovered a crucial skill: being able to pivot. Her electronics manufacturing company specializes in building printed circuit boards, cables, wire harnesses and enclosure assemblies, but to help keep hospital workers in their community protected from Covid-19, the company switched gears.
"I saw photos on social media of doctors and nurses using sandwich containers as face shields and knew that we could do better," Trotman says. "As a contract manufacturer, we are professional problem solvers. We knew that we could repurpose materials from office supplies and hardware stores at a low price to serve as a temporary form of PPE [personal protective equipment] until the supply chain was restored."
Trotman and the Electro Soft team connect with the neighborhood in other ways too. "I live in the same community in which my company operates," she says. "We are very interested in helping young people learn about STEM fields. We regularly open our doors for tours to middle school and high school students."
Trotman also sponsors interns, mentors young girls and often participates in speaking engagements about manufacturing careers and entrepreneurship in the greater Philadelphia area. "It has been so rewarding to make an impact on their lives," she says, "and I have seen them go on to become successful adults in a variety of careers."
<h2>Engage in the everyday</h2>
You don't need a huge staff to make a lasting impact in your area. According to Megan Beauvais, a realtor at Compass in San Diego, CA, participating in your community individually as an advocate and consumer can go a long way toward growing your business.
She says she makes a point of eating at local restaurants, shopping at boutiques in town and supporting the area's schools and nonprofits, and refers these services to friends, family and clients. On top of that, as president of her local business association, she organizes professional development trainings, annual food drives, fundraising events and fun-spirited activities such as holiday caroling.
"By really entrenching myself in the communities I sell in," Beauvais says, "I am not only able to relate first-hand to buyers in the area and share what the community offers, but I am also doing my part in keeping the health of the businesses and community spirit alive."
Her advice is to be friendly and approachable, and to establish yourself as a known resource for your field. "I think a lot of people fail by focusing on what others can do for them, rather than what they can do for others," Beauvais says. "If you meet people in the neighborhood and let them get to know you rather than simply introducing yourself and asking for business, I think you will get a lot further."
&mdash; With additional reporting from Life and Money by Citi editors.

Community Ties: How Small Businesses Can Connect Locally

If there's a constant in the small business world, it's change.
New competitors stealing market share, a global crisis, a product's dwindling relevance &mdash; change can make or break a small business. For owners, it's all how you handle change that determines whether you sink or swim.
Here, the stories of how five entrepreneurs adapted to uncertainty and navigated obstacles that offer valuable lessons to those facing pivotal moments of their own.
<div><img class="right_image" src="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/rcs/lifeandmoney/storage/public/Somto Ugwueze Granada Smiling Shot.jpg" alt="Somto Ugwueze, founder of Destination Forward LLC, smiles in front of a scenic background"></div>
Photo courtesy of Somto Ugwueze 
<h2>Know what questions to ask to pivot your business for success</h2>
Somto Ugwueze is founder and CEO of Destination Forward, LLC. Until recently, she focused on her website, Somto Seeks, which shows solo female travelers how to travel affordably and build a location-independent lifestyle.
But when the travel industry saw a dramatic slowdown this year, she lost 80% of her web traffic, causing ad revenue and affiliate income to drop to almost zero.
She says she learned that it's important not to panic when things go wrong. She suggests taking a deep breath and asking yourself these three questions:
<ul>
<li>How can I pivot my business to adapt to this situation?</li>
<li>What costs can I eliminate to keep my expenses down?</li>
<li>What can I do right now to position my business for future success?</li>
</ul>
Not only did Ugwueze pinpoint the right questions to ask herself about her business, but she already was thinking of ways to diversify her business before outside circumstances forced the issue. "To adapt to this unprecedented situation, I sped up the launch of two new business offerings that were already in the works," Ugwueze says.
"First, I launched a high-ticket blog coaching program. Within a few weeks, I closed three high-ticket clients, helping offset the revenue losses. Next, I launched a new website about online business called Fight the Cubicle, in response to requests from my audience. The website is quickly gaining traffic and already bringing in some affiliate income."
<div><img class="right_image" src="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/rcs/lifeandmoney/storage/public/Autumn Grant.jpg" alt="Autumn Grant, founder of The Kind Poppy, wears a hat and smiles."></div>
Autumn Grant, founder of The Kind Poppy 
<h2>Find new marketing avenues</h2>
While marketing is essential for every small business, sometimes the "same old" approach no longer works, whether that's because of increased competition or customers becoming immune to the same types of messaging.
Autumn Grant is the owner and founder of The Kind Poppy, a bath products retail brand located in Franklin, TN. After nearby Nashville was hit by a tornado earlier this year, and then her physical business had to close in accordance with public health measures, she decided to get more creative and seek opportunities to become more <a href="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/lam/articles/money/career/technology-tools-for-small-businesses" data-link-source="tiny">innovative in her marketing strategy</a>.
"I reached out to large brands and small businesses to offer social media giveaways," Grant says. "We were able to help each other gain new sales while growing our community &mdash; a win, win! Our staff immersed ourselves in online marketing resources and took advantage of online classes."
After reopening her business's brick and mortar location in August, Grant says, she and her team have continued to consider ways to adapt, including offering pop-up shops to local vendors and selling tickets for DIY classes to make soaps and bath bombs.
Grant now recognizes that a company shouldn't wait for a crisis to change its strategy.
"It's truly been such a unique year that no business plan was prepared for. My advice for another business is to continue finding ways to be innovative. Your business, all businesses, are in a tough spot."
<h2>Find the best communication channel for customers</h2>
Not every business has the luxury of face-to-face communication with customers, especially these days. But for many, not adapting to how their customers want to interact can be a roadblock to fostering those relationships.
That may necessitate experimenting with different communication tools, even if they seem a bit unconventional.
Kevin Miller, founder and CEO of The Word Counter, a dynamic online tool used for counting words, characters, sentences, paragraphs and pages in real-time, says that this year, he's seen business owners revamp how they communicate with customers remotely. He says, particularly for businesses that are dependent on personal customer interactions, there is no reason for businesses to sacrifice quality customer experiences simply because they aren't communicating in person.
His own style of communicating in his business has changed, as more clients <a href="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/lam/articles/money/career/tech-innovations-for-small-business-owners" data-link-source="tiny">rely more and more on technology</a>.
"We communicate with our clients through [online] messaging and video calls and it is working well for us," he says.
Not all clients will want to communicate in the same way, so be open to a few different channels to ensure everyone's comfortable with how they interact with your brand.
<h2>Be transparent with your employees</h2>
Twyla Garrett, president and CEO of Growth Management Services Inc. in Raleigh, NC, said that her construction business, like so many other businesses, was hit hard this year. While construction workers were considered essential, it was up to her company to protect employees on site amid a shortage of personal protective equipment. &nbsp;
Meanwhile, Garrett had to keep up with ever-changing government ordinances, and adapt to fluctuations in workers&rsquo; availability.&nbsp;
To foster greater trust with employees, she strove to be flexible in managing them and transparent in all communications. She says the key to making it through difficult times is to keep&nbsp;<a href="file:///C:/CMS/lam/legacy-site/www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/money/small-business/small-business-management-advice.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link-source="tiny">open and constant communication to all</a>, relaying both good and bad news.
She even offered money management lessons to her staff to help them find a way through tough times.
&ldquo;Stay the course; adversity as a business owner is what makes you a better person and ultimately a better owner,&rdquo; Garrett advises.
<blockquote>
Stay the course; adversity as a business owner is what makes you a better person and ultimately a better owner.
</blockquote>
<h2>Trust your gut</h2>
Challenges don't always come in the form of unexpected turns in the market, but from personal or business connections, too.
When Dee Tutt, founder of DTRS Enterprises and creator of Sav&icirc;le Tropical Rum Cocktail, decided to relaunch her brand, she encountered negativity and discouragement from many in the industry. Her aim was to create an alcoholic beverage using all-natural ingredients, but the naysayers encouraged her to use artificial ingredients so she could realize more profit.
"Each time I encountered these types of roadblocks, I didn't quit. I kept moving. I surrounded myself with people both in and outside of the industry that shared my mindset and offered encouragement, support, and advice to keep me going. By doing this, I successfully launched my initial brand as well as came back to market, stronger than ever, with my new product, Sav&icirc;le Tropical Rum Cocktail," she says, "I didn't back down, and I didn't cut corners."
She says you must know your brand inside and out and not allow for any deviation from it because of industry pressures. "Advice is just that: Advice. You don't have to take it. If it doesn't feel right for you or your business, you have the choice to do what you feel is best."
No matter what the challenge is, it's the businesses that find ways to roll with the changes it brings that will come out on top.

How 5 Entrepreneurs Have Overcome Challenges

When it comes to women-owned businesses, the needle is definitely moving in the right direction, but an entrepreneurial gender gap still remains.A March 2022<a href="https://www.citivelocity.com/citigps/women-entrepreneurs/"> Citi Global Perspectives & Solutions</a> report noted that while there has been an increase in women-owned businesses in the past two decades, women still engage in entrepreneurship at a lower rate than men (11% vs. 14%). And the gaps grow wider through each stage — from intention of starting a business to establishing one — in large part, the report finds, because women still lack access to finance at the venture capital stage.<img src="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/rcs/lifeandmoney/storage/public/Eleanor Cooper_0.png" alt="Eleanor Cooper, Co-Founder and CEO of Pathstream" class="right_image" />Through its <a href="https://blog.citigroup.com/2022/09/citi-impact-fund-expands-to-500-million-doubling-down-on-the-double-bottom-line/">$500 million</a> Citi Impact Fund, Citi is using its own capital to make equity investments in "double bottom line" U.S.-based private sector companies that are applying innovative solutions to help address some of society's most pressing challenges. Citi's Impact Fund actively seeks opportunities to invest in businesses that are led or owned by women and people of color to help combat the gender and race gaps that exist in the VC-funded startup ecosystem.Businesses like Pathstream. Founded in 2015 by Eleanor Cooper, the San Francisco-based company is on a mission to create accessible career pathways for in-demand digital jobs. They do this by providing certificate programs and career support for data analytics, digital marketing and project management roles that will, in turn, help people achieve greater economic mobility.As a result of Citi's investment in Pathstream, Cooper says that they were better able to meet the rapid demand for growth in 2021. According to Pathstream's 2021 Impact Report they delivered +80% career advancement success rate with a salary increase of 30% on average. Pathstream also delivered on employer's DE&I goals by supporting the career advancement of learners who are 71% non-white, 62% women or non-binary and 55% non-degree holdersLife and Money by Citi sat down to talk to Cooper about Pathstream's successful programs, the importance of celebrating success and seeking out role models.<img src="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/rcs/lifeandmoney/storage/public/body_1_GettyImages-651423139.jpg" alt="Adult students paying attention in class" class="right_image" />How has the Citi Impact Fund fueled Pathstream's success?They provided capital, but they go above and beyond that. Our contact there is always following up with something helpful — making an introduction, sharing resources or an idea from a different industry. The Citi team makes sure that they're part of our journey and not merely watching from the sidelines.How does your team celebrate professional wins?We have a very woman-driven leadership team and woman-driven culture. It's high communication and high collaboration in terms of being open and sharing success with one another. Every Friday, we get together as a team and the first item on our agenda is to talk about the students and the progress they've made. When we have a student success story, our social channels light up. It means so much to people — from the instructors to the operations team, to the folks in finance and our engineering team. Startups are hard, and those success stories are probably the number one fuel that keeps all of us going, even in tough times Did you have role models for your career when you were growing up?I grew up in a traditional Southern culture with an emphasis on: Who are you dating? Are you getting married soon? Thinking about having kids? How are you dressed? There were very few women I knew with careers as a main focus. I moved to New York when I was 21 and worked in finance, and it was then that I saw how many career paths and opportunities were open for women. If you're in an environment that doesn't encourage you or you don't see how you can be successful, there are other places you can go where that isn't the case. I just urge people to explore new environments that will embrace you for who you are.What do you absolutely love about being the CEO of Pathstream?The CEO job is hard. The reason why I find it fulfilling is that I do love the creativity of it. No one's going to tell you what the right answer is — you just need to figure it out. And I value creating an organization where it's not bureaucratic. We have an organization that values service-oriented leadership, where moving up the ladder means you support individuals, and your job is to help others to be successful.This will be the work of my life. Finding a solution for economic mobility is the one thing I've always been passionate about. I'm really grateful I've found a way to wake up every day and get to do that thing I care about.<img src="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/rcs/lifeandmoney/storage/public/Folakemi Seun Adeosun (1).jpeg" alt="Folakemi Seun Adeosun, Pathstream student" class="right_image" /><h2>Pathstream success stories</h2>Last year, the company delivered an 80-percent career advancement success rate while serving almost 7,000 students. Like these former students who changed their career trajectories.● After giving birth to her first son, Keilandra Bridges began driving a school bus to have greater flexibility to care for her son. She wanted to switch to a tech-based career path for greater financial mobility. Bridges pursued Pathstream's data analysis program and within a few weeks of completion began her career as a safety data analyst. ● Folakemi Seun Adeosun went from working for a non-governmental organization to the tech industry when she moved from Nigeria to the U.S. Seun Adeson, who had earned an MBA in her country, studied cloud-based software with Pathstream. Seun Adeson now combines her love of humanitarian causes by working for a non-profit that provides emergency assistance.

The Future of Work: Unlocking Hidden Potential

For a view into the human theater of the economy, look no further than a small business.<img src="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/rcs/lifeandmoney/storage/public/AllForSmall_Program_lede.jpg" alt="man in apron leaning out food truck window smiling" class="" />These independent enterprises build close relationships with their customers. They create jobs and innovate. They become community commons.Small businesses today face major challenges that test their ingenuity. Economic headwinds have forced many to close, while others have had to reimagine their path to success. Harnessing the power of community is a crucial way forward. That's why Citi is a proud to celebrate small businesses and rally customers, partners and resources to help them meet this moment head-on.Looking for information, inspiration or ways you can join in? Check out the stories below.

Small Business Success Stories

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