How to start a community-based business

waxie · #1 05-25-2007, 10:20 PM

First, a little background....

I am going to work for a businessman who primarly works in one neighborhood of a major East Coast city. He owns a resturant, part of a bank, a bunch of office and retail space, and some residential units. He has a small staff that works directly for him. I will be joining that group.

My new boss is extremely committed to his neighborhood. He has lived there forever and generally has broad community support for his projects. He also sits on a lot of boards and is involved in politics. I think he has been sucessful because he really cares about the community and is seen as more that just a businessman.

I am 22 years old and I will be moving to another neighborhood. This neighborhood is undergoing a rapid transformation. The best comparison is Williamsburg in Brooklyn. I would like to similarly get involved in this emerging community and try to play a similar role.

Any thoughts? How does a small business owner and/or developer cooperate effectivly with community groups? How can developers be viewed as assets rather than an enemy to fight?

Sniper · #2 05-25-2007, 10:30 PM

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How can developers be viewed as assets rather than an enemy to fight?

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By finding out what the community wants and providing it. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Also, you kind of provided the answer to your own question...

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My new boss is extremely committed to his neighborhood. He has lived there forever and generally has broad community support for his projects. He also sits on a lot of boards and is involved in politics. I think he has been sucessful because he really cares about the community and is seen as more that just a businessman.

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elus2 · #3 05-25-2007, 10:39 PM

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How can developers be viewed as assets rather than an enemy to fight?

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Donate money to local charities and support groups. Take on active roles in those same groups. Organize your own groups. Major issues in my neighborhood has always been crime, drugs, homelessness, helping new immigrants adjust, etc.

Also a lot of the time it can't be avoided. The local population will see you as encroaching on their neighborhood as new developments are put up. People will remember the bad things you did a disproportionate amount of time and gloss over the good. But that's no reason to not give back to the community.

As a small business owner, I'm donating some money towards a fundraising event thrown by a non profit in the city. In return they give me small ad space on the program hard copy on the night of the event. I don't really expect to get good sales leads but I've been a long time contributor to this cause.

waxie · #4 05-25-2007, 10:58 PM

elus:

What kind of small-business do you own? What is the neighborhood like?

Here is a more concrete example of what I am talking about: My friend and I were discussing the neighborhood and she pointed out that there wasn't a grocery store. Now, this nieghborhood might not be big enough yet to support a grocery store. So what are the other options?

The idea we came up with was a farmer's market. Something small-scale that would provide fresh veggies cheap. We would do it once a week. Obviously, part of this is figuring out your own capacity. My friend and I are both in our early twenties. A weekly farmers market is all we can afford to try right now.

elus2 · #5 05-26-2007, 01:28 AM

Managed services and IT Consulting firm. Just a small shop where my dad and I take on projects when we can.

The city we live in has about 1.5 million people living in it plus the outlying suburbs. The best thing really is to just do something/anything. With limited downsides plus the ability to get to know other local business owners and the rest of the neighborhood, future opportunities will become available to exploit.