Small Businesses, Strong Foundations program
Columbus Metropolitan Library
Innovation Synopsis
After launching the Business & Nonprofit Resource Center (BNRC) in June 2023, CML staff sought grant funding to enhance programming for small business owners. A grant was successfully obtained from the Ohio CDC Association, through the Microbusiness grant program.
Small Businesses, Strong Foundations is a six-week cohort program serving residents with incomes below 50% of the area median income (AMI). The program provides participants with a basic understanding of the legal requirements to register and run a business and the components of a business plan. The program provides expert instruction, library resources for business research and access to LivePlan, an online business plan builder. All participants receive several hours of one-on-one technical assistance from a qualified organization, and leave the program with a personalized Action Plan, describing next steps and community referrals.
Challenge/Opportunity
While Columbus has a robust small business support system, lower-income entrepreneurs are often unsure of how to start their journey towards small business success and sometimes lack connections to the business community. At the same time, library staff may not have the knowledge or availability to answer business questions that are better answered by business owners or business degree holders. CML saw an opportunity to connect business experts in the community to lower-income small business owners, increasing access to business knowledge and connections. At the same time, leveraging the use of business experts and consultants was an opportunity to expand staff’s capacity and reach.
Key Elements of Innovation
Columbus Metropolitan Library enhanced the existing programming by:
- Partnering with the Ohio Community Development Corporation (CDC) Association, to support specialized library services for small businesses, through a grant.
- Facilitating access to community business experts for lower-library customers
- Expanding staff capacity with the use of paid consultants, to provide expert business consultation and programming that library staff doesn’t have to lead.
- Implementing new outcomes measurement practices to ensure that the library could report accurately on measures such as number of businesses started or expanded, jobs created and other measures of economic impact.
- Marketing to specific, lower-income neighborhoods near library branches. In addition to the library’s usual marketing techniques, a mailed postcard was used to target one neighborhood and a postcard placed in a door-knocker bag was distributed by a partner organization who was already canvassing another neighborhood.
Achieved Outcomes
In the first two cohorts, 67 businesses owned by low to moderate income people were assisted through attendance at one or more classes, or by receiving technical assistance. An additional 34 people who did not meet the income criteria, were also able to take advantage of the program. Two additional cohorts will be held in September and October 2024. Four new businesses were started, 6 businesses were expanded, and 3 jobs were created by people meeting LMI criteria. Technical assistance was provided to the businesses by three external organizations, and a fourth organization will be brought in for the last cohort.
