Have you been wondering whether your fellow businesses are facing issues similar to yours? For some it may be managing growth – how to hire new workers and plan for increased demand. Industrial businesses may have similar challenges when it comes to meeting changing environmental regulations, or working to increase energy efficiency for cost reasons. Retail businesses on Franklin might be dealing with the same person trespassing in their store or causing problems for their staff, and not realize it.

There may be many ways our members can practically support each other that we might find out if we got together in groups that have qualities in common. Solopreneurs is a good example of a roundtable group. Jenny Larson, a home-based graphic designer, wanted to see more speakers come in to talk about issues that were specific to one-person or home-based businesses, so she brought people together who shared her concerns, and they have been meeting every other month for about a year now – building up their networks and getting answers to their business questions.

If you think you might be interested in gathering a group of your peers to work together on some of these issues, SCCA would like to sponsor and publicize your group! We can provide advice on getting organized, suggest other businesses you might want to contact, and pay for snacks. The only requirement is that the initiating business be current on their membership. Groups might meet as often as once a month, or just 3-4 times a year, depending on your needs. Please contact us at info@sewardbusiness.org if you’d like more information or have an idea of a roundtable to start. You can also contact Jenny Larson at jenny@jenniferlarson.net to ask her about her experience starting the Solopreneurs group – she might have a clever name idea for your group, too!