06/29/2025
Building a Better Tomorrow
Small businesses make up 99.3 percent of all businesses located in Montana (according to the SBA official website). For us as Montanans, it is important to understand what that means to us. So, let’s dive into what a small business actually is. come join me.
The definition of a small business according to the SBA basic requirements you cannot have over 500 employees or make over 7.5 million. But did you know that Montana has 136,790 small businesses, and of those, 102,790 have NO employees! 31,357 have between 1 and 19 people working for them. Those are some crazy numbers. Why is this important? Because we live where businesses thrive, when consumers search out and purchase local needs or wants.
I talked to people around the valley who have been in business for a long time. You want to know what their number one biggest challenge is? Becoming obsolete. What can we do to understand how we can have what we want, but get it locally? Think of it like this: each person who owns a small business is making their product just for you. The people of this valley pour their heart and soul into what they do with the best intentions of providing the best experience or product you can get. What we are missing is communication.
I know it shows up everywhere in our lives, that's because communication is in every relationship. That is exactly what we have between small businesses and consumers: a relationship. Don’t worry, you won't have to change this one's diaper or make it home for dinner on time, but what you do need is clear communication of the needs and wants of our community.
Let’s take this another step further. What if we, as consumers, have the imagination and bravery to try something new! What is fabulous about a small business is that most have unique and interesting things that may improve your life, fix a problem, or just increase your fun!
Take a second to drop a comment about what your wants and needs are for our community. What is something you travel to Missoula for, or buy off the internet? Let’s start changing our community for a better, more productive tomorrow.
References:
Montana 2024
Basic requirements | U.S. Small Business Administration