Vitality. In a word, it describes much of the spirit that drives small business in Gwinnett. The state of being strong. The active, exuberant drive to survive and succeed every day. Energy. Motivation. A can-do attitude always ready for the next challenge.
In this “Hey Alexis, turn on my lights”, twitter tweet’n, snapchat’n, drone-flying, in-the-cloud world we live in, its good to remember that the heart and soul of our community is still in the brick and mortar shops, restaurants and workplaces that define the character of our hometown.
When you stop and think about it, we owe much of our life experience and people connections to the businesses we interact with each day. It’s the visit to the locally-owned restaurant, preschool, auto repair shop, insurance agent, tax preparer, jewelry designer, spa and hundreds of other businesses that spark conversations, sharing and often times, loyal friendships.
Much of our local economy is shaped from the hard work and strengths of small business owners. It is the dedication and determination of creative, independent doers and thinkers who provide the goods and services that keep families and households thriving, transforming communities into prospering cities and towns. That persevering spirit flourishes here and has a way of molding the mood of our community. It’s a collective effort that sets an optimistic tone, leading the way to success for us all.
From a national perspective, we continue to hear the accolades of small businesses job creation. More than half of America’s workforce is employed by the more than 28 million small businesses across America outnumbering corporations 1162 to one. According to the March, 2016 ADP Small Business Report, small businesses those with 49 or less employees — created 86,000 new jobs in February to March alone. Of these jobs, 9,000 were in the goods-providing sector and 77,000 were in the services sector.
And small business owners should be proud. The impact they make is vital! While strengthening the tax base, they also stabilize neighborhoods. They offer opportunities that are felt in every facet of our culture, transforming the lives of individuals, offering platforms for intellectual and technological development, nurturing creativity and opening doors to greater happiness not just for themselves, but also for their prospects, customers and suppliers.
At Gwinnett Magazine we love to hear and share the stories of our local business community. We recently took to the streets to survey business owners about their outlook on the future. We found out one thing for sure. You can count on our local entrepreneurs to have that eternal optimism. In fact, 98% of the businesses we surveyed are expecting 2017 to be better than ever!
A common theme was hope, confidence and growth. Many cited plans to hire more people and expand to add new locations in 2017. All around, the voice of Gwinnett business is one of positive, uplifting encouragement.
So here’s to small business and their vital role in our community. We celebrate and encourage you and most of all, we appreciate your insights.
Check out some highlights of our report in the features on the following pages and look for more online at Gwinnettmagazine.com/vitality. It’s a feature we’ll run all year long, celebrating the continued success of our local, small-business heroes.
CHECK BACK FREQUENTLY. WE’RE ADDING NEW REPORTS TO THIS LIST EVERY DAY.
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