20 stories for 20 years: Building a thriving small business ecosystem
At Small Business Majority, we know small businesses don’t succeed in a vacuum, they thrive when surrounded by a strong, connected support system. That’s why we’re committed to building small business ecosystems: networks of community organizations, mission-driven lenders, service providers, and policymakers working together to help entrepreneurs start, grow, and scale their businesses.
A strong ecosystem ensures that small business owners, especially those from historically under-resourced communities, can access capital, one-on-one support, mentorship and technical assistance when they need it. It's about creating seamless pathways to opportunity through collaboration, shared values, and a commitment to equity. By fostering strong relationships between service providers, mission-driven lenders and other organizations that work with small business owners at varying stages of their development, we aim to build an entrepreneurial culture that has shared goals, reflects community values and creates a model for building a thriving local economy and creating good paying, quality jobs through small business development.
We first launched this work in Illinois in 2018, partnering with Allies for Community Business to co-direct the Chicago Inclusive Growth Coalition. Together, we developed tools to help business support organizations measure their impact and created policy recommendations to drive growth and wealth-building in under-resourced communities.
At the heart of our ecosystem-building approach is human-centered design, a process that puts small business owners at the forefront. We bring together non-profit partners, lenders and support providers to identify strengths, uncover service gaps, and set shared goals, always guided by the lived experience of entrepreneurs themselves.
In 2024, we brought this model to Fresno County, Calif., where small businesses are a powerful force for good. Despite high poverty and unemployment rates, Fresno’s entrepreneurs employ over half of the local workforce and generate more than 50% of the county’s payroll.
To support this vital sector, Small Business Majority has been working with local partners to build a coordinated and inclusive small business ecosystem. Through roundtables, surveys and community-led planning sessions, Fresno entrepreneurs told us what they needed: better access to capital, personalized coaching, shared workspaces and opportunities to connect with peers.
From this input, we developed a set of 10 actionable ideas for ecosystem growth, with four top solutions prioritized by the community. These ideas are now guiding efforts to strengthen support for Fresno’s small business owners and unlock new opportunities for investment.
The message is clear: Small businesses are the key to economic growth and quality job creation, but they need a system that listens, responds, and works alongside them. With strong partnerships and community-led solutions, Fresno is proving what’s possible when we build local economies that work for everyone.
20 Stories for 20 years
Since our founding in 2005, Small Business Majority has worked to empower America’s diverse entrepreneurs to build a thriving and inclusive economy through a mix of advocacy and education. But none of what we do would be possible without the people and organizations who lend their support – and their voices. As we recognize our 20th anniversary, we believe it’s important to honor those who helped us improve the landscape for small businesses over the years. One of the ways we’re doing that is through a series of 20 stories that reflect on the past and present of Small Business Majority, and also celebrate the ways in which we have worked as a collective to advance our mission to level the playing field on behalf of America’s entrepreneurs.