Street Beat: Small Business Success

This week on Street Beat, host Amyre Makupson focuses on small business and the boost to the local economy that occurs when residents decide to shop locally.  First, Amyre chats with Tom Scott from the Michigan Retailers Association about their Buy Nearby movement and their Get Caught Blue-Handed Day (Oct. 4) initiative.  Tom talks about the difference that shopping locally for even just one day can make to a local economy and what the biggest threat to small retailers is.

Next up, Amyre picks the brain of Kristi Trevarrow of the Rochester Downtown Development Authority.  Kristi is an innovative thinker, and a master at promoting small town Main Streets, and consequently, boosting local economies.  Kristi talks about how a vibrant Main Street is vital to local small towns.

Then, Amyre chats with Camille Walker-Banks, the Executive Director of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program in Detroit.  The program is taking small business owners and helping them achieve success by teaching them to think like big business owners.  Camille shares with us how this no-cost program offers custom coaching to each business chosen, to ensure they reach the next level and continue to thrive and expand in their communities, and she tells us how local businesses can apply to the program.

Finally, Amyre introduces us Maureen Donohue Krauss from the Detroit Regional Chamber.  Maureen talks about the importance of doing business locally, not just for small business, but for big business, as well.  They discuss how much of a trickle-down effect there is when big business decides to re-locate or re-invest here, and the specific hurdles that businesses face in this region.

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Archived video is always available at CW50Detroit.com/StreetBeat.