Small companies find ways to compete, keep business

Being able to bring in revenue is challenging when there are larger businesses or massive corporations selling the same product just blocks away.  Entrepreneurs can find it tough to compete and as a result, many ideas for small businesses often never reach the drawing board.  Entrepreneurs also face the challenge of keeping shoppers or customers local rather than going somewhere else for the product.

Larry Gomez, director of small business services for the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, said of the 3,400 members of the Omaha Chamber, 99 percent qualify as small businesses consisting of 50 employees or less.  He said the goal of the Omaha Chamber is to provide guidance to these businesses and convince others to shop locally instead of elsewhere and to help these businesses gain a foundation so they can compete in the market.

“We want more businesses doing business around the Omaha metro and in Nebraska,” Gomez said. “We want people to buy in Blair or Plattsmouth or Gretna.  Don’t go to Chicago, when you can buy in Nebraska. There’s never a bad idea, it’s the execution of the idea.

“Generally, businesses are successful because they execute it better than the other person.”

Jerry Ryan and Lindley Clothing are members of the Omaha Chamber of Commerce and are local, family owned businesses that sell items similar to larger department stores.

Gomez said although the Omaha Chamber of Commerce has members that are large companies, small businesses are able to successfully stand on their own in Omaha and Nebraska in the midst of a competitive market.

A previous article by Nebraska Entrepreneur focused on the benefits of working with a chamber of commerce for entrepreneurs. Many of those benefits are for people with solid plans and those ready to execute ideas.

Gomez said he works with individuals who are not able to hire many staffers and as a result is often working by themselves in order to keep the business afloat. The owner of the business is the employee, the marketing director and even does the cleaning of the business grounds.

“I try to have them start from where they have the door half way open and have them go from there,” Gomez said. “My side is more from a person has an idea but doesn’t know where to go with it.”

The Chamber offers special academies for small businesses that fit into these categories. One option is called an “Executive Dialogue” where six different groups made of small business owners of non-competing companies meet once monthly to help each other solve business problems. These meetings are not designed as a sales pitch but rather guidance for questions each business owner may have.  The Chamber brings in a lawyer, accountant and banker to each group.

The Chamber provides businesses with guidance to maintain successful business while competing with other stores.

Another group that meets is a “tips group.” Tips are similar to executive dialogues because they offer similar guidance, but executive dialogues remain within the groups but tips takes the messages of these businesses out from the meetings and spreads the word about the companies.

Small businesses looking for these services for free would not have many options outside of the Omaha Chamber.  With sessions such as these, owners can receive legal, accounting and banking advice.  However, Gomez said the Chamber doesn’t provide funding. Instead, they provide avenues for these entrepreneurs to find their own funds easier than it would be on their own.

Gomez said that the large companies are important because they give jobs to local employees but the small businesses are equally important for Nebraska and are able to successfully compete if the right steps are taken.

“Buy Local and buy independent, we really embrace [small businesses] but we also embrace all of our businesses in our metro area,” Gomez said. “If you can buy it, buy local.”

Gomez has worked at the Omaha Chamber for 34 years and said some of the largest businesses in the Omaha metro started as a small business when he began working at the Chamber.  Over the course of time, businesses that sought guidance tools such from the Chamber saw growth.

“Our small business members are positive people and they’re out there going for business,” he said. “More business brings a better community. We’ve been challenged by the economy but we sure haven’t been hit hard like other cities. We’re sort of lucky to be in the Omaha metro and in Nebraska.”