CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Even now, several years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many small businesses continue to deal with unique challenges.
According to data from the National Association of Women Business Owners, small businesses are struggling with increased costs, staffing and fundraising efforts.
Many of these issues have been exacerbated by the pandemic.
Syshelle McNeil is the owner of The Washroom Laundry Service in Charlotte, and her business offers a variety of residential and commercial laundry services to customers.
McNeill is also a counselor at Central Piedmont Community College’s Small Business Center, where he regularly speaks to entrepreneurs.
“They can get all the help they need to start a business, whether that’s hiring, getting financing, creating a business plan or just starting their business,” McNeill said.
McNeill says more resources are needed to help small business owners in the long term, and she’s pleased to see steps being taken to help them.
The City of Charlotte has announced a new partnership with TPMA, a national workforce and economic development consulting firm.
The company plans to assess the local SME ecosystem to understand the challenges they currently face.
Council member and Jobs and Economic Development Committee chair Malcolm Graham said in a statement that the assessment is needed to identify both the opportunities and challenges facing entrepreneurs.
“Fostering economic development in the city is a strategic priority for City Council and we recognise that small business are the bedrock of our community,” Mr Graham said. “This assessment will enable us to develop targeted initiatives to support local businesses and foster sustainable growth.”
McNeill understands firsthand some of the challenges facing small businesses.
McNeill launched his first laundry business in 2016.
“It was slow at first,” McNeill said.
But things have turned around for McNeil, whose company is now working to expand its services across the state, to Raleigh, Chapel Hill and Greensboro.
While many businesses are facing labor shortages, McNeill said his company is not, but it is dealing with its own set of obstacles.
“Right now, commercial makes up about 40 percent of our business,” McNeil said, “and residential is about 60 percent. Our goal over the next five years is to turn that around and have commercial be about 85 percent to 90 percent of our business, because commercial business has been stable. The summer months are slower sales months for us because people are traveling and they’re not wearing as much clothing.” [Plus]With kids at home from school, parents are using the opportunity to teach their kids how to do laundry and build life skills. Once schools reopen, things will start picking up for both residential and commercial clients.”
McNeil said for more small businesses to thrive, they need increased access to capital and resources for long-term support.
She hopes this new partnership will help fill those gaps.
“Let’s use data to move our city forward. We estimate that over 100 people move to Charlotte every day. These people need laundry, cleaning, food services, everything you can imagine. Charlotte has small businesses for that. How can Charlotte use this data to engage local entrepreneurs and directly impact these people who are moving here every day?” McNeil said.
The city of Charlotte says the study is expected to be completed in June 2025.
