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York County unveils 18-month small-business roadmap with focus groups, storytelling and digital pilot
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Summary
Economic development staff presented an 18-month plan to support small businesses across York County: Phase 1 (listening and baseline survey), Phase 2 (storytelling series and digital-sales pilot), and Phase 3 (scale successes, small-business conference and a small-business council). Staff emphasized coordination with existing toolkits and municipalities.
County economic development staff presented an 18-month small-business roadmap that will begin with listening and baseline measurement, then test pilots for storytelling and digital-sales tools, and ultimately scale successful supports and convene a countywide small-business council.
The first phase will run through the summer and is focused on community-level focus groups and a small-business health index survey to establish baseline measures (employment intentions, expansion plans and top concerns). Staff said the index will allow the county to measure program impact at one and two years after launch.
Phase 2 will include an entrepreneur storytelling series (short 1'2 minute videos produced with partners) and a digital-sales pilot akin to "Digital Main Street" to help Main Street retailers build online sales channels; the staff presentation said the county will begin with a small group of pilot businesses to test approaches. Staff also described partnerships with Visit York County, "Make It York County" communications and the chamber toolkit to avoid duplication.
Phase 3 focuses on expanding successful pilots, hosting a small-business conference during Small Business Week in 2027, and forming a small-business council to give local firms ongoing input.
Committee members asked how "small business" will be defined; staff said definitions vary (SBA definitions can run to 499 employees) and the office will set criteria appropriate to York County's needs, noting many of the initial pilots will target Main Street and smaller-footprint enterprises. A staff research team member said the county's approach will be tailored by community (Clover, York, Fort Mill) to address differing local needs.
Why it matters: The roadmap aims to reduce barriers small businesses face (bureaucracy, permitting, digital access) and to create metrics and success stories that can be scaled across the county.
Next steps: Staff will convene focus groups, launch the survey, complete pilot designs and return progress reports to the committee. The county will coordinate pilots with existing toolkits and municipal partners to reduce duplication.
