Business Retention and Expansion Surveys

Partnership Grand Strand launched a comprehensive outreach effort in 2024 to hear directly from small businesses. Over 150 businesses engaged through focus groups, interviews, and surveys to discuss opportunities and challenges in the area.

Many topics were discussed, and several good ideas came from a wide variety of traditional small businesses representing the Grand Strand, including minority owned businesses and businesses located in the future Arts and Innovation district region of the City of Myrtle Beach. The results confirmed that business is growing, but challenges remain—like staffing, marketing, childcare, and traffic/transportation.

The primary takeaways are that our small businesses are truly the life blood of our local economy; they care deeply about the future of the region; and they have asked us to continue to improve our two-way education and communication efforts.

Partnership Grand Strand is making progress as we advocate for streamlined small business research tools as well as small business incubation and acceleration programs tailored to reflect the cultural diversity of the region. We also partner with local municipalities to explore ways in which we can work together to streamline administrative processes and have combined forces to develop consistent mutually supportive programing across the region.