in DIANE HARDY || When it comes to business, who cares for the little ones in South Carolina? Do they have a strong enough voice in making policy decisions for our state? After what I witnessed in 2020 – and as a small business owner in Greenville (with 33 employees) – I really wanted to know the answers to those questions. What I discovered was sadly disappointing. I learned that, as a group, small family businesses have little representation in the Chamber and Senate of SC in relation to their collective size.
We all know that small businesses in South Carolina are the backbone of the economy, but most of us have no idea how many people make up the small business community in our state. Whenever I speak to civic / political groups, I ask the public to guess how many small businesses there are in South Carolina. They can guess 10,000, 50,000 or 85,000, but the answer (according to the Small Business Administration website) is more than 384,000 and they employ approximately 740,000 people.
This is a very large number! In comparison, the number of teachers employed in our state’s public school system is approximately 48,000 – yet they have a huge influence on the state legislature!
So, where is the voice of South Carolina’s true small business owners? The SC Chamber of Commerce may advocate some pro-business policies, but over time they have become more aligned with large companies and are also actively promoting legislation that is probably not very important for most small business owners – such as hate criminal legislation and climate change policies. The National Federation of Independent Companies (NFIB) focuses on small businesses and does a great job, but they are nationwide – and some business owners may not be able to afford their debts.
Consequently, I saw a real need for a VERY affordable state organization created by business owners, for business owners, to help raise the voice of South Carolina family businesses.
It is moving to see business owners (through no fault of their own) being crushed in the past year. Their stories inspired me to donate my time to create and launch Mom and Pop Alliance (www.MomandPopAlliance.org). Our state organization acts as a liaison between small business owners and the state government – seeking solutions and good governance policies that support small state businesses in our state. We also help to keep entrepreneurs up-to-date on what’s happening legislatively – including bills and policy proposals that may affect them.
Building relationships is the cornerstone of the Alliance. From visits to the State House to face-to-face meetings with legislators and small business owners, MAPA strives to give a stronger collective voice to the hundreds of thousands of small family businesses in our large state and, by extension, to 740,000 citizens that they employ.
Any private company can join Mom and Pop for a nominal fee: $ 35 / year for 1 to 5 employees or $ 75 / year for 6+ employees. We also have a Membership Association for non-business owners who simply want to support the cause. Our team of volunteers allows us to keep rates very low, with every penny earmarked for operating expenses. We currently have members of companies with an employee of up to 120 – but most have only a handful.
There is strength in numbers, so I hope you take a look at our website and consider taking two minutes to join Mom and Pop Alliance at www.MomandPopAlliance.org. It’s time for 384,000 of us small businesses to become stronger together!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
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Diane Hardy is a former nurse anesthetist who became a businesswoman, who owns and operates a franchise in Greenville. She also serves on the Board of The Center for Self Governance, as well as the Greenville Forum of Professional Women. His love for our state is not new. Before launching the Mom and Pop Alliance, she was the founder and host of The Palmetto Panel, an annual state conference that highlights issues affecting South Carolina.
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