The Hidden Reason Small Town Businesses That Thrive Have More Margin: They Don’t Build Alone

If you're tired, stretched thin, or feel like every decision falls entirely on your shoulders, you’re not alone.
Most small town entrepreneurs experience the same thing—because in a small town, you're often the first, the only, or the outlier in your community pursuing big goals.

But here’s what I've learned through experience that small town businesses that thrive consistently have that others don’t:

A tribe.
A network.
A support system.
A circle of people who elevate them, challenge them, and help them think bigger.

Margin doesn’t come just from tools or clarity—
margin also comes from people.

Why Tribe Creates Margin in Your Small Town Business

I've found in my own personal experience and that of most owners is that we don’t realize how much energy, time, and money we lose by trying to build everything alone. Often this mindset comes from the grind mentality it took to get our businesses off the ground and create the first level of success and eventually profit.
What we eventually see is isolation is actually one of the top predictors of burnout for small town business owners. In fact, Harvard Business Review took a deep dive on this and found shocking increases in workplace burnout associated with not being connected to a tribe.

Here's what I've learned in how a strong tribe adds margin in three powerful ways:

1. A Tribe Creates Time Margin

When we're surrounded by people who’ve already overcome the challenges you’re facing, everything speeds up. We don't have to re-invent the wheel! Nor should we.

Here are examples of how a tribe saves time:

• Making a phone call for recommendation on best local service tech for your business need

• Discussing potential new hire for a critical position to a mentor who has done this many times

• Asking for feedback from your CPA on all financial/tax consequences/benefits of new equipment purchase

Instead of spending months figuring out local marketing, hiring systems, pricing strategies, or customer retention…

We can get answers in minutes.

This is why entrepreneurs in masterminds and peer groups consistently grow faster—they borrow wisdom instead of buying it through mistakes. It's like open source development meets boots on the ground.

2. A Tribe Creates Energy Margin

Isolation is exhausting. It really is and you likely know exactly what that feels like.
Community is energizing. Scaling a business and increasing margin should fuel your energy, not drain it.

When we connect with people who “get it,” something changes inside:

• Our confidence increases

• Our ideas sharpen

• Our motivation improves

• Our emotional load lightens

A tribe gives us a place to be honest, to process challenges, and to remember you're not the only one fighting for your business and your community. There are others either locally or virtually who want to be on our team! We just need to decide it's time to stop playing the game on our own.

3. A Tribe Creates Money Margin

Money margin isn’t just about revenue.
It’s about keeping more of what you make and not wasting money on unnecessary mistakes. Increasing financial margin frees up mental capital to make forward moving and strategic decisions with less fear or anxiety.

A strong tribe helps us to:

• Choose the right marketing strategies

• Avoid bad hires

• Price our services correctly

• Improve our operations

• Understand our cashflow and Increase profitability

• Make smarter short and long term financial decisions

When we have peers who’ve already learned the hard lessons, they help us avoid them.

That’s money margin.

Why Tribe Matters Even More for Small Town Entrepreneurs

Small towns are full of charm… and limitations.

We may have:

• No local peers on our level

• No one to brainstorm with

• No mentors who’ve built what we're building

• People who don’t understand our goals

• A community where “big thinking” feels out of place

This creates a ceiling on our growth.

But when our tribe expands beyond our town, our ceiling disappears.

This is why small town businesses that thrive almost always have access to:

• Online mastermind groups

• Regional business networks

• Coaches and mentors

• Digital communities

• Industry-specific peer groups

By investing in and expanding your circle, we expand our potential.

What a Strong Tribe Actually Looks Like

Not all relationships create margin.
Some drain it.

A strong, margin-building tribe includes:

Mentors

People a few steps ahead who help us avoid major pitfalls. Mentors are typically people who have had someone come before them and invest in their success so they naturally are inclined to pay that forward. They may not look like us or operate in our market. Their business(s) may look completely different. But the wizard behind the curtain wants to help us. So open your eyes for this and you might be surprised what you observe this week. As an added perk, most mentors are also gate keepers. They've spent years, if not decades, building their tribe and have countless connections that might help you build your Tribe and create new opportunities.

Peers

Business owners at our level who help troubleshoot day-to-day challenges. This can be a tricky one. Avoid investing in peer relationships that might end up in complaint spinning. You know the conversation: The person across the coffee table complains of a similar problem that you're having so you vent your problem and that inevitably creates a spinning vortex and you really never come to any solution that helps you create a solution. Having the intentionality to invest time and (maybe) money into peers who create mutually beneficial relationships is critical.

Specialists

Marketing, finance, or operations experts we can lean on as important. Our Tribe isn't just Mentors and Peers. It also includes our inner circle of professionals to advise and guide. These people take some time to cultivate, and rightly so, as they will have a tremendous amount of influence in your personal and professional trajectory. Having a certified accountant who can not just tell your financial history but also help predict your financial future is a must. An attorney who understands your business, market and needs is also critical. Depending on your market, you may find other consultants or advisors who are worth the time and money to guide you on your journey.

Encouragers

People who support our dream, even when it feels heavy.

These relationships create stability, confidence, and future momentum.

This might be a spouse, a friend or trusted colleague/partner. We all need encouragement, especially when we hit speed bumps along the way.

Bottom Line

We cannot build a thriving business that creates margin and freedom on our own—especially in a small town.
Your tribe determines your trajectory.

And if you want to build a business with time margin, energy margin, and money margin, you must intentionally surround yourself with the right people.

This isn’t optional.
It’s essential.

Every small town business that thrives has a tribe behind it.