While LinkedIn and other professional-focused social networks can help small business owners make connections, they don’t have the sense of community or immediate utility that small businesses often need. That is, until Townsquared appeared on the scene, changing how businesses are able to connect with each other in their local communities. The rapidly growing company has developed a private social network that is already available on desktop and via mobile apps to business communities in several major metros – San Francisco, East Bay, Seattle, Portland, and New York City.
The company’s growth demonstrates the high demand for an easier, faster way that small businesses in neighborhoods across the country - and maybe eventually the world - can solve problems and succeed. For now, the founders – Rohit Prakash and Nipul Patel – are carefully scaling up their platform to show small business owners how it can help them stay informed about what is happening in their community related to business issues, events, challenges and opportunities.
Similar to Nextdoor, a private social network for residential neighborhoods, Townsquared brings professionals together to improve the community for everyone involved—but with a sharper focus on utility. Townsquared’s Experts program, for example, connects business owners to local expertise in areas like finance, marketing, and law. With the company’s technology, small business owners’ entrepreneurial and community spirit comes to the online environment, and members are asking each other questions, creating marketing partnerships, announcing events, sharing resources, as well as offering advice and support.
Think of it like a private discussion board where those within the network can post information about business issues in the area. They can also publish any questions they have so other members can provide answers. It can be about anything that impacts their small business in the physical community, such as political and regulatory issues specific to their area, as well as topics like rent, suppliers, taxes, and referrals for services like accounting or marketing.
Even better is the fact that this collaborative platform, which helps build value for individual businesses and their communities, is a completely free service. That value is spreading through word-of-mouth, as local businesses tell others about how useful the network is.
And, while it’s useful to be able to reach out to those in the local business community, member businesses feel confident sharing concerns, knowing that the network is private. Each Townsquared member is also verified as a local small business owner or staff member. And, the platform is not indexed on Google, so the content on the private network is not available to the public. The result has been a sense of security for the members so they can speak their minds and discuss issues safely.
With the funding they’ve received, the founders have been able to grow the platform and their team to start scaling up the company at speed. New product features like private groups, updated small business and organization profiles are being rolled out regularly, and further expansion plans include regional and national partnerships. Each addition is designed to help small business owners survive and thrive.
If you’re in the communities that Townsquared already serves, it’s a great idea to get signed up and start leveraging the numerous benefits that existing members are already enjoying.