Atlanta Small Businesses See Steady Growth
The state’s unemployment outlook has been improving in recent months. Part of that is due to small business growth, especially in the metro Atlanta area. Nationally, the Small Business Optimism Index fell in March, but in Atlanta, many small businesses are still expanding.
According to SurePayroll’s Small Business Report Card, Atlanta’s small businesses have increased hiring each month since the beginning of the year. Sam Tuck heads the small business practice for Atlanta accounting firm Habif, Arogeti & Wynne. He says one way Atlanta’s small businesses have bucked the national trend is by expanding their client base.
“Some businesses that maybe focus just on one area of clientele, specific clientele, have now created maybe different lines of business or different marketing trends to say, ‘Hey, how can we get out there and get other people?’” Tuck says.
Satya Tiwari says that’s what his business did. Tiwari is the president of Surya, Incorporated, a rug manufacturer based in Calhoun, Georgia. Although the rug industry took a hit during the recession, Tiwari says his business grew, increasing by 40% last year:
“We started looking at other segments of design services,” Tiwari says, “We looked at the international market.”
Tuck says in order to keep growing, small businesses will need to keep finding new ways to pull in consumers.