MarketStreet Releases Landmark SMB Insider Report: How Main Street Businesses Connect, Grow, and Thrive in 2025

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SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 7, 2025--

MarketStreet today announced the release of its SMB Insider Report, a first-of-its-kind national study of how independently owned, Main Street small businesses (MSBs) operate, collaborate, and plan for the future.

The report, based on a survey of 1,593 small business owners across the U.S., sheds light on the real experiences of Main Street entrepreneurs — a group that employs nearly half of private-sector workers yet is often overlooked in economic conversations.

Key Findings

• Survival and stability over hypergrowth — The most common long-term goal is simply to sustain a steady income (35%), outweighing scaling, selling, or legacy-building.
• Networking isn’t working — Two-thirds of small business owners don’t meaningfully engage in networking or lead-gen groups, and 71% say chambers of commerce deliver little to no value.
• Collaboration is limited but valuable — More than one-third of businesses don’t collaborate with peers at all, but those that do most often share referrals (36%) or vendors (21%).
• Old school communication rules — Owners overwhelmingly prefer phone calls, texts, and in-person meetings over digital platforms, with 47% citing phone/text as their main channel.
• Top concerns remain financial — Managing costs (44%) and finding customers (35%) are the biggest struggles now and projected challenges for the year ahead.

“Main Street businesses are resilient, but our research shows they’re not getting the support they need from traditional networks and institutions,” said Adam Fletcher, CEO, founder of MarketStreet. “Owners are leaning on each other informally — over coffee, over the phone — yet there’s a clear gap for tools and models that truly match how small businesses work today.”

The MarketStreet SMB Insider Report is available for free download at https://marketstreet.com/research

About MarketStreet

MarketStreet is an AI-powered platform and community helping small businesses connect, share resources, and grow together. By combining modern technology with the realities of Main Street, MarketStreet builds tools that reflect how small businesses actually work.

View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251006821505/en/

CONTACT: Press Contact

Adam Fletcher

CEO, Co-Founder

[email protected]

KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA CALIFORNIA

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY VENTURE CAPITAL CONSULTING BANKING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES SMALL BUSINESS SOFTWARE DATA MANAGEMENT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

SOURCE: MarketStreet

Copyright Business Wire 2025.

PUB: 10/07/2025 08:00 AM/DISC: 10/07/2025 07:59 AM

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251006821505/en