In the world of small business support and entrepreneurial ecosystem building, authentic connection isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic advantage. When business owners feel truly seen, heard, and valued, they are far more likely to engage with small business development resources, economic development tools, and community impact initiatives you work so hard to provide.

But how often do our systems unintentionally make entrepreneurs feel like just another checkbox on a list? And what’s the real cost when we miss that crucial human connection?

The Invisible Barrier to Engagement

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), small businesses account for 99.9% of all businesses in the United States, employing nearly half of the private workforce. Yet, many entrepreneurs still report feeling isolated from the very support designed to help them grow.

2024 research from the American Institute for Research & Innovation emphasized that personalization in outreach—significantly increases the likelihood of engagement. If entrepreneurs feel invisible, they disengage. When they feel seen and supported, they will more likely stay, grow, and contribute to long-term economic vitality.

Why Feeling Seen Matters for Economic Development

For local economic development teams and entrepreneurship advocacy programs, the stakes are real:

• Higher engagement → better program outcomes.
• Higher retention → stronger local economies.
• More trust → more willingness to ask for support.

A playbook from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) shows that business retention strategies rooted in relationship-building are more effective than those based solely on transactional communications.

In short—the better your small business support connects, the more your community thrives.

The Impact of Automation: Welcoming New Members

It might seem minor, but a warm, humanized, automated welcome message can dramatically change the tone of a business owner's journey with your platform or program.

• It tells them "You belong here."
• It signals "We see you — and we're ready to support you."
• It begins building trust before they even have a specific need.

In a world where entrepreneurs are constantly bombarded by noise, that first moment of connection can determine whether they lean in or tune out. In a shared trend & statistics by Invesp in 2024, welcome emails have an average open rate of 50% to 60%—one of the highest engagement rates of any email type. Starting strong matters.

At HUUB, we understand that an economic growth platform is only as powerful as the community it supports. That’s why we’ve intentionally designed an auto-greeting system for local business owners when they first register with the HUUB platform.

Instead of a dry “Thanks for signing up,” our welcome message is crafted to:

• Acknowledge their entrepreneurial journey
• Affirm their belonging in the local ecosystem
• Offer immediate next steps for accessing small business development resources, getting local business support services, and connecting with the rest of the community—fellow entrepreneurs, expert advisors, and local economic development team.