Organizing for Small
Business Power:

The Main Street Alliances’ Small Business Owners - Leadership Training

A multi-day leadership collaborative event designed to build a network of organized small business leaders on the issues that matter most for their local economy, businesses, their employees, and the community they serve. On March 13, 2023, Main Street Alliance will launch its inaugural Small Business Leadership Training, bringing together 25 small business owners, our top leaders, to help build winning campaigns that can shift our economic narrative, wield power, and win on issues that matter most to “true” small businesses. 

Our democracy is in crisis, and small business owners have a lot of power when we organize.  The 2.5-day training will provide MSA members with an opportunity to network with other leaders from across the country, strategize on building leaders who want to invest in a circular economy, strategize, and build a plan to take on corporate power, fight for public investments in paid leave, child care, and more.

March 13-15
Alexandria, VA

We are thrilled to have you join us for Organizing for Power: A Main Street Alliance Small Business Organizing Training on March 13-15, 2023 in Alexandria, VA. You’ll join dozens of business owners from multiple states to connect and learn together about practical ways to organize and build power for community-focused, people-centered small businesses and local economies and a future economy that prioritizes good jobs, equity, and community.

Welcome MSA Members!

 Is this training right for you? 

  • This training is for you.

  • This training is for you.

  • This training is for you.

  • this training is for you.

  • This training is for you.

  • This training is for you.

You will not leave with all the answers, but you will leave with the skills to build a community or organize small business leaders. 

This small business organizing training is designed to recruit, develop, and sustain  a leadership network of true small business owners who can lead in transforming communities across the country. 

We see our training in March as an opportunity to re-think about democracy. This inaugural Main Street Alliance signature program is about what it means to organize in partnership. Independent small business owners do have market and civic power. Organizing that power will amplify its influence.

Training will be an interactive, dynamic, and substantive, peer leadership development program. Facilitated by seasoned organizers, the multi-day training will offer practice in good storytelling, consideration of some of the larger themes in public life right now, lifting up of the driving values of independent businesses like yours, real discussion about power, and practical steps for building and running effective issue campaigns. As a business owner, you will collaborate with members of the MSA Team — and with peers — to learn how to build authentic power through organizing. We hope you will leave the training with a strong sense of discovery and feeling of owning the fundamentals to be able to do this on your own.

Thanks to the investment of donors and funders, we can offer this inaugural training program at no cost for our members. Participants will be responsible for their own travel to Alexandria, VA and hotel accommodations. We do have a limited budget to assist a small number of business owners who need travel assistance to participate. Please indicate on the registration form if you are interested in being considered for a scholarship for travel and/or accommodations.

A Leadership training built for you!

Meet your Trainers

  • Chanda Causer

    Executive Director, Main Street Alliance

  • Mark Fraley

    Community Organizing

  • Allison Conyers

    Facilitator and Organization Development Consultant

  • Yash Mori

    Digital Strategy

Logistics Details

Event Dates:
Optional reception March 13 at 5pm - welcome and networking social

March 14th & 15th in Alexandria, Virginia

When booking travel please plan to arrive on Monday, March 13th. Training is planned for two full days on March 14th and 15th. 

Event Hotel:

We hope you will consider staying at the Hotel Indigo - Old Town Alexandria, a boutique hotel located on the waterfront and within walking distance to the training location. We have reserved a limited number of rooms at the discounted rate of $225/night. In a follow up email, we will include a link for making your reservation there. Of course, you may make other arrangements for accommodations if you prefer.

Training Location:
ALX Community Waterfront
201 N. Union Street, Alexandria, VA

Alexandria, VA is a small historic city on the Potomac waterfront near downtown Washington, DC and a few short metro train stops from Reagan National Airport.

FAQs

  • This program is limited to 25 small business owners.

  • There is absolutely no fee to attend. Attendees will cover their own travel and accommodations. We will provide breakfast and lunch as part of the training on Tuesday and Wednesday. Dinner is on your own each evening.

  • To ensure that our training is available to a wide range of small business owners, regardless of financial ability, we are offering a limited number of need-based scholarships. Please indicate your need for the scholarship when completing the registration form.

  • Of course! We will send a schedule and high-level agenda to each registrant closer to the training.

  • We are asking that those who register plan to attend both full days of training. Plan to arrive on Monday, March 13th and leave Wednesday evening or Thursday morning. Training times will be 9am until 6pm both Tuesday and Wednesday. Please do not book a flight before 7pm on Wednesday evening.

  • Attendees are responsible for booking their own travel to and from the training location.

  • Breakfast and lunch will be provided on both training days Tuesday, March 13th and Wednesday, March 14th. Dinners will be on your own. Main Street Alliance staff are happy to provide recommendations to local restaurants, several of which, are within walking distance from the training venue and event hotel.

  • Because the training is limited in size to 30 participants, we ask that you let us know as soon as possible if you are unable to attend so that we are able to offer the space to another small business owner.

  • We will create a waitlist of attendees should we fill all spaces. If we receive a cancellation notice, we will offer the space to another interested person.

  • We are happy to offer this training in person to our members and with the Main Street Alliance team. To protect staff and attendees, we encourage all attendees to be fully vaccinated and to receive a booster shot against COVID-19 at least two weeks prior to the event. We understand accommodations for religious, medical and other medical reasons may exist.

    If you develop symptoms prior to the event, we ask that you inform us as soon as possible to cancel your participation. Attendees are highly encouraged to wear masks during travel in public spaces to reduce risk of COVID-19.

    For those in good health, wearing a mask is optional during the training. We encourage your to do what is comfortable, while taking precautions to avoid risk.

  • We respect the learning styles of all attendees and are dedicated to providing an inclusive learning experience. If you need accommodation or support of any kind, please do not hesitate to let us know.