A case for organizing small business with Chanda Causer, MSA's Executive Director
Our Vision at Main Street Alliance
Developing community-centric, people-first small businesses to fuel local economies.
At Main Street Alliance, we're committed to unlocking the leadership potential of small business owners. Our vision is a future that champions equitable job opportunities, community growth, and social fairness. We aim to: Educate, Organize, and Run!
Foster the leadership skills of small business owners, encourage critical examination of existing economic policies, and promote alternative approaches for a balanced and fair economy.
Organize small business owners, lead policy-winning campaigns to decentralize economic and political power, establish public goods, and build a stronger foundation for future victories.
Conduct research and disseminate evidence highlighting the ripple effect of a fair economy that bolsters small businesses and fosters healthier communities.
Reframe the public narrative to challenge stereotypes about small business owners regarding race, class, gender, and motivations. We aim to amplify the voices of small business owners, highlighting their values and experiences.
Annual Reports
Wisconsin MSA Member Corrine Hendrickson testifies during a public hearing in 2023. Elevating real small business voices to counteract lobbyists in public forums is a key part of of our theory of change.
Our Theory of Change
Small business owners represent the diverse fabric of our country, and we have an untapped base of potential leaders to counteract the efforts of exclusive, corporate-led policies and strengthen the small business sector as a proven path to an equitable and vibrant economy. When we think of those in rural communities or those leading businesses in communities of color, they often have fewer than 50 employees. They often cannot provide the additional benefits and enrichments of larger companies.
Main Street Alliance has countered the political misuse of small businesses by corporate interests and the ultra-wealthy. We believe that market fundamentalism and bootstrap ideology undermine the needs and values of actual small businesses. Our targeted demographic values align with a spirit of collective public investments that embrace and support the leading street economy.
True small business owners need a vehicle to support organizing and political strategy to tackle these complex systemic problems. We will engage small business owners through traditional on-the-ground organizing and leverage a modern distributive organizing method. We will identify, support, and develop leadership skills, critical analysis of economic policies, and alternative
approaches for a more equitable economy.
There is no more critical time for this work, as our nation recovers from the pandemic and shifts the public perception of the economy and local businesses’ role.