2025 Annual Member Survey Debrief

June 30, 2025

Posted By: Jordan Amaker in Advocacy Updates, Awareness, General News,

At Lowcountry Local First, we believe local ownership matters. Our mission is to support the local business community and tailor our programs to help our community gain access to every chance at success. That’s why we work with businesses, community members, and policymakers to build support for local, independent businesses.

We know that for every dollar spent with a locally-owned business, three-times more of that dollar stays circulating in the local economy than if it were spent with a national chain competitor. Local businesses play a critical role in community well-being, preserving the unique soul of our Lowcountry communities, creating good jobs, supporting a healthy local tax base, and by encouraging product diversity, fair competition, and environmental sustainability.

Citizens, governments and anchor institutions all play an important role in creating an environment that supports locals’ ability to start and grow their own businesses. That’s where we come in. We advocate for a level-playing field for local entrepreneurs across industries and backgrounds, and work to ensure they have the tools and support they need to thrive.

To fulfill our mission, we must keep a pulse on the local business community we serve – to know the pain points and the victories. Here are the survey results from Lowcountry Local First’s 2025 Annual Member Survey. View PDF version.

Highlights:

Size of Membership: The Lowcountry Local First membership base includes hundreds of local-independent businesses from across a diverse array of industries. View our Local Business Directory to get a taste of these one-of-a-kind businesses.
Participation rate: 15% of members completed the survey (more than 60 indie business owners)
Age of Business: The median company age is 18 years old.
Gross Annual Revenue: 48% of respondents experienced revenue growth in 2024. 38% are concerned about meeting their 2025 end-of-year revenue projections.
Working with Local Businesses: Many members indicated they already use local providers for some or all of their business needs. Most commonly, members exclusively use local businesses to fulfill their real estate, legal and workplace service needs.
Top Expense Pain Point: The top pain points, in terms of business expenses, continues to be employee wages, credit card fees and commercial rent.
Advocacy Priorities: Combating the prevalence of chain businesses through advocating for policies and zoning laws that put homegrown businesses first is a top priority for our members. Promoting and bringing awareness to the local-independent businesses in our community also tops the list.
Triple Bottom Line: 29% of members want to incorporate more sustainable business practices into their operations and want to explore B-corp status.
Programs and Resources: Advocating for a level playing field, building local relationships and spreading awareness of why local matters top the list for the ways LLF can achieve our mission.