Small Business, Big Spotlight

Pat Mc Loughlin steps out of his car in the early afternoon, an hour before customers start rolling in, to get everything ready for the day. Mc Loughlin walks into his shop, going down the checklist, getting his fish fed and tanks cleaned. When that’s all done, the neon sign flickers on, glowing pink and yellow to signify the shop is open. 

Small businesses are a large part of the United States economy. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, “Since the late 1990s, small businesses have accounted for between 43.5% and 50.7% of the United States’ gross domestic output, which equates to trillions of dollars of economic activity.” 

“The majority of small businesses (82%) operate without employees, and those small employers who hire staff employ nearly half of the American workforce. Leading industries for small businesses include professional and business services, financial activities, and wholesale and retail trade,” according to the U.S Chamber of Commerce. 

Small businesses are widespread across the U.S. According to Gaebler.com, “Virginia has 567,830 small businesses, according to the most current federal data available.” Gaebler.com also writes, “Of those 567,830 small businesses in Virginia, 169,053 have employees. The remaining 398,777 are Virginia small businesses that have no employees.” 

One such business owner is Brandon Lytton. Lytton is a videographer and photographer, shooting weddings and creating short films through his website and his Instagram. Lytton says, “I’ve always been into cameras and being behind the camera since I was a kid. I always wanted to do YouTube stuff. In 10th grade, I took a class called video production, and we ran a news station through the high school, and I would always be the one behind the camera or running the show, and ever since I’ve always wanted to be behind a camera, and one way that I knew how to make a lot of money was doing weddings. So I got into wedding videography.” 

In terms of his business, Lytton says, “The hardest part is someone having faith in you to do their wedding if you’ve never done one.” 

Lytton said, “Some of the challenges I face on scene is people getting in my way of the shot, making sure I get the first kiss, and all the little details in a wedding.” 

“It’s hard,” Lytton said, “You gotta make sure you know what you’re doing and you’re getting the shot and make sure no one’s in the way.” 

Lytton advises to “get an LLC so you’re protected, start a website, and put all of your effort into it being successful. That’s the only way to get a profitable business, you can’t put half the effort into it and think you’re going to make a profit.”

A big opportunity Lytton has been a part of is the JMU in New York Program, a three-week film bootcamp for James Madison University students who are interested. 

Mc Loughlin is another small business owner who owns a small fishery in the town of Mineral. The Fishtery was an already existing business that Mc Loughlin took on after retiring. Mc Loughlin said, “I’ve always had an interest in fish, and I have family and grandchildren in the area, and I was looking for something to do when I retire, and this opportunity presented itself, so I said, I’ll try.” The biggest challenge for Mc Loughlin was trying to reorganize the business while keeping it open. 

Mc Loughlin advises, “Do some research to see if there’s a business like yours in the area and talk to owners of the business.” Luckily for Mc Loughlin, the previous owner still works with him at the Fishtery and has been able to help through the transition. While Mc Loughlin took over an already existing and successful business, he said, “Don’t expect it to be an instant success.”

One other business owner is Tania Key, owner of Key’s Creations LLC. Key has been a hair stylist for six years. She said, “My business is centered around alternative hair and the endless possibilities of color and styles that go against the norm.” 

Key also says, “My biggest inspiration to take the leap of opening my business started when I was a child. I would always gravitate towards makeup and hair. This passion progressed as I found myself interested in the alternative music scene and the hair trends that were represented in the media.” 

One challenge that Key has mentioned as a new business owner is being the only one in charge. “It is rewarding and liberating but also a huge responsibility,” she said. Key also said that she taught herself how to manage finances, inventory, hours of operation, marketing, and more.

When renting a space, Key said, “Although we all rent our own room, we still have to work around different personalities and come to a common ground to respect one another’s businesses. This can be a challenge, as it’s different than being in a salon with multiple people, we all have different opinions as independent artists.” 

Key recommended, “Before starting a business, to make sure that you have a savings that can support you through the slow times in the very beginning and the start-up expenses.” 

“It can be very expensive to furnish a studio, purchase product, and have the necessary equipment to operate,” Key said. Her biggest advice is, “to network in your community, speak to anyone and everyone. You cannot be a shy business owner!” Key has passed flyers to people passing on the street, along with dispersing them amongst other nearby businesses. She has also marketed on her Instagram and TikTok every day. Key said, “the biggest opportunity I’ve been given is to service so many people that have found me through social media.”

“You have to believe in yourself and your business. There are plenty of people watching that will doubt you, you can’t add to them!” Key said. 

“Opening Key’s Creations has been the best idea I’ve ever had and acted on. I get to create colorful, funky, unique hair day in and day out for people with similar interests as myself and connect with strangers.”