Sunday morning, sun is rising. You run into the stadium enveloped with the rush of sound. Cheering from family and friends fills the air. Your legs are giving out and have been spending the last two hours running from road to road. You see the finish line, a rush of adrenaline. You finish. Happiness, laughter, and maybe even tears take over your emotions. You did it. You never thought running could ever make you feel this way. The Naperville Woman’s Half Marathon and 5k has been on your mind for months in advance.

The sold-out race has brought together the Naperville community for the past two years.

Finishing the Naperville Women’s Half Marathon and 5k is an event some have been training for a year in advance. Naperville native Sue Ekins ran her first half marathon with the help of Naperville Running Company’s training club, Running Divas.

“I wasn’t sure NRC’s half-marathon training was for me because I am slow and was running only about 10 miles a week. But I knew the training would be the best way to get ready for the race. Monica Prestifilipo (NRC employee who runs the group) encouraged me to try it out, and I’m glad I did,” said Ekins.

How does it all happen?

With a race as big as this comes a laundry list of sponsors and supporters. The event is hosted by North Central College and presented by Naperville’s local running hub, Naperville Running Company. The run specialty store has been based in Naperville since 2000 and has grown into a nationally awarded store and local staple.

Known for its community outreach, NRC does more than sell shoes, it sells comfort. Ekins is an example of how a pair of shoes and a supportive company can help someone achieve something they never thought they could. But, how does a small shoe store become critical for local runners? Furthermore, how does it become nationally known for its efforts? Finally, how does a small business grow in the Naperville area?

 

There are a few key factors that make for a successful small business: goal setting, location and community. Each of these aspects can help turn an idea or passion into a profitable business. Goal setting provides the growth aspect of your business. Knocking down your goals builds confidence and ultimately, builds revenue. While location can make or break your business, finding a profitable city as well as managing tax rates can be a tricky balance.

Then community, this factor can be the reason a business can go from nothing to something. Ekins is just one of the many people NRC has impacted. Naperville Running Company is the mirror of these factors– for this reason, it will serve as an example for how a small business can thrive. Packing in goal setting, good location and community outreach into their business plan have helped them grow from one store to three in 17 years.

Goal setting: how can you visualize success? 

Short-term and long-term goals are key to grooming a successful business. Goals provide motivation, financial security and framework. The staff at Entrepreneur Magazine has defined some qualities that contribute to successful goal setting. Specificity, optimism, and realism are all qualities you need to check off your list when setting your businesses goals.

On Jan. 27, 2016, Eilene Zimmerman wrote about visualization and goal setting in Forbes Magazine. The article  showed that “one in five small business owners used a vision board or other visual representation when starting their business; 76% of those business owners said that today their business is where they envisioned it would be when they started it.”

NRC takes this concept into their own business plan. If you walk into the back of the downtown Naperville location you can see a bright yellow poster board with goals written on it. Staff members wrote down their goals for 2017 and have their co-workers to hold them to those goals. Something unique about NRC’s goal board is that it is more than just business goals, it’s full of personal goals. NRC uses personal growth to fuel business growth. 

These are goals the staff can walk in and see everyday. Kris Hartner, owner of NRC, takes this visualization and realism into his business plan and utilizes it to be successful. There is always a monetary goal for each day for the staff to see. This started within the first year of the store opening; goal setting and achievement were vital to the store’s success and fate.

Location: where are your customers? 

Naperville as a location has its positives and negatives. Being a high-income area, Naperville provides a curious and large customer base. A downside to Naperville and even Illinois is the high-tax rate. Higher small business income taxes can hurt many small businesses trying to succeed in the competitive Naperville market.

Martha Carney is the executive director of Converge, Naperville’s own “business accelerator that, at its core, provides education and resources that can help members of the regional business community succeed as entrepreneurs or business managers.” Converge works with local entrepreneurs to create innovation as well as to turn a small business into a big business.

“The startup index for Illinois is 26 percent. So for every 100,000 people, 260 of them are starting businesses,” said Carney. From an outside perspective, this number can seem like a lot. But, compared to other states this number is relatively low. This is because the taxes in Illinois are among the highest in the nation.

“The businesses here are taxed higher,” said Carney. “Our state has some issues, but what we are trying to do in spite of this is to help make Naperville one of the top cities to start a business.”

According to the Illinois Department of Revenue, the top marginal corporate income tax rate stands at 7.75 percent after the additional personal property replacement tax. Though Chicago and its suburbs are great for opportunity, the taxes can be a major drawback.

Naperville City Councilman Kevin Coyne is a local business attorney and also keeps an eye on economic development and growth. “In terms of where a business can open up and succeed, I don’t think you can find a better area than Naperville,” said Coyne.

“Naperville’s tax rate is still much lower than surrounding areas and is still dramatically lower than Chicago,” said Coyne. The city’s goal is to make the business climate fair in Naperville, making the taxes lower than they are in surrounding areas. This is a way to keep the people and the shopping in Naperville, he said.

Coyne also touched upon how online shopping has grown and how this can hurt local business. Despite higher Illinois taxes, Naperville’s businesses tend to succeed due to the “very dynamic and vibrant downtown,” said Coyne.

As you walk down Jefferson Avenue in Naperville, you can find yourself faced with a hard decision. Where to next? From Potters Place to Lululemon to Starbucks you have many choices. On a nice day, you can find the streets filled with people enjoying a cup of coffee, walking around, and enjoying the local community.

NRC general manager Midge Good stresses the importance of location and walk-by traffic:

Community: who are you impacting?  

“Every time that I’ve been into NRC, a salesperson has approached me quickly and greeted me warmly. When I’ve been in to find a new shoe, the process is pretty in-depth and their staff is so knowledgeable in helping to find what you need,” said Brandie O. on Yelp.

In 2017 Forbes gave some tips on “How Small Businesses Should be Using Yelp.” Yelp is another way to get community feedback and to get insight into how your business looks to your customers.

“Entrepreneurs who embrace Yelp are the most likely to reap its rewards,” said John Carroll, a manager of local business outreach at Yelp. Want to know what you could improve on? Use Yelp. By covering your bases, utilizing photos and responding regularly you can connect with your community offline as well as now online.

There are other ways to connect with your community — this can be through service and giving back. In 2013, Patrick Hull, an American entrepreneur, discussed the importance of community involvement in Forbes. “Personally, I believe that entrepreneurs have a unique skill set that can benefit their local communities. We are problem solvers and disruptors; we think creatively; we are resourceful. I think we all have a responsibility to give back to our communities and help others in whatever ways we can,” said Hull.

Organizations like Converge help local entrepreneurs polish up their business plans. Converge has helped Christy Allysen boost her hair and nail online businesses. “For me it was just finding a workshop that included the things I needed to incorporate into my business plan, I am planning on going to a couple and it should be helpful,” said Allysen.

By mentoring and coaching startup owners Converge helps to create a positive business environment in Naperville. This ignites strong community involvement and community growth. Community involvement should be the heart of your business and businesses can give back in a variety of ways.

Naperville has many unique qualities, according to Coyne, events like Last Fling and Ribfest bring in more than just the locals. Coyne mentioned that the diversity of charity events as well as community-driven events make Naperville well rounded. Entrepreneurs in Naperville can succeed by giving back, he said.

NRC took this into account when they started to grow as a business:

Hartner founded the store on community, he wanted to live and be apart of it. All of the money from NRC’s classes like “Good Form Running” and “Run 101” go back to Naperville’s local track teams.

“We don’t use marketing dollars here, we decided a long time ago that we were going to use that money to give back to the community,” said Good.

Community involvement can make a long lasting impact. For Ekins, it means looking forward to next years Running Divas group and conquering another half marathon. Productive goal setting, a good location and community involvement can do more than make you money. These factors can bring in a loyal customer base and build a community around your business.

Good stressed the importance of connecting and supporting the customers, “we want to give back to everyone who has supported us the last 17 years.”

Editor’s note: All video, audio, and photos by Allison Hartman.