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Why Small Business Communities Are Craving Real Connection in 2026
Why Small Business Communities Are Craving Real Connection in 2026
What Heartbeat's 2026 Creator Economy Report reveals about the importance of community, human connection and belonging in business.
Running a small business can be a lonely old game, can't it? You can spend hours creating content, showing up on social media, learning new marketing strategies and trying to grow your business. But sometimes, what you really need isn't another tutorial, another downloadable guide or another person telling you what you should be doing.
Sometimes you just need a conversation with someone who gets it.
Someone who understands the excitement of making a sale, the frustration of a quiet week or the absolute joy of finally figuring out something you've been struggling with for months.
And it turns out I'm not the only one who thinks so.
I've recently been featured in Heartbeat's 2026 Creator Economy Report, which explores what makes online communities successful, what members really value and how community building is changing.
The report draws on data from more than 37,000 communities and a survey of over 100 community builders, and some of its findings really caught my attention. Not least because they reflect so much of what I've been seeing within The Small Business Community.
People want people, not just more content
One of the most interesting findings from the report is that 66% of surveyed community builders said their members valued people and time together most, compared with just 9% who identified courses or templates as the thing members valued most.
Now, don't get me wrong. I love a useful resource. Inside The Small Business Community, our members have access to weekly marketing packs, practical guides, expert workshops and a growing library of resources to help them market and grow their businesses and those things absolutely have their place, but I've always believed that having access to information is only one part of running a successful small business.
You can have all the marketing knowledge in the world, but what happens when you're having a wobble?
When you're wondering whether your latest idea is worth pursuing?
When you've had a brilliant week and want to celebrate with people who understand exactly why that seemingly small win is actually a massive deal?
That's where community comes in.
Sometimes the most valuable thing you can offer another small business owner is simply being there.
Why small business owners need more opportunities to connect
Something else that stood out in Heartbeat's research was the demand for more informal ways to connect.
Community builders reported members asking for more personal attention, more opportunities to connect with each other and more face-to-face meetups. Some even wanted less content and less time spent on Zoom, and I couldn't agree more.
In fact, this was the very topic I contributed to the report.
I shared that our members are asking for:
"Face to face meet ups and more casual connection like coffee meet ups both online and face to face and co working"
— Amanda Hughes, Founder of The Small Business Community
When I started building The Small Business Community, I wanted to create somewhere small business owners could get practical marketing support without the pressure, overwhelm or constant hustle that so often comes with running a business but as the community has grown, something else has become increasingly important...the relationships members are building with each other.
We've introduced opportunities for members to arrange local meetups, we've been bringing people together for coffee and conversation, and we've created co-working opportunities so members can get things done alongside people who understand their working lives.
We're also introducing a monthly coffee and chat session to help new members settle in, put faces to names and feel comfortable asking questions because I don't want members to feel like they're simply paying to access a collection of resources, I want them to feel like they belong somewhere.
Connection could also help people stay engaged for longer
Here's another finding from the report that I found particularly interesting.
Heartbeat discovered that new members who RSVP'd to an event within their first month were considerably more likely to remain active in their community five to six months later.
51% of members who RSVPed early were still active, compared with 27% of those who didn't.
Now, that doesn't necessarily mean attending an event causes someone to stay longer. People who RSVP early might already be more enthusiastic about getting involved, but it does highlight an interesting relationship between early engagement and longer-term participation.
Think about the difference between joining an online community where you don't know anyone and joining one where you've already had a conversation, shared a laugh or been welcomed by another member.
Suddenly, you're not walking into a room full of strangers, you're returning to somewhere familiar.
This is one of the reasons I'm putting more focus on helping new members settle into The Small Business Community. Not simply showing them where the resources are, but helping them feel comfortable getting involved.
Bigger isn't always better when it comes to community
We're so used to measuring success in numbers, aren't we? More followers. More views. More subscribers. More members. But one of my favourite findings from Heartbeat's report was that 79% of communities on a paid Heartbeat plan have 100 members or fewer.
And the median community has just 23 members.
I found that really reassuring.
I've never wanted The Small Business Community to become an enormous, impersonal membership where people disappear into the background.
I want to know our members.
I want them to know each other.
I want someone to be able to ask a question and feel confident they'll receive a helpful answer, rather than feeling like they're shouting into the void.
The research suggests smaller communities can have an advantage when it comes to participation too.
In communities with 20–49 active members, a typical 39% had posted within the previous 30 days. In communities with 1,000 or more active members, that figure was 15%.
Of course, there are wonderful large communities out there too.
But it's a useful reminder that the number of people in a community isn't necessarily the best measure of its value. The quality of the connections matters.
Word of mouth still matters in a world obsessed with algorithms
As someone who has spent years helping small business owners get seen and get sales through social media, another finding made me smile. When community builders were asked about their biggest source of new members over the previous three months, word of mouth and referrals came out on top at 25%.
Instagram accounted for 12%.
Now, I'm certainly not about to tell you to abandon Instagram! I love Instagram! Social media is an incredible way to help new people discover your business, but I've always said that getting seen is only part of the picture. You also need to build relationships, nurture trust and give people a reason to choose you.
And when someone has a genuinely positive experience with your business, they might just become one of your biggest advocates.
I've seen this happening within The Small Business Community.
Members recommend us to other business owners, share their experiences and introduce people to the community not because they've been told to post about us, but because they've found something valuable and want other people to experience it too and that is something no algorithm can manufacture.
So what does this mean for small business owners?
You might be reading this thinking, "That's lovely, Amanda, but I don't run an online community."
but I think there are lessons here for every small business owner, whether you sell handmade products, offer a service, run a shop or work entirely online.
People want to feel connected.
They want to feel seen, heard and understood.
They want to know there's a real person behind the business they're choosing to spend their money with.
So perhaps instead of asking yourself how you can create more content this week, you could ask yourself how you can create more connection.
Could you start a conversation with your audience?
Could you share a little more of the person behind your business?
Could you reconnect with a previous customer?
Could you meet another local business owner for coffee?
Or could you find a community of people who understand what it's like to be running a business of your own?
The future of small business growth is about connection
Being included in Heartbeat's 2026 Creator Economy Report has been a lovely moment for me, particularly because the findings reflect so much of what I believe about building a business.
That success isn't always about getting bigger.
That more content isn't always the answer.
And that real, meaningful relationships are worth investing in.
As The Small Business Community continues to grow, those are the things I want to keep at the heart of everything we do. Yes, we'll continue sharing practical marketing advice, helping members get seen and get sales, and bringing in brilliant experts to support them but we'll also keep making space for conversations, coffee, collaboration, celebrations and those moments when someone just needs to hear, "Oh, me too!" because running a small business might be something you've chosen to do for yourself but that doesn't mean you have to do it by yourself.
Read the full 2026 Creator Economy Report
If you're interested in learning more about what makes online communities successful, you can read the full research here:
Disclosure: Heartbeat offers a $25 reward for eligible public articles linking to this report. I was also featured in the research. The views and experiences shared in this article are my own.
Looking for your own small business community?
The Small Business Community by Amanda Hughes is a welcoming online membership for small business owners who want practical marketing support, genuine connections and somewhere they can be themselves.
For £40 per month, you'll find weekly marketing resources, expert workshops, accountability, opportunities to connect with other business owners and a whole community of people cheering you on.
Come and find your people. We'd love to have you.
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