Spreading the news about small biz

Kathy Routliffe of The Glencoe News in suburba Chicago writes about Ann Meyer, a journalist who has started a site called SmallBizChicago.com that covers news about small businesses.

Routliffe writes, “Meyer used to write about small business for the Chicago Tribune. She began work on SmallBizChicago.com in 2010; the vision for it grew out of her years of experience with business entrepreneurs.

“‘Most small businesses in Chicago never get covered in the news, and they never talk to the media. I thought it would be really valuable to provide an outlet for them to get their stories to the people who need to see them.’

The Oak Park native came to journalism early (she was an editor for the Oak Park-River Forest High School newspaper) but jokes that she fell into business reporting after graduating from Northwestern University and working at newspapers in Florida.

“‘I’d had no real desire to go into business reporting, but I discovered there are a lot more opportunities for interesting stories if you’re willing to look for them.’

Whether she writes about marketing, leadership, the challenges and successes of businesses – or the sometimes necessary failures – Meyer said the key to dynamic business reporting is remembering the people at the core of every story.

Read more here.