Why Your City Isn't a Bank (And What It Should Be Instead)

Dorothy "Dot" George, Small Business Relationship Coordinator for the City of Birmingham, brings a rare mix of urban planning, tech project management, and twelve years running her own marketing firm to the job of connecting entrepreneurs with resources. She breaks down what cities can and can't do for small businesses, and why regional cooperation beats competition every time.   • Why the SBA's small business definition (500 employees or fewer) means 99% of U.S. business activity rides on getting this right • How Dot applied agile project management from a $1.2 million Alabama DOT software initiative to build the city's Coffee and Convo series from scratch • The regionalism case for why Birmingham, Bessemer, Hoover, and the rest of the Jefferson County metro have to work together, not compete If you've ever wondered what a city actually owes its small businesses, this one delivers.  Want the numbers behind it? Download Birmingham's 2026 State of Small Business report at magiccityinsights.com. (https://magiccityinsights.com) Learn more about CModel Data, Inc. at: www.cmodel.io (https://www.cmodel.io)