BEAM research
How BEAM estimates regional ownership-transition risk
See how BEAM builds a regional planning scenario from business counts, a population allocation, and ownership and closure assumptions—and where the evidence still needs improvement.
BEAM Collaborative · A nonprofit for local ownership
Keeping Local Businesses Local.
BEAM helps owners prepare someone to step in, buyers prepare to take ownership, and organizations support the local businesses they depend on.
Built for Main Street, owner operated businesses typically under $2 million in annual revenue, with support that fits their people, time and resources.
Start with what matters to you
Find your place in the local economy.
Start with the questions you’re facing.
I’m supposed to be off. Why is everyone still calling me?
Time away should not mean a day full of questions. BEAM helps you prepare someone to step in, with a plan they can follow.
Help for ownersI want to buy a business. I don’t want to buy the wrong one.
Understand what fits your life, what you can afford, and what ownership will require. Buying another business? Start here too.
Help for buyersLocal businesses matter to us. Our team can’t do it all.
Help the owners you serve, find local suppliers, or support the work that prepares the next generation of owners.
Ways to work with BEAMUseful help, before a big commitment
Preparation you can actually use.
Learn, understand your situation, and connect with help when you need it. Start where it makes sense for you.
Learn
Join a free, 30 minute Buyer or Owner Open Session. Bring your questions and leave with a useful next step.
Understand your situation
Personalized Decision Guides help owners understand succession, continuity, and business value. Buyers explore affordability and fit. Choose a Guide on its own or add an optional Guide Workshop and relevant Advanced Classes.
Connect
We help you connect with lenders, attorneys, accountants, and other specialists when you need their expertise. Ask about fit, scope, and cost before choosing professional services.
Why preparation matters
A local business is never just one person’s business.
Think of a neighborhood restaurant. It is a paycheck for the cook, a regular order for the local farm, and a gathering place for the community. What happens next matters to all of them.
Preparing someone to step in gives an owner more options for time away today and a future handover. Helping buyers prepare creates another path for local ownership.
Freedom today. Succession tomorrow. A stronger community for years to come.
Research, news and institutional tools
Evidence and ideas for local ownership.
Explore the research behind the work, BEAM in the news, and a sample of Anchor Insights.
Media coverage
Our Region’s Business: BEAM Collaborative
Joel Burstein joins Our Region’s Business to discuss local businesses, supplier diversity, and the regional economy.
Anchor Insights
Explore local supplier research.
See how Anchor Insights helps institutional teams explore local businesses. The public sample uses fictional data so you can try the experience.
Your next step
You don’t have to figure it out alone.
Bring your questions. We’ll help you understand your options and choose a useful next step.