Opening a new business takes courage.

Over the last few months, Mark Bitter, the Tribune staff and I have been working on a new program designed to help new businesses in Great Bend and our surrounding communities. In putting the program together, I’ve thought a lot about just how difficult those first months—and sometimes years—can be.

There is a big hump to get over.

Before a new business ever opens its doors, there may be a building to find and rent, utility deposits to pay, inventory to purchase and equipment to buy. Then there are insurance, licenses, employees, supplies and dozens of other expenses that most of us never think about.

By the time all of that is paid for, there may not be much money left to tell people, “Hey, we’re here!”

That’s where the Great Bend Tribune hopes to help.

We’ll soon be introducing Spotlight on New Business, an extremely inexpensive advertising program open to new businesses in the Golden Belt. In addition to affordable advertising, we’ll help introduce these businesses and the people behind them through stories in the Tribune.

But the Tribune certainly isn’t the only organization working to help local businesses succeed.

Just last week, Great Bend Economic Development began a new pilot program highlighting businesses in our community, telling their stories and helping them with their social media presence.

The Great Bend Chamber of Commerce also continues to support local businesses in a variety of ways—from free or very inexpensive classes to weekly coffees, ribbon cuttings and other programs that help businesses make connections and get their names in front of the community.

And there are many other businesses, organizations and individuals quietly doing their part to help local businesses succeed.

All of that is great.

But there is another group that may have more power than any of us.

You.

Supporting a local business doesn’t always mean spending a lot of money.

Try the new restaurant. Walk into the new store you’ve been driving past. Hire the new service business when you need something done. Attend a ribbon cutting or open house. Share a business’s social media post. If you have a great experience, tell your friends. Leave a positive review.

And here’s one I think is especially important: If you have a problem, give the business owner or manager a chance to fix it before you tell the whole world about it.

A new business is going to make mistakes. So is an old business. So does the Tribune. One unhappy customer telling 2,000 people on social media about a problem the business never had an opportunity to correct can do real damage—especially to a new business still trying to establish itself.

Tell the manager privately. Give them the opportunity to make it right.

And when somebody does something particularly well, be just as quick to tell people about that.

We often talk about wanting Great Bend to grow. We want new businesses. We want more jobs. We want more places to shop, eat and do business.

But wanting them isn’t enough.

When someone takes the chance, invests the money, signs the lease, turns on the lights and opens the doors, the rest of us have a part to play.

We need to show up.

We need to participate.

And whenever we can, we need to help them get over that hump.

That’s Positively Great Bend.