Community Needs Survey
What the community asked for
Every year we ask Northern Colorado's business owners, freelancers, creatives, nonprofit leaders, and the organizations that support them where they are stuck. The answers decide which sessions we program, and they go back to speakers and to our economic health partners.
Year over year
Headline numbers
2026
2027
Finding20262027
Responses152Survey open
Named marketing or revenue as their biggest challenge59%Survey open
Report moderate to high loneliness in their work (3 or more out of 5)48%Survey open
Feel supported by the Northern Colorado ecosystem (average, out of 5)3.5Survey open
Want hands-on workshops most37%Survey open
Comfortable sharing their own processes and tools (4 or 5 out of 5)88%Survey open
2026 figures: 152 responses, November 28 to December 18, 2025.
2026 results
Who answered, and what they need
Even mature organizations feel stretched: nearly half of respondents have been operating for ten years or more.
Who answered: role
Small business owner59%
Nonprofit director13%
Freelancer12%
Employee of an organization10%
Ecosystem partner5%
Other2%
Who answered: sector
Professional services43%
Nonprofit20%
Creative business15%
Health and wellness8%
Tech and digital8%
Retail, food service, and other product-based6%
Years in operation
10 or more46%
4 to 1022%
1 to 327%
Under 1, or not yet started5%
How organizations describe themselves
Stable but stretched41%
Growing steadily30%
Survival mode22%
Scaling rapidly6%
Biggest operational challenge
Marketing and visibility31%
Funding and revenue stability28%
Burnout and capacity14%
Administrative load9%
Technology and systems9%
Staffing and volunteers4%
Other5%
Session format they want most
Hands-on workshops37%
Tactical how-to talks32%
Small roundtables16%
Structured networking or matching10%
Keynotes4%
The one thing they want to leave with
A new collaborator or partner33%
A clearer strategic plan24%
A template, checklist, or tool to use immediately18%
A mentor or advisor15%
A new service provider or contractor5%
Something else5%
Most-requested topics
22%
AI and tech
"How do I use AI to handle my admin load today?"
21%
Marketing and sales
"How do I get higher-paying clients?"
14%
Connection
"Who can I collaborate with to grow?"
Survey open now
2027 results
Results post here when the survey closes
Questions that repeat from 2026 will sit side by side with last year's answers.
2026 respondents
In their words
“I don't need more ideas, I need clarity about what to do next, and people I can walk that path with. I believe the answers already exist in this community; we just need better ways to find each other.”
Survey respondent, 2026
“I'm doing everything myself. There's always more work, and I never know when it's okay to stop. I'm not failing. I'm just trying to do too much alone.”
Survey respondent, 2026
“I want a 'running a business starter pack'. Not the perfect version of everything, just something I can follow while I learn what all the pieces even do.”
Survey respondent, 2026
“My biggest challenge isn't preparation or passion. It's turning all of that into consistent, sustainable income without underpricing myself or giving up on my mission.”
Survey respondent, 2026
What we did with it
The program follows the report
The 2026 program was built to this report, and every speaker was asked to read it before applying. The same is true for 2027.
Does this reflect you?
Ten minutes of your time shapes the 2027 sessions, speakers, and resources.
Take the 2027 survey