Earlier this year, Jordan Tian and his team made the tough decision to close the computer gaming and console gaming lounge he founded and co-owned not far from Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport.
Tier 1 Gaming Lounge at 4350 S. 27th St. in Milwaukee opened in 2016, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, closed its doors earlier this year, as most businesses did, due to health concerns surrounding the virus. There were hopes the lounge could reopen during the pandemic, but Tian said it wouldn't be profitable.
The pandemic also was impacting Tian's parents' restaurant business. With consumers turning to online ordering platforms to purchase their meals amid the pandemic, he noticed how his parents' business wasn't designed for digital order intake.
Tian, a University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate with a background in automation and information technology, chose to use his knowledge of digital design to help his parents, and other small business owners who aren't as tech savvy, have an online platform for order intake.
From the 2,400 square-foot space that was once Tier 1 Gaming Lounge, Tian and a friend have launched SmallNeighborhood, a technology service company that provides website design, search optimization and online ordering systems for free. SmallNeighborhood only charges for how much value it brings to a user, Tian said.
SmallNeighborhood helps small businesses take in 100% of the profit, with customers taking on the cost of using the ordering platform through a 99 cent convenience fee, said Tian, who runs the business as its CEO. Typically, small businesses share a chunk of their profits with a third-party online ordering platform.
"We didn't think it had to be that way," Tian said.
For partner businesses, SmallNeighborhood provides a tablet, free of charge, allowing the business owner to manage their business listing and website. SmallNeighborhood earns a profit when customers order from the local business. Among the partner businesses are City.Net Jazz Cafe, a restaurant on Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Milwaukee.
The SmallNeighborhood service system includes an automated website builder using various templates created by the company. These websites contain basic information, like hours of operation, for a small business. The company also created a small business-only online marketplace where consumers can search for local businesses.
Currently the platform is focused on restaurants, but Tian said it will expand to include booking services and retail and e-commerce stores.
