Every small town has heart. We give it a home online.
ForwardConnects is the network of local business directories built on community over competition. Your neighbors' businesses. Your town's story. All in one place.
The problem is not your town. It is the noise.
Amazon knows what your neighbors buy. Google knows where your neighbors search. But nobody is building the one place where your neighbors can just find each other. Small businesses get lost. Local capital leaks out. The town gets quieter.
Community over competition is not a slogan. It is math.
When one local business grows, they hire the local trades. They refer the local accountant. They rent from the local landlord. They cater from the local kitchen. Every dollar a local business earns has a real chance of staying in town. Every dollar that leaves does not come back.
We built ForwardConnects so no small town has to shout alone.
One directory per town. Every business gets a page. Every neighbor gets one place to shop local. Every partner rises together, or nobody rises at all. That is the deal.
A rising tide raises all ships.
Why it works
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Every business gets a page
No web-dev cost. No SEO expertise required. A beautiful, findable one-page site that carries their story, their photos, their hours, their voice. Ready in a week.
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Neighbors shop local
One place to browse everything your town offers. Organized by category, filterable by what you actually need. No algorithm burying good businesses. No promoted posts. No pay-to-win.
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The whole town rises
When one partner grows, they refer another. When one town proves it, another town wants it. Founding Ambassadors get free-for-life placement, because the businesses that show up early carry the whole network forward.
The network
What partners say
Since joining, I have seen a dramatic increase in engagement. My reach, following, and order volume have more than doubled. It has given me hope, momentum, and the confidence to keep going.
The connections we have made with other partners have led to friendships, which is priceless.
The genuine connections, support, and opportunities I found are what truly made me want to stay.
- ★★★★★
Absolutely recommend! Work with local forward thinking, growth oriented professionals to take your business to the next level.
Steven Storm - ★★★★★
Great people across the board on here! Such an amazing tool for the community.
Daniel Barfield
Hi. We are Joey and Abbie Ward. We live in Hutchinson, Kansas.
We started HutchConnect because our hometown deserved a directory that actually reflected what makes it good. Not a Chamber page. Not a Facebook group that scrolls past you in an hour. A real, always-on place where every local business gets seen, and where neighbors can go when they want to spend a dollar with someone they will see at the grocery store.
HutchConnect worked. Businesses grew. Friendships formed. Turns out community over competition is not just a nice idea, it is a business model.
ForwardConnects is what happens when other towns start asking for what Hutchinson has. It is the same directory, town by town, wherever it is wanted.
If you are a business owner, welcome. If you are a neighbor, thanks for shopping local. If you are from a town that does not have this yet, drop us a line. We would love to bring it to yours.
Joey + Abbie
Questions
Is this just a Facebook page?
Facebook posts scroll. This is a permanent, searchable, SEO-indexed home for every local business, one that shows up in Google, works on mobile, and does not require your neighbors to follow the right page at the right time.
How is this different from Google Maps or Yelp?
Google shows you the nearest chain. Yelp shows you where tourists ate last Tuesday. ForwardConnects only lists local businesses, vetted, verified, and organized by category. No chains. No ghost listings. No ads.
What if my town does not have this yet?
Tell us. We launch a town when there is someone local who wants to carry it. Fill out the form on this page and we will start the conversation.
What does it cost a business?
Founding Ambassadors join free for life. After that, founding partners lock a reduced rate permanently, and standard listings run a flat monthly fee. Your rate never goes up once you join.
Want this in your town?
Tell us where you are. We launch a town when someone local wants to carry it.
Image credits
- Kansas sunset and founder portrait: ForWardAI LLC originals.
- Hutchinson water tower: ForWardAI LLC original.