What happens when local customers alone are not enough to sustain every business in town?

In this episode of the Small Business Resiliency Series, Stuart Takehara talks with Dan Lipton, founder of Beach Cities Media, about how small businesses can stay visible, reach new audiences, and adapt when customer spending changes.

Dan shares how Beach Cities Media launched as a hospitality-focused publication connecting hotel guests with local businesses, then had to pivot during COVID when travel and hospitality came to a stop. That pivot led to a stronger digital strategy, targeted email marketing, and a broader audience that now includes both visitors and local residents.

The conversation also explores the challenges facing hospitality businesses today, including higher labor costs, rising prices, thinner margins, changing consumer habits, and the need to reach people who are actively ready to spend.

For small business owners, this episode is a reminder that visibility matters. If local regulars are spending less, businesses need to think bigger, reach smarter, and connect with the customers most likely to act.

• How Beach Cities Media started

• Why hospitality and tourism matter to local businesses

• How COVID forced a major business pivot

• Why digital marketing became a new growth channel

• How targeted email helps businesses reach the right customers

• The rising cost pressures facing restaurants, hotels, and attractions

• Why customer experience matters more when prices rise

• Why Long Beach businesses need both locals and visitors

• How events, conventions, cruises, and tourism support small businesses

• Why community involvement creates opportunity

00:00 Why local customers alone may not be enough

00:58 Introduction to the Small Business Resiliency Series

02:35 Meet Dan Lipton from Beach Cities Media

02:45 How Beach Cities Media began

04:03 From hospitality sales to entrepreneurship

05:00 Building a publication for hotel guests and visitors

06:49 The impact of COVID on hospitality marketing

07:23 How the shutdown affected advertisers

08:26 Why many clients returned after reopening

09:14 How Beach Cities Media pivoted into targeted digital marketing

11:04 Why some businesses did not return after COVID

12:16 Reaching local customers through digital distribution

13:31 What hospitality businesses are facing today

14:08 Higher labor costs and thinner margins

16:00 How businesses are adjusting hours, staffing, and pricing

18:49 Fixed costs, variable costs, and price pressure

19:52 Why service and customer experience must improve

20:52 Advice for hospitality businesses trying to survive

21:41 Why the middle market gets squeezed

22:00 Why Long Beach needs visitors and tourists

24:40 What small businesses should focus on next

26:00 Why community involvement creates new business opportunities

28:33 Why businesses need to reach beyond regular local customers

29:26 How to connect with Beach Cities Media

Local support matters, but it may not be enough by itself.

Small businesses need to stay visible to residents, visitors, tourists, conference attendees, hotel guests, and anyone else ready to spend in Long Beach. Visibility creates opportunity, and opportunity creates survival.