Happy Hump Day Jackson! 🎉 

So let’s talk about the recent snow/ice storm since it’s still on many of our minds and for some people this was their first time dealing with a winter storm in the south.

While most of us got a few extra days at home during the recent snow and ice storm, many small businesses still have not recovered. 📉 

In Today’s “HubCity Newsletter”:

• How Bad Was The Ice Storm ❄️

• Our Methodology: How We Estimated The Impact 📊

• The Hidden Cost No One Talks About Our Methodology💸

• What This Storm Revealed About Local Business Resilience 🚀

Read Time: 3 - 5 Minutes

Icy roads.
School closures.
Businesses shuttered.
Customers stuck at home.

But once the roads cleared and life slowly resumed, one big question remained:

How much did this storm really cost local small businesses?

Let’s break it down.

❄️ How Bad Was The Ice Storm ❄️

From January 23rd through the 27th, freezing rain, snow, ice and sleet blanketed Jackson and surrounding areas. While the precipitation itself lasted just a few days, the aftermath stretched far longer.

In Jackson:

• Many of the main roads were impassable for 4–6 days.

• Schools remained closed for over a week.

• Side streets and neighborhoods stayed iced over well into the second week.

• Restaurants, boutiques, service providers, and contractors were forced to shut down.

Throughout West Tennessee:

• Counties like Madison, Gibson, Crockett, and Dyer experienced similar road conditions.

• Delivery services slowed dramatically.

• Events and bookings were canceled.

• Construction and service-based businesses were delayed.

Statewide:

• The Tennessee Department of Transportation reported widespread treatment efforts across West and Middle Tennessee.

• Thousands of businesses across the state lost operating days.

Regionally:

• Portions of Arkansas, Kentucky, and Mississippi saw similar disruptions.

• Interstate supply chains slowed.

• Freight and regional delivery schedules were delayed.

Jackson is a hub for West Tennessee and many other cities in the region do business with Jackson.

So, while the storm itself was temporary, the economic impact was not.

And that’s where the numbers begin to matter.

📊 Our Methodology: How We Estimated The Impact 📊

Before throwing out big numbers, we wanted to be transparent about how we calculated our estimate.

First, what qualifies as a “small business”?

For this analysis, we’re referring to:

• 🛍 Retail stores
• 🍽 Restaurants and food trucks
• 💇‍♀️ Service providers (salons, contractors, photographers, etc.)
• 📊 Professional services (accounting, consulting, insurance, etc.)
• 🚚 Solo entrepreneurs and side hustles operating locally

Jackson’s small business community isn’t one-size-fits-all. Some are solo operations. Others employ small teams. So instead of using one inflated national average, we broke this down into two realistic categories. Is this perfect..no but it does give us a general idea.

🧍‍♂️ 1️⃣ Sole Proprietors & Micro-Businesses

Based on recent Tennessee small business data:

• Average annual revenue: ~$44,000
• Monthly: ~$3,600–$4,000
• Daily gross revenue: approximately $120–$135 per day

These include many barbers, mobile detailers, independent retailers, small online sellers, and home-based businesses.

🏢 2️⃣ Small Employer Businesses (1–4+ Employees)

These businesses typically generate significantly more revenue.

Conservative estimate:

• $250,000–$400,000 annually
• ~$20,000–$33,000 monthly
• Approximately $700–$1,100 per day in gross revenue

These include many restaurants, boutiques, contractors, small offices, and storefront businesses around Jackson.

📍 Now Let’s Localize It

Jackson has an estimated 3,000 small businesses, including sole proprietors and employer firms.

For conservative modeling, we assumed:

• 65% sole proprietors (≈ 1,950 businesses)
• 35% employer businesses (≈ 1,050 businesses)
• 4–6 days of severe operational disruption
• We modeled at 5 days for balance

🧮 The Breakdown

Sole Proprietors:

1,950 businesses × $130/day × 5 days
= $1,267,500

Employer Businesses:

1,050 businesses × $800/day × 5 days
= $4,200,000

📉 Estimated Disrupted Revenue:

Approximately $5.4 million *(Reminder: Due To The Wide Ranges That Businesses Make, This Is A Conservative Estimate.)

⚖️ Adjusting For Reality

Not every business was fully closed.

• Some lost only partial revenue
• Some closed entirely
• Some restaurants and retail locations lost peak sales days
• Some contractors couldn’t operate at all
• Others may have lost far more than average

To account for variation, partial closures, and different business models, we present a realistic range:

💰 Estimated Total Impact:

Jackson small businesses likely lost between

$4 million and $8 million in gross revenue during and immediately following the storm.

This isn’t political.
This isn’t exaggerated.
This is conservative modeling based on real small business revenue tiers and local disruption days.

And whether the number is $4M or $8M…

That’s a massive economic hit for a city our size.

💸 The Hidden Cost No One Talks About 💸

When a chain store closes for a week, corporate in most cases absorbs the loss.

When a small business closes for a week:

• Rent is still due.

• Payroll may still be due.

• Utilities continue.

• Loans still require payment.

For many local business owners, 4–6 days of lost revenue isn’t “just a bad week.”

It can mean:

• Delayed expansion plans

• Reduced staff hours

• Postponed inventory orders

• Increased financial strain

And for newer businesses operating on thin margins, that disruption can be the difference between growth and survival.

Weather events are unpredictable.
But economic vulnerability doesn’t have to be.

🚀 What This Storm Revealed About Local Business Resilience 🚀

Here’s the bigger takeaway:

Most small businesses in Jackson are still heavily dependent on:

• Physical foot traffic

• In-person discovery

• Word of mouth

• Social media algorithms

When roads close, so does visibility.

The storm revealed something important:

Local businesses need stronger digital infrastructure.

Imagine if:

• Customers could still discover who was open.

• Businesses could post reopening updates in one centralized place.

• Preorders and bookings could continue even when doors were shut.

• The community knew exactly where to support first.

That’s part of why we’re building Jacksontn.shop.

Not just as a directory.
Not just as another website.

But as a local-first digital marketplace built specifically for Jackson and the smaller cities/communities of West Tennessee that often get overlooked.

Because storms will happen again.
Economic disruptions will happen again.
Road closures will happen again.

The question isn’t “if.”

It’s whether our local businesses are positioned to withstand them.

The storm exposed something bigger than an ice storm, it exposed how fragile our local discovery systems really are.

We love hearing from you, so please take a moment to answer our poll below. 💝