How Walmart Is Helping Small Businesses Think—and Operate—Bigger

Walmart’s Big Bet on Small Business

When people think of Walmart, “small business” probably isn’t the first phrase that comes to mind. But in Bentonville and beyond, the $681 billion retailer is making deliberate moves to support the very entrepreneurs and local operators who give their communities texture and resilience.

Through its marketplace platform, business membership program, and supplier development initiatives, Walmart is positioning itself as both a retail partner and operations enabler for small businesses across the country.

At this year’s shareholder media events, Ashley Hubka, SVP of Walmart Business, described how Walmart is working to meet the needs of a new kind of customer—not just families shopping for paper towels, but also the nonprofits, school districts, and local businesses buying them by the pallet.

“This is an omnichannel play,” Hubka said. “It’s not just about what’s in our stores. It’s about a much broader assortment that includes specialty items and commercial-scale goods. Everything from bulk office supplies to industrial-grade cleaners—products that small operations use every day but may struggle to source affordably and efficiently.”

A Membership Model Built for the Back Office

Walmart Business was quietly launched in 2023, with two levels of membership: a basic plan for $98 a year and a more robust option—supporting up to 50 users—for $498 annually. Members gain access to business-specific assortments, shared purchasing accounts, and easier order tracking and reordering. The online interface is free to access, and the pricing is designed with small operations in mind.

Bentonville-based Airship Coffee is one local business making the most of it. With four cafes (and a fifth underway on Walmart’s new corporate campus), the coffee company not only purchases supplies through Walmart Business—it’s also a supplier, with products on Walmart shelves.

Airship founder Mark Bray recalls his unexpected path into Walmart’s supplier ecosystem. “I met the coffee buyer at a local charity event and told him that people were buying groceries from Walmart but still getting their coffee from me,” Bray said. “He laughed—and I got a meeting.”

That meeting turned into a pilot, then a presence on shelves, and eventually warehouse fulfillment—a turning point that improved Airship’s logistics and unlocked scale. But the real value, Bray says, came from data.

“Our buyer helped us understand where the product was performing well and why. That data allowed us to multiply our manufacturing capacity and make strategic decisions about market expansion,” he explained. “Without it, we wouldn’t have known where to invest.”

The Power of Discovery, the Safety Net of Support

Airship’s story echoes what Walmart hopes to replicate at scale. According to Jaclyn Lomax, Walmart’s VP of Supplier Excellence, over 60% of Walmart’s supplier base today is composed of small businesses. But the company isn’t stopping there.

Walmart recently launched its Grow with Us program—a multi-pronged initiative designed to help emerging suppliers find their footing. The free, four-part program includes:

• Training through Walmart’s Supplier Academy, with more than 30 modules covering retail basics, marketplace operations, and growth strategy.
• Product Discovery tools like Open Call, the RangeMe Discovery Portal, and access to the Walmart Marketplace.
• Mentorship and Access to Capital, including early payment programs and connections to financial partners.

In short: Walmart isn’t just offering shelf space. It’s offering a roadmap.

And with consumer behavior shifting more heavily toward essential spending—Fiserv’s May 2025 Small Business Index reported that essential categories are growing at twice the rate of discretionary ones—the timing may be perfect. While small business retail sales grew just 0.9% year-over-year in May, the total number of transactions jumped 2.9%, suggesting more frequent, value-conscious shopping behavior.

The Omnichannel Advantage, Reimagined for SMBs

For entrepreneurs like Bray, Walmart’s ecosystem provides not just sales channels but operational efficiency. He hopes to someday sunset Airship’s delivery route altogether in favor of Walmart’s B2B platform.

“That’s where the future is,” Bray said. “Not just direct-to-store delivery, but smarter fulfillment. Not just selling locally, but thinking nationally. And not just being in stores—but being part of something bigger.”

Walmart, for its part, seems to be creating space for that vision. By reducing friction, enhancing visibility, and empowering small operators with tools once reserved for giants, it’s rewriting what growth looks like for the everyday entrepreneur.

Final Thoughts

In a retail landscape often dominated by scale, Walmart is proving that small businesses don’t have to go it alone—or stay small. Whether through mentorship, operational tools, or the kind of chance meeting that turns into a coffee aisle breakthrough, the retailer’s efforts are quietly reshaping the path to retail success.

For the suppliers, merchants, and makers charting their next chapter, the message is clear: Walmart’s doors aren’t just open. They’re inviting you in.

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