If you’re reading this, we probably don’t
need to tell you about the importance of
supporting small businesses—but we’ll
remind you anyway. Small businesses are
integral to a healthy and thriving economy.
Everyone should make an effort to support
small businesses in their local communities.
If you need help getting started, we’ve
compiled a list of great ways you can support
small businesses. But before we do that, we
think it’s important you understand why
supporting small business is so important, and
why we believe in it so strongly.
Investing in locally owned small businesses
keeps money in your community to support
other important initiatives through local sales
tax earned: from education, to the police and
funded programs. According to American
Express, approximately two-thirds of every
dollar spent at a small business stays within the
community.
Small businesses are still the heart of the
American economy. According to the Small
Business Administration, small businesses
since the last recession, they accounted for
67% of the net new jobs created. Supporting
small businesses means supporting jobs in your
community. Simple as that.
Shopping at local small businesses creates a
unique experience you can’t have online. Small
businesses tend to provide a more personal
customer experience and offer special things
Small Businesses Unite the Community
Wherever you’re from, chances are there
was a small business that played an important
role in your life. Maybe it was the diner you
and your family went to on Sunday mornings
for breakfast. Or the landscaping company
not have occurred to you at the time, but these
businesses helped make your community what
it was.
Small businesses tie communities together.
They form the character of a neighborhood,
transforming otherwise innocuous places into
areas people want to congregate and spend time.
It’s an Act of Respect
Starting any business is risky. Patronizing a
local business is an acknowledgement of that
risk and the challenges inherent in starting
your own endeavor. Furthermore,
you are showing the small business
owner that you are choosing them
over a larger competitor with more
resources.
Better Products
Whereas big businesses with
boards and shareholders can get
margins, and expansion, many small
businesses are more product oriented.
unique products with a different level
of care and quality, as many small
business owners see their
themselves.
Better for the
Environment
Shopping locally means
spending less time traveling
in your car. Maybe you can
even leave the car at home
and do your errands on
foot or by bicycle. Fewer
cars on the road means less
pollution.
Supporting Dreams
A small business is often
the realization of a life-long goal or dream.
The products sold represent the imagination,
passion, and dedication of the small business
owner. We all have dreams, and we all want
them to be supported. Know that when you
shop local, you are supporting the dreams of
another human being.
Though it can feel much easier to type in a
website on your browser
on an ecommerce app, we
feel the aforementioned
reasons make supporting
small businesses a more
rewarding and worthwhile
experience.
15 Ways to Support Small Business
If you’re wondering how you can support
small business owners—either as a consumer or
fellow small business owner—we have a great
list just for you.
1. Shop at Small Businesses
This one’s pretty self-explanatory. What better
way to genuinely support small businesses than
by patronizing them? You can do this whenever,
wherever. Just step out your door and take a
walk down Main Street.
2. Participate in “Small Business Saturday”
Small Business Saturday is an American
shopping holiday held on the Saturday after
Thanksgiving—it will be on Nov. 30 in 2019.
Similar to Black Friday, it’s a day for small
businesses to entice more customers by offering
deals and discounts or something special.
Whether you’re a consumer or small business
owner yourself, promoting Small Business
By Kaitlin Schmidt BE A LOCALIST.
The How and Why of Supporting Local
...a small business is
often the realization of a
life-long goal or dream. { {
17