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You are here: Home / Your Small Business / New Year, New Motivation to Support Small Businesses

New Year, New Motivation to Support Small Businesses

December 21, 2021 By Melinda Emerson Leave a Comment

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New Year, New Motivation to Support Small Businesses social imageThough things have gotten better in regard to the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the U.S. economy, many of your favorite small businesses are still trying to recover from the last two years while facing new pressures like inflation, increasing fuel costs, and endless supply chain issues. And now, there’s a new variant threatening to exasperate these burdens for entrepreneurs. 

As we enter a new year, it’s in everyone’s best interest to support small businesses. Why? According to the Small Business Administration standards, there are 31.7 million small businesses in the U.S. and they employ nearly 60 million people, nearly half—of America’s combined workforce. We can all jump in and help buy from small businesses in our local communities and online. Here are a few small ways to make a big impact!

Take a stroll ‘round the block

Money spent with local small businesses does more than help bolster those individual businesses; those funds invest money directly into your community. Impact studies have shown that for every dollar spent with independent retailers, about half gets recirculated back into the community in the form of labor, purchases, and charitable donations. In other words, investing in small businesses is an investment in your community.

Support Small Businesses local coffee shop

Your first stop should be businesses in your own backyard. Stop by your favorite locally owned coffee or smoothie shop. Buy a gift card from your favorite restaurant or local retailer. Get a head start on spring cleaning and have your bedding cleaned by the neighborhood dry cleaner. Have your dog spruced up by a local groomer. There are so many ways to support small businesses in your area. 

Small business goods just a few clicks away

Many traditionally brick and mortar-based businesses have pivoted to online selling — either on their own website or through online stores like Amazon. Yes, Amazon! I get it, it’s hard to think that shopping on Amazon helps small businesses, but it’s true. According to the company’s 2021 Small Business Empowerment Report, more than half of everything sold in its store comes from one of its third-party sellers – most of which are small and medium-sized businesses.  In fact, there are more than 500,000 U.S.-based entrepreneurs selling in Amazon’s store. Those businesses sold more than 3.8 billion products and averaged $200,000 in sales between September 2020 and August 2021. You can find products from small businesses in Amazon’s Support Small store; on Amazon Handmade; and with Local Pickup & Delivery which allows you to purchase from both national and local retailers offering in-store pickup and fast delivery to local customers.

New Year New Motivation selling online image

Looking for one-of-a-kind items, vintage treasures, or handmade goods? Buying from Etsy is a great way to support small businesses. In 2020, small businesses selling on Etsy generated nearly $4 billion in revenue. If you are interested in supporting Black-owned businesses, Miiriya is a marketplace featuring Black-owned businesses exclusively with a vast variety of products offered. And if you want to shop with small businesses on Instagram, you can use buy directly from shoppable posts sprinkled throughout your Instagram feed without leaving the app.

The people behind the products

While you’re being intentional about buying products from small businesses, I encourage you to get to know the owners. Tell them how happy you are that they are in your community. Too many of them never hear from customers (unless they’re unhappy), so I know your words will go far. While you’re at it, leave a glowing review online. Follow and engage with them on social media; and take photos or video your unboxing experience and share and tag them. When other people see these, they might get inspired to support the same company or a small business they love.

In short, supporting small businesses is good for everyone. Our small businesses need your support more than ever.

Note: This is a sponsored post that was written by Melinda Emerson. All content included in this article is solely the opinion of the author.

About the Sponsor:

amazon logo

Amazon provides tools and resources to help small and medium-sized businesses, authors, AWS customers, Delivery Service Partners, and others grow their own companies. Amazon works with more than 2 million independent partners in the U.S., including sellers, developers, content creators, authors, and delivery providers. Amazon sellers, most of whom are small and medium-sized businesses, come from every state in the U.S., and more than 130 countries around the world.

 

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Filed Under: Business Inspiration, Your Small Business Tagged With: buying products from small businesses, how to sell on Amazon, small business selling on Etsy, small businesses on Instagram, supporting Black-owned businesses

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About Melinda Emerson

Melinda F. Emerson, “SmallBizLady” is America’s #1 Small Business Expert. She is an internationally renowned keynote speaker on small business development, social selling, and online marketing strategy. As CEO of Quintessence Group, her Philadelphia-based marketing consulting firm serves Fortune 500 brands that target the small business market. Clients include Amazon, Adobe, Verizon, VISA, Google, FedEx, Chase, American Express, The Hartford, and Pitney Bowes. She also has an online school, www.smallbizladyuniversity.com, that teaches people online marketing and how to start and grow a successful small business and publishes a blog SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com. Her advice is widely read, reaching more than 3 million entrepreneurs each week online. She hosts The Smallbizchat Podcast and is the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, Revised and Expanded, and Fix Your Business, a 90 Day Plan to Get Back Your Life and Reduce Chaos in Your Business.

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