6 Ways of Supporting Small Businesses

The state of the world feels a little weird right now, and the economy here in the US seems to be in flux as a result of everything. That being said, I feel like small businesses might be going through a hard time right now, and as a child who grew up with parents who were struggling small business owners, I wanted to take the day to highlight different ways we can help small businesses. Some of these things don't require that you spend anything other than a little time and effort, if you can't afford to spend a little.

Maybe I'm inspired to write this post after seeing the latest season of The Sweet Magnolias on Netflix, and seeing how these women are constantly trying to save their town and help it thrive. I did grow up loving the family and community aspects of these books, after all. So let's get into ways we can help small businesses today.

1. Shopping Small to Support Small Businesses

This isn't always going to be the easiest thing to do, because it isn't the most convenient thing to do. But when you can, the easiest way to support small businesses is by shopping small. I understand the convenience of going to large companies and finding everything you need in one place, and they probably have competitive prices.

But when you shop small, that money stays within the community that you live in, which will then make a difference where you live. Maybe schedule your grocery run to line up with the local farmer's market, which might even have better prices than spending more than $5 for a dozen eggs. Or when shopping for gifts, try going to small boutiques with uniquely crafted items instead of something mass produced. Your experience will always be different, and you don't have to worry about giving the same gift as someone else.

2. Sharing Positive Experiences and Reviews

Because what can it really cost you to be kind? This is part of why I love being an Atmosfy user, the fact that I can share honest and unfiltered experiences. It's important because, more often than not, the people leaving reviews will only leave a review if they have had a super experience or a horrible experience. The reviews that should matter are the ones in the middle, so why not balance the scales?

Honestly, even if you don't want to blog about your experience on the internet the way I do on Instagram and this blog, you can always offer feedback while you're in the store too. It's more private that way, and the owner might appreciate the advice Or leave a Google, Yelp, or TripAdvisor to help their averages. It can be hard for small businesses, living in a time when reviews are so valued, but if you enjoy a business, you should help them so they don't close down.

3. Buying Gift Cards

When my parents had their small businesses, I know that the holiday season meant more than just giving great service to the clients looking to prepare for a party. It also meant that we should push for gift card sales, because that is the income that they relied on when things were quieter in January.

Not only does it help fund the business you already go to, but it ensures the possibility of a new customer. It is a chance for the small business to acquire a new client who could become a regular without them doing anything but providing a service that they should already be good at. Or outside of the service industry, a new sale to help their margins. Gift cards might seem like an easy gift, but for small businesses, it is a way to greatly help them.

4. Word-Of-Mouth

I don't know if it's just because I'm kind of a sucker, but sometimes all I need is for my friends to say, "Hey, have you tried this new place yet? I've heard it's fantastic." And I make a mental note for the next time I want to try a new place of, "Oh, so-and-so said this place is new and good, let's try it tonight."

Maybe this doesn't come up so easily for others, but I feel like all I do is talk about food, so this comes up as a part of my life. But maybe it could be something as simple as hearing someone say they need a new dress, or to get their mom something for Mother's Day, and using that as an opening in the conversation. This might also be the way to open the conversation and make new friends.

5. Engaging Online

Social media algorithms like to highlight content that is doing well, and that is why they tend to push content that gets lots of likes, comments, and shares. It's part of why YouTubers, at the end of their videos, will ask you to please like, comment, share, and subscribe on their videos: they want YouTube to recommend their videos to other people. And it won't do it unless there is already engagement on it.

So if you spend your time just scrolling social media, maybe take the time to just double-tap on the post of a small business you see (like maybe this blog post?). Or if you have a thought about it, comment the thought and interact with others a bit. I know it might seem small, but it's the little things that eventually build up to the big things.

6. Attending Local Business Events

Something that I have found is that it can be hard to get people out of the comfort of their houses to show up for an event. And what is worse is that, often times, the resources that go into developing the event don't balance out with how much it cost the business to put on the event.

But you never know what the goal of the event is. I attend a free workout class on a regular basis here in my hometown, and the couple who runs the class uses these free classes for social media content for their nutrition shop. It would look a little sad if they were the only ones in the social media content that they post, especially after they invested the time and the effort and cost it takes to purchase supplies. While I have never been to their nutrition shop, I am happy to support them in the small way of attending their classes.

I hope you'll join me on that journey, or maybe you'll contribute too. While you might not be interested in writing or posting about your favorite places, it also helps to spread things through word-of-mouth (comment with some of your favorite small businesses here on this post!) and leaving reviews so that people know what a great place it is. So often, people leave reviews when they have great experiences or really negative ones, but the average ones help too.