Small Business Saturday is Right Around the Corner

Why Black Friday when you can Small Business Saturday? On Saturday, November 27, show your support of small businesses by doing your holiday shopping with them!

What is Small Business Saturday?

Small Business Saturday is a movement created by American Express in 2010. One year later, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution in support of the day, and officials in all 50 states participated. While it may not seem like a single day can make a huge impact, it actually brings in billions of dollars every year. American consumers spent $19.6 billion at independent retailers and restaurants on Small Business Saturday in 2019, according to data released from the 2019 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey.  Though 2020 did see a decrease in popularity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, about 108 million shoppers spent $12.9B in 2020. There is no better time to show your support than 2021’s Small Business Saturday.

Why Support Small Businesses?

We get it: it’s easier to order things from big businesses like Amazon, Best Buy, Home Depot, or Fast Food places instead of trying to find the perfect fit, alternative, or meal at a locally owned business. Not only is it part of your routine, but you probably have everything worked out for your budget too — you know how much a meal from your favorite fast food place costs, but don’t know what your local diner would cost. Let us be the first to say take that chance. Be adventurous and go try that diner, walk into a family-owned bakery or retail store, and explore what your community has to offer. And by “your community,” we mean the people in it, not the corporations located in another state or overseas. For example, try Streets of New York instead of Papa John’s for pizza, or sell your gold to Stewart Kuper Jewelers instead of Jared’s. But why should you do this? The answer is simple: small businesses create more jobs, support local business owners, and impact your city significantly more than big businesses.

Small Business Leads Job Creation

From 2000 to 2019, small businesses created 10.5 million net new jobs while large businesses only created 5.6 million. This means small businesses account for 65.1% of net new jobs in the U.S. In fact, nearly 99.9% of all US businesses are small businesses. They employ 60.6 million people which translates into 47% of the total US workforce.

Small Business Put More Back into the Local Economy .

Small businesses generate $68 of local economic return for every $100 spent with them. Compare that to the $43 generated by non-local businesses, and the difference is clear.  To quantify that, over $9.3 billion would be directly returned to the economy if every U.S. family spent $10 a month at a local business.

Small Businesses Donate More

Small businesses donate 250% more than large businesses to community causes. They directly put their efforts into charities, initiatives, and local projects/teams each and every day. This includes sponsoring local youth leagues as well!

What You Can Do to Support Small Businesses

Supporting small businesses should be an ongoing objective, but a great place to start is with this holiday season. You can still enjoy Black Friday deals and Cyber Monday, but you should plan ahead so you can support small businesses as well. We recommend making a game plan — you likely already have one for Black Friday anyway, so this will be easy! Google local shops around you to find specific items, such as gift cards, souvenirs, local caterers, handmade crafts, and so much more. Cross those items off your Black Friday list and visit those local stores instead. If you were impressed with your experience, leave a Google or a Facebook review! These really help boost the business’s SEO (search engine optimization) and reputation, which is an amazing help for small businesses. One review can get them ranked higher on Google, which turns into new customers, more reviews, and more positive growth. So instead of spending all your time and hard-earned money at a business that doesn’t support your community as much, spend some of it at a locally owned small business. You will truly make a difference in the owner’s lives and in your community’s!