‘A rising tide lifts all boats’: Support your local small businesses

You may be your own boss, but that means you are also ultimately responsible for your own failure or success. You have to do it largely on your own.

Being a small business owner is tough.

According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, about one in five private sector businesses fail within the first year. The exact number is 20.8 percent. The picture gets harsher the more time has elapsed. After five years, 48.4 percent of businesses have gone under. After 10 years, 65.1 percent of businesses have failed. Not only is it hard to start a business, but to sustain it over the long term requires a good deal of fortitude, planning and, of course, customer support.

If we want to see our small towns prosper and maybe even grow, it’s imperative that we support our small businesses, as they simply won’t make it without community buy-in. Sure, the product might cost slightly more, but it will likely be of better quality and you will help feed the local economy. You will know you’re supporting a local person who’s paying for their kid’s dance outfit or piano lessons, or paying their local mechanic or hairdresser, rather than lining the pockets of a corporate executive who’s already set for life.

Sometimes the extra cost may not be financially feasible, especially with an already tight budget. But if you have the margin to spend a little extra, the benefits are likely well worth it. Yes, there are always going to be some bad apples out there, in small businesses and large businesses alike, but, in my experience, the majority of small business owners are trying to do what’s right by the customer and offer the best service they can.

Another benefit to supporting local business is having that one-on-one customer service. You can try on the clothes you are thinking about buying to see if they’re a good fit, versus waiting for a package in the mail only to have to send it back. If you have a problem with the product, you can talk to a real person right away instead of having to navigate an automated phone system with long wait times, only to talk to a customer service representative that may or may not know how to fix the problem.

A local business may also be more likely to give back to the community by supporting area nonprofits and charities. The more corporate a business becomes, the further removed executives become from the community being served and the needs it has.

So, have I convinced you to support your local small businesses yet? If I have, here are some ideas of what that support can look like. It can take a lot of forms. (And before I go any further, let me give the disclaimer that I should take my own advice on a lot of these, so I’m writing to myself too.)

While the primary way to support a small business is by purchasing its goods or services, there are many other creative ways as well.

In today’s digital world, a positive review online is more important than ever. If you appreciate the goods or services a business offers, take the time to leave a quick Google or Facebook review (or both). Also, when it comes to the service industry and places like restaurants or hair salons, just remember that the employees are human too and have bad days too. We are used to having exactly what we want, when we want it in this conveniencebased society, but sometimes complications arise. We all need grace. If at all possible, try talking through the issue with the manager or supervisor instead of resorting to immediately posting a nasty review.

You can also like, share or comment a business’ social media posts. All of these things help the posts reach more eyeballs and generate more traffic. Opinion varies on this, but generally marketing advisors suggest it takes a person seeing an ad between seven and 20 times before they decide to act on it. With Americans spending an average of 4 hours and 25 minutes on their phones daily (including an average of 38 minutes on Facebook), businesses have to have a strong online presence to compete.

Also, if you can call, leave a message or stop in telling the business owner how much you appreciate their business, it will mean the world to them and encourage them to keep going. Especially when they’re just getting started, there will be plenty of setbacks, so any encouragement will be well received.

One of the best things you can do to support a business is recommend it to your friends and family members. Word of mouth is still the best form of advertising.

If you’re on a school or municipal board, and you need repairs done on your city or school facilities, endeavor to go with a local contractor before extending your reach further. Also consider what grants or incentives you can give to new businesses, and how you can best support existing businesses.

Another idea: Consider donating your used items to a local thrift store instead of taking them to a bigger chain store.

It’s been nice to see the Loyal downtown fill up with different businesses over the past few years, such as the rec. center, dance studio, thrift store, gym and photo studio. When looking at all the businesses that have sprung up even in the past five years, it’s encouraging. Sure, we may not have everything a large city has, but we can offer some really cool things for a small town. Even if they are not your typical 9-to-5 stores, it’s great to see the buildings being occupied and kept up rather than falling into disrepair.

So, to wrap up, remember that everyone is interconnected. In order for a local economy to thrive, it takes everyone supporting one another and working together. If you own a small business, maybe you can recommend another local business and have some of their business cards on hand, and vice versa. A rising tide lifts all boats.

One of the best things about America is we’ve always believed it’s a country where anyone can be anything – where if you have a dream and go after it with all you’ve got, you can achieve it. Your support can help keep someone else’s dream alive. With inflation and the economy the way it is, it’s hard enough to successfully operate a small business today, let alone start one. So the more we can help small businesses getting off the ground, the better.

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