National Small Business Week recognizes the hard work, ingenuity, and dedication of America’s small businesses, and celebrates their contributions to the economy. West Michigan thrives because of the many small businesses that choose to call the region home. We truly wouldn’t be the community we are without them!
Keep reading for simple ways you can support local and celebrate these stellar small businesses this week and beyond.
The most simple and straightforward tip? Think local when it comes to your purchasing decisions. Become familiar with your local businesses and what they offer so that way when you know you’ve got a purchase to make, you can have your pick of small businesses versus big box retailers.
When you go out to eat and have a good experiences, purchase goods or services and are pleased with the quality, help that business out by leaving a review. These simple actions help boost visibility of a deserving business, in addition to helping influence future potential customers to take their purchasing power there.
Another helpful action is spreading the word to friends, family, and coworkers, including via social media. This could look like planning a coffee meeting to catch up at a small, locally owned coffee shop instead of a large corporate chain; tagging a business that’s doing or selling something cool on your IG story; use hashtags like #shoplocal, #shopsmall, etc. Be sure to also follow the social pages of small businesses to stay up to date.
When thinking of a gift for a loved one or otherwise, don’t forget the power of purchasing gift cards! Choosing this route for gifting helps support a small business while giving the receiver of the card the power to go and experience the business for themselves. It’s also a great option if you simply aren’t sure exactly what to get for someone.
Ultimately, you can also support a small business by showing kindness to those working behind the counter, register, serving your table, or otherwise. So many people are simply trying to get by in a world that makes it hard to do so. Help make it a bit easier by extending a kind word for a job well done, having patience during busy times, and offer understanding when times are tough.
Written by Sarah Suydam, Managing Editor of West Michigan Woman.
