A Call to Support Small Businesses
“Small businesses provide 75 percent of new U.S. jobs and are the backbone of our economy”. – Sue Kelly
Imagine having a vision, a lifelong vision and finally having the courage to step out and pursue it. Imagine pouring all of your life savings into this vision because you are appreciative of the fact that you live in a country where you can be an employer and not just another employee. Imagine having your entrepreneurial spirit provoked, leading you to launch that small business. Imagine emptying out your life savings to cover operational costs and overhead only to find out that for your first several months you may not turn profit at all. Then, imagine the month that you finally start to see a profit and momentum begins to gain. Picture customers patronizing your establishment and the sense of joy and pride that you would feel knowing that you’ve helped others get back to work. And then imagine suddenly, without warning it’s all taken away from you. Seems like a nightmare doesn’t it?
This nightmare was a reality for small business owners across our nation at the beginning of March when COVID-19 was labeled as a pandemic. Many governors across the country begin to close down the economy, and only allow what they deemed essential businesses to remain open. These essential businesses were places where you could purchase food such as groceries stores and certain establishments for takeout, post offices, etc. It was decided that places where people would congregate would have to be shut down because at the time, little was known about the virus. The federal and state government intervened offering stimulus payments, but many small business owners never received a dime because the money never trickle down to their level. So that meant that the family floral shop, the family donut shop, the family auto shop, etc. all went months without receiving an income. Many businesses were unable to hold on and recover and eventually closed their doors permanently.
As for nearly 3 months and the economy is beginning to open again, and many of these small businesses are opening their doors. I believe that we should support the small businesses as much as we possibly can simply because for months, they had no business. Small businesses are in several parts of our communities, and in many cases…they are a part of the lifeblood of our communities. So, I urge you to consider shopping at a small business, supporting a family restaurant, or even share their social media posts from a small business in order to help rebuild their customer base. Below are some additional ways that we can all chip in:
· Social media shout-outs
· Purchasing gift cards
· Leave positive reviews on yelp etc.
Please understand, that even without spending a dime word-of-mouth can sometimes be more valuable than a purchase. We all have a bit of influence, let’s use it to help sustain some of our small businesses.
“Small business isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s for the brave, the patient, and the persistent. It’s for the overcomer.”- unknown