Now that you know the difference local shopping can make, here are a few ways to support your small business and start your journey to becoming a hometown shopper hero. One way to help these small businesses and local entrepreneurs is to participate in local funding initiatives.
From raising money to launch a new product to securing a down payment for a new location, there are companies in your backyard that you can support by participating in their crowdfunding site campaigns. From pop-ups to local directories, partnering with other business owners can help you in non-obvious ways.
Sign up with your local chamber of commerce and local trade associations to start building a network of other entrepreneurs you can potentially partner with. If you’re not already a member of an industry neighbourhood or business group, search Facebook for groups you can connect to, or consider creating one if it doesn’t already exist.
Since the holiday and donation season is a time when people are looking for new products and services to try or buy for loved ones, now is the perfect time to go to Yelp, Google or Facebook to share a good note about your experience with a local business. You can find local businesses by searching things such as electrician Elsternwick or electrician Bentleigh.
If you want to be actively and meaningfully involved in your small business community, Rob Ray recommended joining your local chamber of commerce.
As businesses continue to recover from the impact of COVID-19, it is more important than ever to focus on ways to inject money, capital and support into our communities. The resilience of our community depends on the health and well-being of our community members, and while the current crisis may leave us feeling isolated, there is still much we can do to be good neighbours to each other and support local businesses.
From people losing their jobs to businesses shutting down for good, we’ve all seen our communities grapple with the burden of the pandemic. Reach out to a business owner near you to start discussing how to test some of these strategies, and you can both get emotional support along the way.
Whether it’s coffee beans from your favourite coffee shop or a box of seasonal groceries from the co-op, your support now during these critical times will help increase the chances that your local businesses will last until the dust settles.
By supporting your local business, you will not only help support the overall livelihood of your community, but you will also help ensure that your favourite local businesses will still be around when life returns to normal, ready to welcome you with open arms.
Delivery clerks or kitchen workers will appreciate your help and you will do everything possible to ensure that you can continue to enjoy your favourite restaurants and small businesses.
You will continue to provide for your family and friends, but you will also help the owners of these businesses put food on their tables. You can help retailers catch up or slow down by giving generous tips. Supporting businesses in your community not only stimulates the local economy, but also promotes deeper community involvement.
Financial support isn’t all it takes to help a local business – you can cheer up the entire community by leaving great online reviews of services you’ve used in the past.