Small businesses are the heart of America [editorial]

More than just making ends meet

Small businesses are the heart of America, and they are also the core of a stable economy. It is in our best interest to support our small business network. Our local economy is composed of people just like you and me. Individuals working together to make ends meet and doing the things they love to get by. There are some key things we can do to create revenue for our community and create a lasting impression on both the consumer and the small business owner.

Investing in our communities

Advertising is expensive and it is very difficult for a small business to compete with big brands and their multimillion dollar advertising budgets. It is much easier to go to a big box store and buy the goods and services we need in one sweep. However, by doing this we are hurting our small business community and diverting cash flow from the local economy. In addition, we are supporting cheap labor practices and inequality on a grand scale.

To make America great again, we need to invest in our domestic workforce and the capital micro-culture that is an intricate part of a sustainable economic system.

Recommend small businesses, leave good reviews

Before multimillion dollar advertising budgets and brand equity, there was word of mouth advertising. Communities were connected through a web of family and friends all looking out for each other. We worked on a barter system, where our word was our bond, and businesses and local merchants relied on the consistent outflow of quality and service that was anticipated and expected by their customers.

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Small businesses rely on word of mouth advertising more now than at any time in our history.

Competition is fierce and a bad Yelp review can destroy a small businesses reputation as quickly as it takes to post a negative comment. As consumers we must be visual of the services we receive and when a business goes the extra mile to provide a great consumer experience we should return the favor and provide an excellent review.

So let’s honor our past and humanity by helping out the small business owner by letting them know that you appreciate their hard work. It only takes a few minutes of your time, but that extra five minutes of thoughtful appreciation might be the difference of a small business thriving or crashing.

#InvestInYourCommunity