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Why We’re Small Business Champions – And You Should Be, Too

A photo by Bonnie Meisels. unsplash.com/photos/Y5uyOoct2pg

Visit stylemybiz.ca to support local business

Supporting local business is one of the best things you can do for your community. When you shop local, you get a good quality product or service and you know that your money is being well spent. Plus, you see the face of who you’re doing business with – you know them. There’s nothing better than walking into your neighbourhood cafe, nodding to the barista in line, and getting your order without having said a word. Being a regular.

There are lots of benefits to shopping locally, besides feeling like a VIP when you get your cup of coffee in the morning. Here’s why we support local business and encourage everyone to shop local.  

Local businesses support the local economy

One of the most common reasons to buy locally is because customers want to support their local economy. Here’s how local businesses do just that:

1. Local Business Puts Money Back into the Community. Local businesses re-circulate more money into the community when compared to their corporate counterparts. Think about these stats from BC Buy Local:

  • Local retailers re-circulate 45% compared to 17% for chains
  • Local restaurants re-circulate 65% compared to 30% for chains
  • Local suppliers re-circulate 33% compared to 19% for chains

2. Local Business = Jobs. Small businesses create and provide the majority of jobs in Canada. Key Small Business Statistics – June 2016 edition states that:

  • In 2015, small businesses accounted for 70.5% of private sector jobs, equivalent to 8.2 million jobs.
  • Between 2005 and 2015, small businesses created 1.2 million jobs, which is 87.7% of net job creation.

3. Local business Runs in a Full Circle. Local businesses often support other local businesses. They value the idea of staying local, so they become customers of local printers, accountants, attorneys, and more.

All of this information goes to show that Canadian small businesses play a crucial role in the Canadian economy and supporting local business means that your contribution is helping your community thrive as a whole. 

Nominate them for the #StyleMyBiz Contest where they could win $50,000 in prizes & YOU could win a trip to Vegas! Nominate a business here: https://stylemybiz.com/en/home

Nominate them for the #StyleMyBiz Contest where they could win $50,000 in prizes & YOU could win a trip to Vegas! Visit the site for details: https://stylemybiz.com/en/home

Local businesses helps the environment

Supporting local business also means creating a healthier environment and reducing your carbon footprint. This article outlines why buying local is more green than buying from big chains.

1. Local Sourcing. Small businesses tend to get their products, materials, or ingredients from local sources, meaning they require less fuel to run their business because they do not have to ship inputs.

2. Location and Transportation. Many local businesses are neighbourhood serving, meaning they are located in areas where customers will walk or bike rather than drive, which creates far less pollution.

3. Local Decision-Making Authority. Unlike many large corporations that are designed to maximize profit, local business owners tend to make more environmentally conscious decisions, even if it isn’t the most profitable.

4. Efficient Land Use. Local businesses take up far less land than big chain stores. The amount of asphalt used to make the parking lots for superstores contribute to increased water run-offs and reduction of habitats. When it comes to local business, the stores themselves are not as large and they do not require massive parking lots for customers to use.

5. Product Durability. Many items from big businesses are not made to last, whereas local business tend to create and stock high quality products that will not need to be replaced nearly as often. 

By shopping local, you’re contributing to a larger global movement of more environmentally friendly shopping.

Local businesses shape communities 

Local business plays a huge role in the way communities are shaped. Where we eat and have fun is what shapes our community and makes it our home.

1. Local Businesses Add Personality. Imagine how boring and uninviting it would be if your town or city was filled with only big chain stores. Every community is filled with  independent businesses from florists, dog groomers and yoga studios to restaurants, retailers, and more. The uniqueness of a community stems from local business.

2. Local Businesses Give Back. According to the Globe and Mail, research by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business found that:

  • 75% of small firms donate money to charities or other non-profit activities in their communities
  • 75% of small firms donate goods and services within their community
  • About 60% sponsor local sports teams
  • 50% promote local charities and donate their own time and 25% also donated employees’ time
  • Only 1% of the businesses reported that they had no involvement in community causes

So it’s safe to say, local businesses are pretty charitable.

3. Local Businesses Bring Communities Together. By hosting events within the community, local shops bring people together. You can often find book groups, knitting clubs, cooking classes and more. These are especially great for people who are new to the community as well as for the local businesses to get new customers. By supporting business within your community, you keep these local groups alive.

4. The Employees Become Your Friends. When you shop local, you can really get to know the people you’re buying from. If you go into the same local coffee shop every day the people there become your friends because they care about the customers. They don’t do it because they have to, they do it because they care about providing personalized service, even if it takes a little more time, while large corporation may be more focused on the bottom line. 

One of the ways we’re helping to support local business is through the StyleMyBiz Contest. We want Canadian small business to thrive, so we’re giving entrepreneurs the chance to win the Grand Prize of $50,000 worth of prizes to expand, improve, and makeover their business. Plus, anyone can support a local business by nominating or ‘cheering’ (voting) for them throughout the contest and they’ll be entered to win a trip for two to Vegas.

If you want to learn about more benefits of supporting local business, as well as statistics on supporting local businesses, check out this infographic.

Visit stylemybiz.ca to support local business

 

Laura has a B.A. in Honours Communications Studies from McMaster University and is currently enrolled in Humber’s Public Relations Postgraduate program. She is passionate about writing and local business, so this blog is the perfect combination of the two.