I’m trying to do at least one thing a day to support small businesses. I’ve been doing this for years but now more than ever it can be a great way to help small business owners out. For example, yesterday I ordered some (fabulous) notebooks from an amazing artist. Today I will leave a couple of online reviews for online or physical small businesses I’ve used. Tomorrow I will share a small business or three on LinkedIn or Instagram.

 Deciding to support small businesses is something that really does make those business owners glow. Many of these actions take minutes or mere seconds but can mean the world to those working incredibly hard to grow their businesses so that they can continue to service and add value to their customers and clients.

Why Support Small Businesses?

Times are tough, no one is denying that. What is more important than ever is that we pull together as a business community to help each other out. Not only will this enable businesses to keep going and to provide for themselves and their family; but it will also help the economy recover and eventually thrive. I’ve been working for myself for many years and in that time have met some truly amazing business owners and freelancers. We tend to be a gritty bunch but now and then need a helping hand. Choosing to support small businesses helps these enterprises survive.

If we don’t support our small businesses they won’t be around for much longer and trust me, we’ll miss them once they are gone. Making sure that doesn’t happen is easier than you might think.

Easy Ways to Support a Small Business

If you do have extra pennies in your budget and are looking for home items, gifts, food, clothing or a treat for yourself or someone else, consider spending those pennies with a small business. If you aren’t shopping right now, there are still plenty of other ways that you can support small businesses.

• Shop small – Be creative when it comes to buying gifts, treats or items that you need for your home. Ask businesses if they offer gift vouchers – these might make great presents later in the year or you could use them yourself to buy items.
• Share business updates – Use your social network to spread the word about offers, new services and more. Interact more with their pages in a meaningful way. If you often “like” their posts, perhaps leave a comment, make a suggestion, or vote in their poll. 
• Recommend a business to others – I run a copywriting service and the majority of my work comes from referrals, people who have been happy with my work and have told other people about me. These kinds of recommendations are golden and I appreciate clients who take the time. In turn, I make sure that I recommend businesses and freelancers I know well to others.
• Leave reviews – If you’ve been satisfied with the service you’ve received, be this from a retail store, an online yoga teacher or a graphic designer, make sure that you leave them a review. This could be on their Facebook page or via Google. Reviews are greatly appreciated.
• *A side note for this point – please only leave a review if you have actually received a service from a business. It’s lovely to write a glowing recommendation for a friend but if that friend has never done your hair or you’ve never used his social media team, your review isn’t genuine and that dilutes the usefulness and the authority that online reviews offer.

Small Changes To Support Small Businesses

You don’t need to make massive changes to your life to make a significant impact on someone else’s. I’ve made many small changes over time. I both shop locally where possible and choose to support small businesses online when not. For example, I no longer buy new cleaning and laundry products but instead get them refilled locally at Kristina’s. This saves me a fortune and is the most ethical and environmentally friendly way forward.

I buy books from smaller bookshops and furnish my home with items from independent businesses I know well. As a family, we are mindful about choosing to support independent businesses when we eat out, shop or need a service. You too can make a small business owner’s day by making small changes and choosing to proactively support small businesses.