National Small Business Week 2023: Shop Small to Support Your Local Community

Small businesses account for 1.5 million jobs annually and drive about 44% of the economic activity in the United States. This makes them the backbone of the market – providing employment opportunities, fostering innovation, and meeting the unique needs of their local communities. For this reason, the Small Business Administration (SBA) hosts National Small Business Week (NSBW) as an annual event to recognize the contributions of small businesses.

At CDC Small Business Finance, uplifting small business is essential to what we do. This includes SBA 504 loans, 7a loans, credit-blind loans, Business Advising Services, and more. As individuals, you can celebrate Small Business Week and support your local businesses and community. We thank you for patronizing your local businesses and fostering thriving local economies.

How to Do Your Part

Fortunately, there are surprisingly simple ways to help and support small businesses. Better yet, most absolutely can be done from home. From ordering takeout or delivery to making small donations to benefit workers, here’s how:

• Commit to doing one small thing for a favored small business weekly, whether a purchase or a shout-out. Supporting small businesses each week will give you peace of mind but will help the owners and the economy.
• Buy gift cards. You may wait to use the gift cards, but the revenue from these sales is a huge help to small businesses at this critical time. And it’s a promise that you’ll continue to be a customer later. 
• Tip generously. Tips are even more important to support small business workers who might have lost hours as in-house service shut down.
• Buy merch. Support small businesses by purchasing and wearing items and even tagging them in pictures.
• Shop now for later. You can support small businesses by improving their cash flow now. Think about gifts, birthdays, or other purchases you can buy now and give later.
• Buy books from online stores. Take a break from getting books from Amazon and look into books from smaller independent stores that sell online.
• Take up a fun quarantine project. Whether redecorating a room or trying out a new DIY project, support small businesses by buying their supplies and decor and start getting creative!
• Consider small before big companies. When doing your usual online shopping, think about purchasing these from a small business instead. Always be mindful and take that extra second to see if you can support small businesses. Check out our Holiday Gift Guide for ideas.

Free Ways to Support Small Businesses

• Share their posts on social media. Watch for updates and inspiring posts from a business. Small business owners are getting creative with unique ways to serve you, so keep in touch via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. And share – it’s good exposure for them.
• Write a review. Believe it or not, a review about customer service or excellent products will make a difference. Help them appear online as a five-star business to help them attract new customers.  
• Tell a family member or friend about a small business you love. Use word of mouth to support your favorite small businesses. Your family members or friends will likely trust and remember them more if it is shared personally.
• Sign-up for newsletters. Subscribing to your favorite small businesses’ newsletter helps them know you are a fan. It also can notify you of any virtual events or special promotions.
• Tag a friend. Many small businesses offer special promotions on posts to gain more customers. When you see these kinds of posts – tag a friend; you never know who may be in the shopping mood.
• Post a pic and give a shout-out. You can support small businesses by sharing a photo of their shop and tagging them. Then, if you decide to purchase something – share a quick pic.
• Check in with small business owners and employees. If you are picking up food, ordering online, or browsing their social media, check in and ask how they are doing—there’s no better way to support small businesses than verbally checking in.
• Show your appreciation. Tell them, “Thank you.” You can easily show genuine support by sharing your gratitude and thanking them for trying their best during hard times.

Together, We Can Uplift Small Businesses

Let’s join together and be there for small businesses. Our communities would not be the same without them. With our continued support, these businesses will continue to grow and thrive.