04/25/2019
I recently shared a thought on the LinkedIn platform about the importance of supporting small business in a world that is becoming increasingly centered on big box and online vendors. I am amazed at how many likes, comments, etc. it received.
I said that supporting local businesses is important because of the impact your purchase has on the owner and his/her family. The original piece mentioned the fact that your purchase might be the one that allows the owner to provide dance lessons for his daughter. And how those lessons will benefit her the rest of her life.
But as I thought about it, I thought that one other fact needs to be showcased. I used to be the Director of Communications for ProCuts. We had 64 franchisees with 204 shops in 12 states. A lot of locals saw the ProCuts name and assumed that it was a big, out-of-state business (vs. the local neighborhood barber shop).
It was usually just the opposite. The shops were really a local business using a national brand name. The owners were local, in most cases. They purchased from local vendors, paid rent to local landlords, and their payroll stayed in the community. On average, more than 60% of the funds they generated stayed in the community and supported other local businesses.
So when you're thinking about running errands, make a point to include at least one small business (franchise or otherwise) in your shopping because that's where your money directly benefits the business, the community and the lives that business supports and touches.
