SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES

3 min read

Author: Rachel Senescu

Supporting your community's local small businesses has always been important but over these past 7 months of COVID-19 restrictions, it’s more important than ever to do what you can to keep your important (and loyal) dollars rolling towards your favorite local shops and eateries.

Not only are small businesses an essential part of the economy nationally and in your own community, they are also attributed with sustaining more than half of the jobs generated in the U.S.- in fact, under normal circumstances, small companies create 1.5 million jobs annually and account for 64% of new jobs created in the United States, according to the Small Business Administration. Those are pretty big numbers for something labeled as ‘small’.

They also account for 99.7% of ALL business in the U.S., which is an amazing percentage considering that the 2008 recession hit small businesses just as hard, if not harder, than their big-corporation counterparts. Even after that rough patch, being such an integral part of America helped most of them rebound and persevere, so if we want to see them strive on during (and after) the COVID-19 era, then we all need to do our part to support locally as much as possible.

Small businesses, most usually specialized in specific sectors, not only provide niche services and products but they also contribute massively to local jobs, city revenue, and independence. Not to mention they lend to the unique vibe that is associated with their city and community which is basically what helps to make where you live different and cool.

Here at Focus SUP Hawaii, we like to add value to our community by introducing SUP paddle boarding and the beach lifestyle as an alternate, low impact exercise option that is a great choice for the young and the old. We want our community to be empowered with health, exercise and peace of mind.

Another interesting fact about local small businesses, for each dollar you spend at a local shop, around 46 cents stay in that local economy. That’s really amazing! Almost 50% of your hard-earned money stays in the community that you live in and identify with! You could never get that kind of local benefit by spending your same dollar at a large chain store.

Small businesses are made up of the community's local people, just like each of us, who all help to shape the culture and unique identities of the community they live in and represent. It’s no wonder some of the most interesting communities are a melting pot of multicultural mixtures of clothing, art, architecture, favorite sports activities and food, of course!

The most impressive thing about small businesses are the interesting and dedicated people behind them- these are highly motivated, hardworking individuals that love something so much that they’ve purposed their daily lives and their entire livelihood on what they feel so passionate about. They go all in on what they love and value, and therefore want to share that with their neighbors.

These businesses are counting on us just as we have counted on them for so long. Really think about how disappointed you would be if your favorite restaurant, barber shop or boutique couldn’t survive this difficult time... And how boring things could get if your options got whittled down to mostly only big-box corporations and franchise-chain restaurants.

It’s more important than ever to get to know our local shops and their owners, learn more about their newfound struggles and find out what we need to demand from our local leaders to help support them while getting back on track to normal.

We need to really stand behind them and support our favorite local small businesses and in doing that, it’s a great opportunity to get inspired, explore your town and to try something new!