HOW TO SUPPORT SMALL AND LOCAL BUSINESS- WITHOUT SPENDING ANY MONEY!
It can be difficult to know how to support a friend's business. They sell luxury goods and you’re on a budget or they’re a photographer and you haven’t gotten your picture taken since high school! You’re on a no carb, no sugar diet and they’re selling cupcakes! Basically, you can’t or won’t be able to purchase what they’re selling. The awesome part thing about the internet is you don’t have to purchase something to show support (that’s a great way though, don’t get me wrong.) So, below are 5 ways you can support a small local business without spending any money:
1. Engage on social media! -Don’t just follow, interact with the page. Post about their products or services, comment on tweets and photos. This is the easiest one to do, cause let's face it, you're already on social media.
2. Talk about it in the real world!- Nothing, and I mean NOTHING replaces word of mouth. Let your coworkers know, let your friends and family know: tell whoever will listen about this wonderful business you've discovered. When people bring up big companies, mention you have a friend with a small business who does something similar. You never know who is listening and how that might help. You can do this even if you've never purchased from them!
See fake conversation below:
" I love your shirt! Where did you get it?"
"I got this from Forever21, but my friend has a clothing line and I think you'd like their stuff too!"
It's super easy. Just sprinkle in the business wherever you can. Anytime, anywhere.
3. Don’t ask for a discount- Shop small business the same way you shop any other company. This means read to see how we take orders/bookings and do that. If we have a website don't DM us. If we charge $150 don't say "can I get it for $75??"
-Now, business owners, it's on us to make sure our business model is clear and obvious to the customers (But that's a blog post for a later time😉)
4. Show love! Publically or privately- Let us know when we've done something good or cool. A lot of interactions can be complaints or questions so it's always nice to get a note or a shoutout saying when we did something right.
5. Be understanding- Small businesses often don’t have the luxury of outsourcing. We do A LOT ourselves, which takes TIME. So just be understanding of the fact that a small local business might have 5-7 shipping as opposed to 2-day shipping. Or the return policy might be a little stricter than a big company. We have to run our business in a way that works best for us to manage and it might not be what you're used to.
