By PATRICIA BROWN-DIXON
U.S. Small Business Administration
Have you started shopping for the holidays, yet? Whether you are just starting or finishing up, remember that when our small businesses do well, our communities do well, too.
As the voice for our nation’s entrepreneurs, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and I, as part of our annual tradition, encourage you to “shop small” after Thanksgiving on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016.
Shopping small is a concrete way to support small retailers – and to remember that our nation’s small businesses generate two of every three net new jobs!
Last year’s surveys show 77 percent of shoppers said the day inspires them to “shop small” all year and 66 percent said the main reason they support small businesses is because they contribute to our local communities and economies. Can you even imagine what our communities would look like without them!
So, on Small Business Saturday, I ask you to make a commitment to:
Make at least one purchase from a locally-owned small business retailer.
Travel outside your comfort zone — away from your computer screen and mobile phone — to discover an out-of-the ordinary shopping district.
Take part in Small Business Saturday on social media, using the hashtag #SmallBizSat, to Tweet about any great small business retailers.
If you are a small business owner yourself, make sure you’re prepared by checking out our tips at http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinesssaturday.
In the Wichita metro area, Small Business Saturday provides an opportunity for the public to support over 10,000 locally owned businesses. “Supporting the innovative, talented, and unique businesses in our community on Small Business Saturday® makes sense given the multiplier effect of spending dollars locally” said SBA’s Wichita District Director, Wayne Bell. “According to various studies, when money is spent at a locally owned retailer, it returns more than 3 times as much income to the local economy than a chain competitor.”
In Kansas, small businesses represent 96.6 percent of all employers, they have generated 64 percent of net new jobs over the past 15 years, and employ over half of the private-sector workforce.
Small Business Saturday can be your personal act of economic patriotism. I’ll be shopping small on Nov. 26, knowing I am helping the community stay strong. I encourage you to do the same!
Patricia Brown-Dixon serves as SBA’s Regional Administrator for Region VII, overseeing all agency programs and services in Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas.