OPINION: Make a positive local impact on Small Business Saturday

After you’ve had your fill of Thanksgiving leftovers and chaotic Black Friday crowds, you may be looking for a way to change up the menu and enjoy more leisurely and memorable experiences. Small Business Saturday on Nov. 25 is exactly what’s needed as the bustling holiday season kicks off.

Shopping and dining at small establishments not only provides customers with unique and personalized experiences, but also comes with the added bonus of making a positive impact on your community. For example:

• Small businesses support your favorite causes. Children’s events, service clubs, charity auctions, community clean-ups, senior centers. Small businesses frequently provide the funds, goods, services and volunteers our communities rely on. According to the Association of Fundraising Professionals, on average, the median annual gift for entrepreneurs Is $3,600, which is 50% higher than non-entrepreneurs ($2,400). In addition, 66% of entrepreneurs volunteer two or more hours a month, compared with just more than half (55%) of non-entrepreneurs.

• Small businesses employ nearly half of all workers in the United States. In Alaska, 52.3% of employees support their families with paychecks and benefits provided by the state’s 138,000 small businesses.

• Your purchase dollars stay local. What is spent at small businesses supports other local establishments as well as the local tax base. Tim Mitchell in Northwest Earth Institute’s Choices for Sustainable Living states, “A dollar spent at a locally owned store is usually spent six to 15 times before it leaves the community. From $1, you create $5 to $14 in value within that community.

• Small businesses are the heart and soul of communities. Small business owners are committed to seeing not only their businesses, employees and customers thrive, they are also committed to helping our communities thrive.

If you see the value small businesses add to local communities, you’re not alone. In fact, the overwhelming majority of Americans agree with you. A recent Bentley University and Gallup poll asked respondents about their opinion of small businesses and a whopping 85% of Americans said that small businesses have a somewhat or extremely positive impact on people’s lives.

Small businesses have such a significant impact on communities and our economy that the U.S. Senate passed a resolution in 2011 that designated the Saturday after Thanksgiving as Small Business Saturday. Since 2015, the U.S. Small Business Administration has been a co-sponsor of this initiative, which American Express launched in 2010. Thanks to the community rallying around their friends and neighbors, more than $19.8 billion was spent at local establishments during last year’s Small Business Saturday.

Participating is easy. Simply shop at local stores, dine in neighborhood restaurants or treat the kids to a family-friendly activity. Spread the word by sharing your experiences on social media, encouraging others to support community-oriented businesses and using the hashtag #smallbizsaturday.

By participating in Small Business Saturday on Nov. 25, you’ll enjoy connecting with others in the community while making a positive impact on businesses — just as those businesses make a positive impact on your community.

To learn more about Small Business Saturday, please visit http://www.sba.gov/saturday.

Aikta Marcoulier oversees the Small Business Administration’s programs and services as the agency’s Acting Regional Administrator for the Pacific Northwest serving Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. She is also the Regional Administrator serving Colorado, Montana, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. For more information on how the SBA can assist your small business start, grow or expand, please visit www.sba.gov.

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