What If?

I’ve been an entrepreneur and small business owner for 22 years.  I’ve seen a lot, experienced a lot and know what it’s like to be in business for yourself.  And to be honest, it’s one of the things I am most passionate about.

This holiday season, I am begging you, PLEASE, buy from small and local businesses. 

You see on social media the post about “When you buy from a small business, there is a happy dance behind it.”  But sometimes, there are parents that exhale because they have literally been holding their breath, trying to figure out how to buy groceries for their family this week.  Or a single mom with tears running down her face because, with that purchase, she can now buy diapers for her baby.  You may think I am being overdramatic, but I’m not.  This is the situation that MILLIONS of small businesses are facing right now.

Look around your town, who can you buy from and still fill your holiday needs?  Your favorite gym is closed?  Buy their merchandise.  A brew pub you love is closed, buy their hats and t-shirts.  Get on Etsy, which has some of the most unique and creative items around and get something for a loved one that is handmade, special and beautiful.

I get it, Amazon is easy.  You get free shipping, you can overnight the product.  But what if we all took the time to look around and see who could use some help.  And what if we took the time to see all the amazing products and services small businesses provide.

No local, state or federal government is going to get us out of this.  But WE THE PEOPLE can. 

WHAT IF?  What if we all bought from small businesses this holiday season?  What would that look like?  What affect would that have?  It would be amazing and quite frankly, life changing for some of these small businesses.

These small business owners are fighters. They “got in the arena” as Theodore Roosevelt so famously articulated (and Brene Brown expanded on). They believed so strongly in their product or service, believed they could make a difference in the world, that they went for it. These small business owners are your family, your friends, your neighbors, your countrymen and women…and they need your help this holiday season.

Ask yourself….WHAT IF?