Welcome to National Small Business Week! Each year since 1963, the President recognizes our nation’s small business and their owners with a week of keynote speakers, honors & awards, receptions and other events in Washington D.C.
This year’s Small Business Week comes at a great time for Michiana and Chicagoland small business owners, as our local economy is starting to swing upward with new jobs and companies popping up in the last few months.
Why Small Business?
Small business has received a great deal of attention in the past few years. As the presidential election of 2008 prodded along, citizens kept hearing that the economic recovery of America would come on Main Street, not Wall Street. This proclamation played out like a broken record until the message was clear: We must make small business a higher priority.
The Fabric of Our Communities
We’re talked about the importance of “Buying Local” on this blog before, but it bears repeating. For each purchase you make with a locally owned and operated organization, 73% of the capital stays within your local economy. If you shop for a new table at Target or Wal-Mart for example, only 43% of that purchase stays in your community. That’s a significant gap that could cost your town jobs and tax revenue. As expressed on the Small Business Week website, 60-80% of new jobs in the community are created by small businesses.
Small Businesses Thrive on Creativity
As Small Business Week has progressed, the message has been clear: Legislation and tax breaks can only go so far, creativity will win the day in this economy. It’s a message that has played out for decades, but today’s small business owners have a bounty of tools at their fingertips to promote their business.
SEO
Search engine optimization has been around since the early 1990’s, but it has developed as a full fledged industry in the past 10 years. An effective SEO campaign helps small businesses compete with the big names for search engine referrals and online visibility.
Digital Marketing
Much like SEO, digital marketing on sites like FindItLocal411 helps your company reach audiences far outside the traditional audience of those in your surrounding geographic area. Online web-malls like the one we provide here at FindItLocal411 help small businesses sell products online when a personal Ecommerce site isn’t in the plans.
Small Business Year!
Let’s embrace the lessons learned during Small Business Week 2010 and carry them out throughout the year. The official delegation in Washington D.C. is honoring 27.2 million businesses this week, but there are even more in your community that deserve some recognition. Make sure you are supporting them and enjoy the week!
