Supporting Local Businesses by Shopping Local is Good for Everyone — Here Are 10 Reasons Why!
Recently someone asked me about my “WHY” — what motivated me to become a web designer who focuses on local business websites? Wouldn’t it be more profitable to go after big corporate accounts or build websites for e-commerce and other online businesses?
Maybe… but here’s the thing…
I grew up in a small town where most people shopped local and many people were and still are self-employed. In an increasingly global and tech heavy world, it is these local communities that keep us human.
I whole-heartedly believe that local communities are the foundation of healthy societies — that healthy local business ecosystems not only help local communities thrive, but have the power to heal the world.
Here’s why…
1. Local Businesses Create Jobs
Small local businesses generate new jobs. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), small local businesses employ more than half of the working class in the United States.
2. Local Businesses Help Create Community Identity
Be honest would you rather live in a town with a sprawling corporate shopping center or a quaint Main Street or Historic District. Likely the later.
As a traveler, are you going on vacation to a place where local character has been bulldozed to install a indoor mall? Probably not.
Local businesses help communities cultivate the unique character and charm that attracts ideal residents and visitors. So much so that many municipalities and tourism boards have prioritized preserving the unique character of their vibrant small business communities.
3. Local Businesses Encourage Community Involvement
Local business owners are deeply invested in their communities. As a result, they tend to be extremely conscientious about how their decisions may impact their neighbors. Local business owners are also more likely to sponsor locally — investing in recreational sports teams, donating to civic projects, joining the chamber of commerce, and donating to local non-profit organizations.
4. Local Businesses Fuel Relationships
Local business owners build personal relationships with customers. In a world drowning in anonymity and lack of accountability, businesses that know their customers by name are invaluable. When if ever have you walked into a corporate store front to be greeted by name?
Local business owners also build relationships with each other. These B2B relationships increase word-of-mouth referrals and corresponding foot traffic.
Community is all about relationships built on mutual respect!
5. Local Businesses Have Environmental Benefits
The pedestrian-friendly town centers that often result from local businesses ecosystems have demonstrable environmental benefits.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency explains that compact, walk-able downtown centers are “smart growth places,” that “can help protect environmental resources — for example, by reducing air pollution from vehicles by encouraging walking, bicycling, or taking transit; building more compactly to protect ecologically sensitive land; or incorporating natural ways of collecting and filtering storm water runoff.”
6. Local Businesses Increase The Tax Base
When residents shop local and do business in their communities, tax dollars stay within the local economy. This helps to improve their community. The inverse is that local businesses, in addition to consumers, also tend to buy locally, helping to elevate the local economy. The same can’t be said about commercial chain stores.
7. Local Businesses Are An Expression Of The Entrepreneurial Spirit
Local businesses are the product of entrepreneurial spirit. Entrepreneurs take charge of their futures and set a great example. Entrepreneurship has a long standing history of fueling economic innovation, cultivating prosperity and serving as a key means for families to improve their station in life.
Evidence of the benefits of cultivating the entrepreneurial spirit is displayed in community investments in small business development centers that teach entrepreneurial skills to local residents.
8. Local Businesses Drive Innovation
Local businesses, have to work even harder than their corporate counter parts to stand out in a crowd. This requirement drives innovation. Local businesses must fill a legitimate need in their community to survive.
9. Local Businesses Require Less Infrastructure
Shopping malls and chain store fronts require more infrastructure than local shops that tend to require fewer public services. A local business owner will need a business license and occupancy permit, this process requires much less of the city planning department than say building a new department store.
10. Local Businesses Often Offer A Better Variety of Locally Made Products and Services
Customers are attracted to one-of-a-kind, artisanal locally made products. People may come from far away for regional specialties that represent the local culture.
So there you have it! 10 reasons why I love to support local business owners by creating websites that showcase their products and service online and convert Google Map users into paying customers.
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About the Author:
Hi, I’m Charlie! I create modern websites for local businesses that attract and convert new customers with the perfect combination of professional branding design, strategic copy, mobile responsiveness, and local SEO optimization.
As an serial entrepreneur, I know what it is to put your heart and soul into your business.You deserve a website that reflects your deep commitment, passion and purpose! Looking to create, improve, or completely overhaul your business website?
