“Support Small Business”, “Keep it Canadian”, “Shop Local” …. Which messaging should you choose?
I’ve seen all three of these phrases used recently and each of them holds merit in their own right. Below I’ll let you know why I prefer one of them above the others.
- Support Small: As a small business owner myself this one holds dear to my heart! Of course we have all heard it said that the Walmart’s and the Amazons of the world will continue through tough times whereas the small mom and pop (mum and dad, ma and pa…. whichever way you say it) shop really struggles during tough times. So it seems to make sense to support the small business community, right?
Well yes…….. however those big box stores also happen to employ local staff. I feel that sometimes, we in the entrepreneur world may forget that (or is that just me?). Although big box stores will make it through, there could well be layoffs if we don’t support them a little bit. - Keep It Canadian: Who couldn’t agree with this one? Everyone loves to support Canadian. Even non- Canadian’s love to support Canadian, which is great if you are Canadian. But what if you are not. Okay I have a confession to make …….. I’m not Canadian. I am however:
- a resident of Canada,
- a homeowner in Canada and
- a business owner in Canada.
And as such I pay all three taxes relating to these three situations. By paying all three taxes I consider myself to be a fairly useful contributing member of society. So yeah, even though I’m not Canadian, it would be nice if you would support my business as well. It would be nice for you to support all the other non-Canadians who are also paying taxes and being equally useful and contributing members of society in your area. Think of all the wonderful restaurants in your area that are not Canadian. I’m not knocking the backyard BBQ at all….. far from it. But the Thai restaurant, Mexican place, Greek take out etc. they have all earnt a bit of support as well haven’t they?
- Shop Local: If it isn’t obvious yet, this is the one that really seems to hit the right tone. Shop Local! When possible, I’ll go to the smaller local store but I won’t feel bad about going to the local big box either. While I’m at the big box store I’ll try to go for the Canadian (or local) option if it is available to me. Overall I will shop local.
What can you do to support your local business community? Are you able to make a commitment not to order from overseas operations? If you are going to order products online, can it be from a local supplier? Can you take part in initiatives that showcase local businesses and business owners? Whatever it is you do, we at Connect Now realize we are all in this together and we are here to support you and your business.
Donna King
Donna is the CFO of Connect Now Business Network, a fourth-generation entrepreneur and financial consultant. She has worked with money or cash management for most of her career. What started out collecting fines for the legal system or collecting debts for private enterprise progressed into bookkeeping with an accounting firm. This gave her a solid understanding of what you need to run your business and what you accountant needs to prepare your year-end financials and tax returns. After many years in this field and 2 children later it was time to set up her consulting company Beyond Balanced Books. Donna has a passion for helping business owners understand their financials and how best to utilize their money to grow their business in the quickest way possible. Her unique approach focuses on not only the business cash flow but how personal cash flow affects the business growth as well. She has a way of explaining numbers that makes them less scary. Donna delivers her advice with humourous flare backed up with solid accounting practices.
