~by Haley Lynn Gray~
I have a challenge for everyone who reads this: support your local businesses, especially the small ones.
I make a point of spending my money locally, and not just out of sentiment. As a small business owner myself, I know exactly what a single loyal customer means to a business like mine.
Why it matters
Your money stays in your community. When you buy from a local owner, that money pays a neighbour’s wages, supports their family, and gets spent again at other local businesses. It keeps circulating close to home.
You often get better quality. Small businesses can’t compete on sheer scale, so the good ones compete on care, craft and knowing their customers personally.
You’re creating local jobs. Beyond the owners themselves, small businesses employ people in your community — often people who’d find it harder to get hired elsewhere.
You get a relationship, not a transaction. A local business owner remembers you, knows what you like, and will go out of their way when something goes wrong. That’s the one advantage big companies can’t copy.
Some of my own favourites
These are local businesses I personally use and love.
Magical Sunsets Travel — my travel agent. The personal service is extraordinary, and it’s exactly why I’d never go back to booking complicated trips myself.
Ferawyn’s Chocolates — quite simply better than anything mass-produced. Once you’ve had real handmade chocolate, it’s hard to go back.
La Farm Bakery — a local treasure for bread and baked goods.
Heidi Approved — Heidi McKinney Simpson is my personal stylist and shopper. She makes getting dressed simpler and better, which, for a busy owner, is worth a great deal.
My printer — reliable, local and easy to work with, which is exactly what you want from the people you depend on.
How business owners can support each other
If you own a small business, you have more ways to help than most people.
- Buy from each other. Before ordering online, check whether a local owner offers the same thing.
- Refer generously. A personal recommendation from one owner to another is one of the most valuable things you can give.
- Leave reviews. It takes two minutes, and for a small business a handful of good reviews can make a real difference.
- Share them publicly. A mention on social media reaches people who’d never otherwise find them.
- Give feedback privately. If something isn’t right, tell the owner directly. Most will be grateful for the chance to fix it.
That spirit of owners backing owners is a large part of why the Women’s Entrepreneur Network exists.
The challenge
This week, choose one thing you’d normally buy from a large chain or online, and buy it from a local business instead. Then tell someone about them.
It’s a small change. Multiplied across a community, it’s how local businesses survive — and how the people who run them get to keep doing what they love.
