LOCALLY-OWNED SHOPS HELP ENRICH THE COMMUNITY
Millions upon millions of small business owners each year invest in local youth sports leagues. They hire other local firms to help their business excel.
They pump money into the local economy through the wages they paid their employees.
And they enrich our community in countless other ways.
Consider the following numbers, courtesy of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce. Of the money you spend at a local business, 48 percent gets recirculated locally.
Every $100 you spend generates $45 of secondary local spending. And 91 percent of small business owners give back to their community, averaging $6,000 per year in donations, contributions and services.
Small businesses donate 250% more than large businesses to community causes, according to fundera.com, a small business marketplace.
Part of what makes patronizing a local business so beneficial is the way a local business goes out of its way to take a personal approach.
After all, you’re not just a customer, you’re a neighbor. Even with something like mortgage brokering, you’ll find a personal touch.
“With big banks, you’re going to get pawned off from one department to another and never speak to the same person twice,” said Will Savage, owner of Bluffton’s PMC Mortgage Corporation. “My clients are going to be with me from start to finish. But then, Bluffton is very small-business focused.”Bluffton is very small-business focused.”
As an ambassador for the Greater Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, Savage points to the fact that Bluffton’s small businesses tend to multiply each dollar spent, turning around and investing in other small businesses.
One person who can certainly testify to that is Jordan Lemmon, owner of HH Wrap Company.
Creators and installers of customized wraps for boats, cars and any vehicle you can imagine, the majority of his company’s clients are fellow small businesses.
“The industry I am a part of solely relies on the economy and growing businesses surrounding me,” he said. “Growing up in Hilton Head I have found a family of people who are successful business owners and are constantly helping each other grow. And I will do all I can to be a part of the success in my hometown.”
When you help one small business, you’re helping that small business lift up others. And sometimes you’re just helping a neighbor pursue their dream. Shamequa Allen had served eight years in the Army when she found herself working jobs that didn’t offer much by way of a future. As a young mom, she took it upon herself to chart her own destiny, opening Boomin’ Bounce, which rents out inflatables, activities and concessions for parties across the Lowcountry. “I love kids, so I figured this would be the absolute best route,” she said.
For her, opening her own business was a way to spend time with her family.
“My daughter plays a lot of sports now, and I can be there for her.”
You can shop local as a way to help your neighbors achieve their dreams and to help create a healthy environment for other local businesses.
Whatever your reason, one way to support small businesses this month is Small Business Saturday, which is set for Nov. 27.
Locally and nationally, Small Business Saturday helps support local shops. According to a 2018 SBS Consumer Insights Survey, spending among consumers who said they shopped at independent retailers and restaurants on that day was approximately $17.8 billion. SBS spending has reached an estimated $103 billion since the day began in 2010.
