During the COVID19 pandemic, we have seen the key role smaller and local entities have played in getting much needed supplies to house and home. As we emerge from quarantine and embrace the “new normal” it is imperative that small businesses continue be a part of this new normality.
According to the SBA, the United States is home to 28 million small businesses. That’s almost 98% of all US businesses, making them vital to the US economy.
To maintain a robust economy, now more than ever, we must shop small. Just opting to buy direct from a company’s website rather than through a third party can create a huge impact for a small business and its surrounding small business community
Take McCrea’s Candies as an example. Every customer who places an order, via our website, is supporting our small business. However, our customers are supporting more than that; they are also helping the large network of employees and vendors who make up our small business community. Income from your caramel purchase flows to the US companies we buy packaging from, the New England companies that supply our dairy ingredients and maple syrup, the local shop that supplies the spirits we use in our recipes, the artist who paints our Advent Calendar, the produce supplier that brings our fresh ingredients, and on and on.
Our customers create this chain of give and take that grows livelihoods for people.
This is how we stay strong and build resilience into our supply chains, by working with people we can talk to face-to-face, people who have a vested interest in keeping each other in business. And the interest is both economic and personal. I want stability for the people and companies I work with because I care about them and because our success depends on their success.
Remember, that most small businesses are run by people - not by boards, not by stockholders, not by algorithms. It is a family of people; a community 28 million strong that plays an integral role in creating jobs, boosting the economy and stimulating a successful supply chain for a large number of small enterprises.
If you’re shopping small and local, please know what a huge difference it makes!