SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS

They’re on the front line too.

 20/05/20 Mark Fielding.  @omg1150   [email protected]       

The ‘open all hours’ newsagent on the corner, the bakery down the street with those amazing donuts, the fruit and veg guys with the freshest salads, the hair salon that leaves you feeling your best after a fresh cut and style and the bookstore in which you can browse forever. The list goes on and on.

These are among some of the small businesses we know and love in our communities, and they are the ones who need our business now more than ever – that means during and after Covid. While we have been ‘flattening the curve’, small independent local businesses have had to close or barely survive through online sales, where possible. 

These small businesses are a vital part of the Irish economy, creating and keeping jobs and money in their communities boosting the local economy, spearheading the fast-paced growth of our country, and serving as a seedbed for our home-grown entrepreneurs.

  If the coronavirus pandemic causes them to close their doors forever, you, your community and the entire country will feel the impact, not for months, but years, to come.

 10 SIMPLE WAYS TO SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY DURING AND AFTER COVID.

1.      Keep shopping locally and encourage others to do the same.

2.      Buy gift cards and encourage others to do the same. 

3.      Where possible order groceries, books, home office supplies, etc. locally online.

4.      Order takeaway food and drink.

5.      Spread the word and share your favourite stores on your social networks.

6.      Reach out - write a positive review - give a shoutout - leave good reviews. 

7.      Avoid refunds, postpone or reschedule instead of cancelling.

8.      Take part in online classes and sign up for a subscription service.

9.      If you’re in business pay the small guys on time or before.

10.   Create a small local business buying habit for now and after Covid.

 By doing so, you’re not just getting excellent service and value but you’re directly putting money back into your own community.

Just in case you need a reminder. Here are the ways that small local businesses lead the way in your neighbourhood: 

1.      Small businesses reinvest in their own community. (€7 out of every €10 stays in community)

2.      Small businesses are job creators, and most of those jobs are for locals.

3.      Local businesses give a neighbourhood its unique flavour and shopping experience.

4.      When was the last time you walked into a large chain store and were greeted by name?

5.      They are owned and run by people you and your family know and are always good for sponsorship.

6.      Small businesses are the seedbed of entrepreneurship.

7.      By supporting independent small businesses you’re pushing creativity and making innovation possible.

8.      Small businesses ensure product and service diversity which guarantees choice.

9.      Small businesses are more environmentally friendly.

 So, there are a lot more than just financial losses to consider if we allow these businesses to disappear. 

Support the front line of your local economy by shopping at local small businesses and, while you’re at it, buy Irish quality products and insist on the Irish brand every time, even if it isn’t displayed.

#buyLocal  #smallBusiness #smallIndependentBusiness        #localStores #localEnterprise #smes #sme