Why You Should Shop Locally This Small Business Saturday

What is the difference between a small business and a large cooperation?

It’s easy to think that shopping locally would be visiting your local supermarket or having dinner at the pub nearest to your home. But this isn’t quite what “shopping local” is.

When people refer to a business this way, they are describing a locally owned business.

This means that the company isn’t a chain. Chains are businesses that have several stores in the UK or even globally, or a business that’s owned by a larger organisation that owns many businesses.

A small, locally owned business could be a café down the road, or a small gym a 5-minute drive from your house. It could even be an online business. These businesses may be working on a large scale, but generally they’re smaller and local.

But how can you tell the difference?

There are some businesses we all know the names of and even if you travelled to the other side of the world, the name would still be recognisable. It’s easy to know that these cooperations are not small businesses.

However, it’s slightly trickier to know with other businesses as they might be operated under a different name to the company who owns it.

There are also businesses that have franchise stores. These are businesses with big brand names, but they are managed locally by an individual or a team of people. The people running the franchise make money as though it were their own business, but some of the profits go back to the larger owner.

In this case, you’re supporting the people who live locally and run the business but you’re also supporting the larger cooperation too.

The rest of the blog will be focusing on small businesses.

Normally there are signs if it’s a smaller business. You might know of the people or person who owns the business for a start, or you can see they’re running on a smaller scale.

But why should we choose small businesses?

There’s plenty of reasons why you should make the effort to shop locally and choose to spend your money with small businesses.

We’ve split the areas you’ll be contributing to by shopping locally.

Financially

There are two ways that buying with small businesses can help economically. Every business must pay tax, money that is paid to the government to spend on public services.

If a small business is doing well, it’s making more money. A percentage of that money is paid to the government. If our local governments have more money, they can invest it back into the local communities.

Secondly, if a small business is growing, it creates more jobs. If more jobs are available, that means there’s more opportunity for people to work, which results in a stronger economy.

Socially

A small business can bring a community closer. It might create opportunities for people to come together that wouldn’t normally connect, or it may even serve as a meeting place.

Your local pub might be hosting a book club, the rugby club is running a charity event, or the independent coffee shop becomes a great place for you and your friend to catch up.

Small businesses can provide a service to the local people, but often they enrich the lives of the residents living there.

It’s also worth noting that by supporting a small business, you’re helping a person or a team of people on a local level achieve their career goals. Even if you think you’re just making a small purchase, that can have a positive impact on somebody else’s life.

Food for thought

Sometimes we don’t have the option to shop locally or support small businesses, and that’s okay.

But it’s helpful to know that choosing to spend your money with a small business can be an investment into the economy, the community and potentially could also have a positive impact on the environment.

Knowing this, next time you have the choice between a small independent business or that large chain you’ve visited millions of times before, you might choose differently.

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