An American Tradition:
‘Shop Small’ on Small Business Saturday®
By Tim Jeffcoat, Director,
Houston District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration
Did you know that there are
over 600,000 small businesses in Houston and the 32 surrounding counties,
comprising 99.5% of all businesses? Furthermore, these small businesses
provide 63 percent of all new jobs and 46 percent of economic output
(GDP).
It is especially important
that we all support our local small businesses, so on November 25, I implore
you to join the millions of other Houston region Texans to “shop and dine
small” to help your local economy prosper! This is especially relevant
now as many local businesses continue to recover from the devastation of
Harvey.
Small Business Saturday® has
become an American tradition. Small businesses represent the dynamic
demographics of Southeast Texas, encompassing delicious, unique mom and pop
coffee shops, restaurants and bakeries to neighborhood specialty boutiques,
service providers and manufacturers.
Over the last year the SBA
approved $929 million in loans to Houston regional area small businesses -
which contributed to the 54,200 jobs created locally in 2017. When we all
support small business we create opportunity.
Impact of Small
Business Saturday
In 2016, 112 million
consumers spent $15.4 billion at local and main street merchants and
restaurants on Small Business Saturday®. Many consumers said Small
Business Saturday® inspires them to continue to shop and dine small throughout
the year and not just for the holidays.
Among those who shopped on
Small Business Saturday®, 81 percent helped spread the word by encouraging
family and friends.
Do your part with these six simple steps:
1. Commit to making at least one purchase from a
locally-owned small business retailer. Get to know the owner. Your
purchase can be even more meaningful when you share the owner’s story with your
loved ones.
2.
After a day of shopping,
continue to support small business by dining at your favorite small business
restaurant, coffee shop or watering hole.
3. Enjoy the experience. Travel outside your
comfort zone -- and away from your computer screen -- to discover an out-of-the
ordinary shopping district with some trendy local stores.
4. Join the conversation on social media, using the
hashtags #SmallBizSat, #ShopSmall and #DineSmall to amplify your support.
If you find a great small business, Tweet or Facebook or Instagram your find so
others can enjoy it too.
5.
When you open
your gifts, start a conversation about which one came from the most distinctive
and creative sellers. This can make for great debate over egg nog or your
holiday drink of choice.
6. If you’re a business owner, make sure you’re prepared
for the holiday season by checking out helpful advice at http://www.sba.gov/saturday.
Join me in supporting and
driving Small Business Saturday® until the sun goes down on Saturday, Nov. 25
in the Houston-Galveston Regional Area. And remember that “shop small”
refers to whom you buy from, and not how much you buy!
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(Tim Jeffcoat serves as the SBA’s Houston District
Director and oversees the agency’s programs and services in 32 Texas counties
which include Harris, Galveston, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Waller, Montgomery,
Liberty and Chambers counties.)
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