As many of you know, Big Box Stores and Corporations have all but wiped out many of our small businesses; those local mom-and-pop shops we used to love venturing into for either loyal familiarity or for that unique something you can’t find anywhere else. Those little out-of-the-way specialty stores that were once the center of thriving communities and a way of life – Gone; crushed by the materialistic push for the next best thing that will be obsolete by its shiny new replacement within a year. Communities devastated.
The good news is many are striving to reclaim that sense of community and way of life. They are seeking a slower pace; wanting to spend more time with their families and regain the loyal sense of the familiar that has been all but lost. Small businesses give the ability to build and create a foundation for a parallel economy and for these local communities to thrive once again.
Small and local businesses impact and change the shape of our communities more than we think and surprisingly in a subtle clever way. Small businesses add character and individuality to a community and enhance its personality.
The Benefits of Small Businesses in Parallel Economies
5 Ways Small Businesses Build Communities
1. Small businesses spur growth, inspiration, and innovation
New businesses are often created by people who may be tired of working for large companies and putting in long hours that, in reality, don’t benefit them at all. They start their own little company where they can work when they choose, with whom they choose, doing what they choose. These new businesses can inspire someone else who may have always had a seed of an idea to run with it. Gradually, with the support of those around them, the community starts to build.
2. Keep money in local communities
An important factor of small businesses to local communities is they help the local community thrive. People like to make purchases from either someone they know or simply to support something they like. In turn, this keeps the money within the community which can help it grow by reinvesting the money into the local economy.
3. They create jobs locally
One of the ways small businesses reinvest in their economies is by creating new job opportunities and they employ more people locally than large companies do. By employing locally, that employee will become more involved in the community as well. People can start collaborating on the look and vibe they would like for their neighborhoods and make improvements as they see fit.
4. They give identity to a community
Some communities have been so devastated by the Big Corporations they no longer have an identity. Small businesses can come up with catchy names and designs for their stores that help the community identify with them. They can get together with other local businesses and host events that give them a sense of being a part of something bigger than themselves.
5. Destination Location
Many small businesses become family-oriented places that contribute to the overall well-being of a community. They sponsor, help plan and get involved with local events that bring tourists from all walks of life together to have great conversations and experience a different way of life. These activities become opportunities for the whole community. This is the type of community that offers a destination for visitors to gain insight into something different. A slower pace, a calm environment, a sense of peace, and perhaps, an escape from their world for a moment in time.
As you can see, small and local businesses impact and change the shape of our communities more than we think and surprisingly in a subtle clever way. Small businesses add character and individuality to a community and enhance its personality.
However… In this day and age of technology and online businesses, we also have the capabilities of extending our reach and having an even greater impact in our fight against “The Bigs”!
What you may not know is, while Katts Remedies is quite obviously a small CBD business supporting all natural health and wellness, Katt is a huge advocate for supporting ALL small businesses as well as small podcasters who spend hours researching to share as much information as possible online. Information such as the importance of growing our own foods and why going back to naturals and steering away from Big Pharma is vital to our future. Katt believes in the long forgotten model of neighbors helping neighbors and friends helping friends with a clear conscious and no expectations. One way she does this is by having her “Small Biz Hub” posted at the top of her blog site, the very site this article is posted on, to help share links to other small businesses, health and wellness companies, and small streaming sites FOR FREE! Sharing is Caring after all, isn’t it?
If you would like to have your business link posted in Katt’s Small Biz Hub, please send an email to katts.remedies@gmail.com and let her know you would like to be included in this ever growing list. Once again, it is free. It’s about helping and supporting each other to #TakeBackMainstreet from the Bigs that have lied to us for generations. It’s about relearning the old ways of giving support freely and inspiring others to do the same.
