As Georgia state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, I hear from owners who have put years of work and much of their savings into building a business. They know customers have choices. Earning their business takes good service, quality products, and fair prices.
Small Business Saturday is Nov. 28.
From thoughtful gifts to helpful service, Georgia’s small businesses have plenty to offer.
For shoppers, that personal attention can make a difference.
At a small business, the person helping you may be the owner, someone who wants to earn your business long after the holidays. Share a little about the person on your list and what you want to spend. The owner can help you find a gift that fits your budget and give you a reason to come back.
That advice can spare you a lot of guesswork and perhaps a return trip after the holidays.
The selection can be a pleasant surprise, too. Small shops often carry goods you won’t see everywhere else, from local artwork to treats made with a family recipe. You may find something for the person who always seems to have everything.
You can also support local shops and restaurants on a busy schedule. Many small businesses let customers browse and buy online. Some provide delivery or curbside pickup. Visit their websites, check their social media pages, or call to ask what’s available.
And when you’re still unsure what to choose, a gift card lets someone pick a favorite meal, a salon service, or something from a local store. It also gives that person a reason to visit a business they may come to love.
The value of those purchases reaches beyond the people on your list.
A neighborhood restaurant, for example, may order bread from a nearby bakery, call a local repair shop when equipment breaks, and hire an accountant in town. Its employees spend their paychecks on groceries, housing, and other needs. The business also pays taxes that support public services.
One purchase helps keep that activity going.
Small business owners contribute in ways that are easy to recognize. Their names appear on youth sports uniforms and school fundraiser signs. Their shops and restaurants give neighbors places to meet and help make a town feel like home.
Those ties deserve support throughout the year. A busy holiday weekend can make a big difference, but owners still have wages, rent, and utility bills to pay when the decorations come down.
They also need certainty about what the government expects of them. Businesses formed in the U.S. are now exempt from federal beneficial ownership information reporting, the requirement to report who owns or controls a business. Yet the Corporate Transparency Act, which created that mandate, remains on the books. NFIB is urging Congress to repeal it permanently so owners can plan ahead without worrying that a future administration will restore the filing requirement.
While Congress considers that step, we can support local businesses in ways that go beyond making a purchase. Recommend a shop to a friend. Share a business’s post. Leave an honest review about your experience. Helping others discover a local business costs nothing and can bring an owner new customers.
This holiday season, start with a small business near you. Stop for lunch, explore a store you’ve been meaning to visit, or return to a longtime favorite.
You could leave with a gift that makes someone’s day and a new reason to keep shopping close to home.
Hunter Loggins is the Georgia state director of the National Federation of Independent Business.
