Guest Opinion: ‘Tis the Season: The Season of Small Business and Small Business Saturday
by Beto Yarce, Pacific Northwest Regional Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration
Did you know that, according to various surveys, more than 80% of Americans trust small businesses and believe it’s important to support them? This approval rating is higher than virtually every other American institution.
Americans understand that small businesses contribute to the vibrancy of their communities, support local nonprofits, employ more than half of our workforce and are a significant economic engine both locally and nationally. Additionally, about 80% of small businesses say that the end of the year is important for their bottom line.
Those are just some of the reasons why we encourage people who love their communities to actively participate in Small Business Saturday and the Season of Small Business. In addition to all the sparkle the season brings, this is when many small businesses shine!
The Saturday after Thanksgiving and the entire holiday season is the perfect time to drop by unique retail shops, scrumptious eateries and businesses offering memorable experiences.
Small Business Saturday was launched by American Express in 2010 with the U.S. Small Business Administration joining as a co-sponsor in 2011. Since then, the popularity of Small Business Saturday has grown exponentially. In fact, according to the National Retail Foundation, 2023’s Small Business Saturday was an incredibly popular shopping day, second only to Black Friday. To build on this holiday tradition, the SBA launched the Season of Small Business last year to encourage local spending throughout this festive time of year.
Wherever you live, small businesses are eager to meet your needs this holiday season. Here are some ideas to celebrate Small Business Saturday and the Season of Small Business:
- Make supporting small businesses a full day of fun! Begin your day by inviting a friend to enjoy a warm beverage and treat, take in some small business shopping, try out a new eatery for lunch, visit a hands-on craft shop for an activity then top off the day with a relaxing dinner at a favorite local restaurant.
- Go to an in-town activity like a tree-lighting, community theater show or choir performance, visiting a local restaurant before or after. It’s also a terrific way to interact with others who love your community, too.
- Take pics when you’re shopping, eating or experiencing a small business. Check in at the business, post to social media and tag the business. Let others know about your memorable experience. Use hashtags for even more exposure: #ShopSmall, #ShopSmallSaturday and #SeasonofSmallBiz
- Set aside a portion of your holiday budget specifically for small business products and services. In fact, you can do this with your annual budget, too.
If you’re a small business owner, you may want to consider adding some additional marketing and outreach ideas to your plans:
- Visit SBA’s Small Business Saturday site
- Check out SBA’s info page for Season of Small Business
- Call out Small Business Saturday and the Season of Small Business in your social media posts and comments by using the following hashtags: #ShopSmall, #SmallBizSaturday, #ShopLocal, #IShoppedSmall, #GiftBigShopLocal
- Follow the SBA’s Pacific Northwest Region’s LinkedIn and X accounts for links to more tips, marketing materials and the latest updates on Small Business Saturday and the Season of Small Business.
It’s easy for anyone to make a positive impact on their own communities by shopping at local businesses on Small Business Saturday and throughout the Season of Small Business, and have a great time while doing so. You’ll be glad you did!
For more information on how the SBA can assist your small business start, grow, expand or recover, please visit www.sba.gov. Para Español visita www.sba.gov/es
Opinion on Trump Election
Congratulations Trump voters, your candidate won. But before you get too smug, remember this: You voted for a convicted felon. You voted for a man who swore to protect and defend the Constitution, and then waged an attack against it. You voted for a compulsive liar, a thief, a serial misogynist, and a racist.
Like slavery, Jim Crow, and McCarthyism, the Trump era will be remembered as a bleak period in American history. But it won’t be the end of democracy as some people fear. Freedom is too ingrained in our DNA to be permanently excised by one administration.
This is merely a setback on our journey toward a more perfect union. It’s a reminder that American exceptionalism is still a work in progress. This is our generation’s time to question whether decency and integrity are still core American values, or trivialities that can be negotiated away in exchange for more political power.
Thomas Jefferson once wrote in a famous document that governments “…derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.” Notice that he used the term “just powers.” implying that the unjust powers of the British monarchy had maybe been a problem for the people back then.
Decency and integrity don’t flow from the government to the people. They exist as American values only so long as the people demand it of their leaders. It’s why for over 200 years even a mild lapse in ethical judgement could end a political career.
Today though, Republican politics seem to be scandal proof. That isn’t anything to be proud of. It’s dangerous because of the inevitable corrupting influence of power. That may not seem alarming in all the excitement of your victory, but wait. You’ll see. Corrupt administrations are wonderfully consistent in their inability to govern properly.
—Ed Putnam
Central Oregon takes anti-littering seriously
My sister visited for 10 days this fall. She said, over and over, where is the litter?
We drove all over Bend (downtown, many neighborhoods, shopping). Visited Shevlin Park and a number of other Park & Rec beauties. Tumalo Falls, Smith Rock, Benham Falls, Tumalo State Park. Various trailheads and trails. Suttle Lake, Odell Lake, Elk Lake.
Litter? None to be found. She was amazed.
Thank you, fellow Central Oregon citizens. You helped make her trip very special.
—Richard Robinson
Letter of
the Week:
Richard: Let’s hear again about all that American Carnage…
Thanks for sharing your experience. Come grab your Letter of the Week gift card from Palate.
—Nicole Vulcan
This article appears in Source Weekly November 21, 2024.
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