It’s Independents Week! That’s not a typo. The American Independent Business Alliance ( http://www.amiba.net) encourages everyone from July 1 – July 7 to celebrate your local small businesses.
AMIBA studies show the local impact you can have by keeping your dollars in your neighborhood.
Following are 5 facts you may not know about local business – the impact you can have on it, and the impact it has on you.
1) Each dollar spent at local businesses returns on average 3 times more money to the local economy than a dollar spent at big box retailers. (http://bit.ly/1Mod5L3)
2) Spending locally keeps your taxes lower.
3) Small businesses donate more than twice as much per sales dollar to local charities as big businesses. (Patricia A. Frishkoff and Alicja M. Kostecka, “Business Contributions to Community Service,” U.S. Small Business Administration, 1991)
4) Got a customer service issue? You’re likely to be more satisfied at a small business. (http://bit.ly/2fIxDGa)
5) Shopping local creates community. The frequent casual encounters and relationships lead to more civic engagement. (http://bit.ly/2fe0JsT)
How would you rather shop this weekend? Staring at your laptop screen, driving to a 20-acre asphalt parking lot, or perhaps bicycling to your local small business and greeting the owner? For more sources on the benefits of small business, visit www.amiba.net.
