Shop Local All Week With The 7-Day Support Small Businesses Challenge

As a small business and design lab based in Colorado, we are fans of Small Business Saturday. The only problem?

It’s just one day a year!

While a big sales day can have a nice impact in the short-term, running a small business is an every day, every month, all-year-round challenge.

Do Good for Strangers, Better Your Community, and Reward Yourself, Too

You feel fortunate in your life, and you want to give back. You want to do something for people you don't know -- you want to share this feeling. You want to help someone. But how? That's where IRLA Better Your Community challenge medals come in. Get a series of five medals that mark your milestones for doing good things for your community, like donating blood or volunteering for a charity you like. As you set more goals and make progress, your IRLAs give you the motivation to do more and more.

So, to inspire some small business love throughout the year, we’ve put together a 7-day challenge as a nod to this passionate community of moms, pops, and entrepreneurs.

Read on to learn more about the impact of small businesses in our communities, and to take on the 7-day Support Small Businesses Challenge for yourself. 

It’s often said that small businesses are the fabric of our communities. While the idea of walking down Main Street and recognizing all the shopkeeps might be a bit old-fashioned, there’s still plenty of truth to it.

Though our own experience is primarily online, we still see the many benefits of supporting small, independent businesses, such as:

1. Boosting the local economy - By supporting small, independent businesses, you're helping to keep money circulating within your community. Whether you define that community as your neighborhood, your state, or even the country, it’s true that small businesses tend to spend a higher percentage of their revenue locally than chain stores, which helps create a multiplier effect that benefits others.
   
   
2. Encouraging entrepreneurship - Small businesses are often started by entrepreneurs who are passionate about their craft and dedicated to serving their community. By supporting these businesses, you're helping to foster a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation that can lead to more job opportunities and economic growth in your area.
   
   
3. Fostering a sense of community - By supporting small businesses, you're not only getting to know the people from your community who run them, but you're also helping to create a sense of community and connection that can make your neighborhood a more vibrant and enjoyable place to live.
   
   
4. Promoting variety - Small, independent businesses often offer unique products and services that you won't find in larger chain stores, along with fostering personal connections to creators and providers that work at a smaller scale.
   
   
5. Making a positive impact - On one hand, a small business can be more socially and environmentally conscious than larger chain stores. Even if not obviously so, there can be benefits from just having a smaller footprint. By choosing the small business to support, you can vote with your dollar and promote values that align with your own.

We recognize that many of these benefits of supporting the local community can seem a little feel-good, so we also designed these real-life achievement medals to help you show off some of your community-forward actions.

From celebrating shopping locally to paying it forward, our Better Your Community IRLA pack is a fun way to display the powerful actions you’re taking to make your neighborhood a better place.

One of the joys of supporting small businesses is getting to know the people who run them. For this first day, we’re encouraging you to to introduce yourself to at least one small business owner in their neighborhood.

By connecting with small business owners, you can build relationships and learn more about the unique contributions these businesses make to the local economy. Plus, it makes the next visits all the more endearing!

So far, all this talk about supporting small businesses has been about them. Don’t worry, though, because today is about treating yourself!

For Treat Yourself Tuesday, treat yourself to a product or service at a boutique, spa, salon, or specialty shop. 

Today is all about the good vibes that come from taking steps to be healthy because you’ll be supporting a small business that promotes wellness. This includes yoga studios, gyms, or healthy restaurants.

While the chain gyms may have the rock-bottom rates that can make them attractive, small businesses focused on wellness and health may be more invested in actually developing the well-being of the community by encouraging healthy habits.

Supporting a small business by yourself is all well and good, but it’s pretty unlikely that your actions alone are going to keep it afloat.

Today’s goal is to leave a positive review on their Google Business Page or Yelp or whichever fancy review app is popular in your town.

By showing gratitude and spreading the word about small businesses, we can work together to boost their visibility and reputation.

Looking for an excuse to try out the latest restaurant? Leave the pre-packaged grocery store meals unbought and your meal-prepped Tupperwares at home, because today you’ll be visiting a local restaurant, food truck, or farmer's market to try something new.

Small businesses in the food industry are essential to the local economy and offer unique culinary experiences that can't be found in chain establishments. 

There’s no need for two-day free shipping when you can buy the item and take it home. 

Today’s way of supporting small businesses is a simple one: shop at local boutiques, gift shops, and markets.

It can help to remember that even if the prices may seem a little higher in-store than they do online, there is still value.

Even if you’re not religious, Sunday is a great day to be of service. You can give back to the community by volunteering at a local non-profit or donating to a small business or charity.

Though there are many famous national non-profits like Goodwill, your neighborhood should also have plenty of local ones. These small businesses and organizations with a social or environmental mission play a crucial role in addressing community needs and creating positive change, and by supporting them, community members can help build a better future for all.