Most of us have experienced the disappointment that comes with traveling to a foreign destination only to see the same chains: Applebee’s, Burger King, McDonald’s, Subway, Taco Bell, Walmart, etc. To put it in a baker’s terms, it’s all so very… cookie cutter.
And that’s perfectly fine—if you want to have the same experience everywhere, playing it safe instead of branching out. But if you’re reading this, chances are you prefer people, places, and things that have a unique character and flair. That’s where small businesses come into play.
Big box stores just can’t compete with the eccentric feel of a local gift shop, much the same way that a large food chain can never compete with the cozy ambiance of a family-owned restaurant. Small, independent businesses are focused on the needs of the community; large corporations are primarily focused on the needs of their many shareholders.
“Most independent businesses are run by people—not by boards, not by stockholders, not by algorithms,” said entrepreneurs Erica Cerulo and Claire Mazur, co-founders of online boutique Of A Kind. “And so you get a different kind of care and quality in their product because their work is a reflection of themselves. Instead of focusing on the next market they’re expanding into or the next round of funding they’re raising, they’re focusing on the details and being the best they can be.”
Aside from higher quality products and better customer service, supporting small businesses comes with another distinct advantage: every time you purchase something from a small business, you are investing in their local economy.
A 2018 report from AFL-CIO showed that the average CEO at an S&P 500 Index company earned 361 times more than that of the average worker. That’s quite the pay discrepancy. Somehow, we doubt that CEO is working 361 times harder than the workers who made that profit possible.
As small business owners, we can assure you that we’re not driving the latest Mercedes model. The majority of us are regular, everyday folks like you who work hard every day in an effort to create lives that are fulfilling and allow us to take care of our families. And while it would be nice to own a few mansions, our focus is more on making people happy to sustain our business and the jobs we provide our employees.
The familiarity and consistency (boring) of a corporate chain can be tempting, we know—but that pales in comparison to the difference shopping small makes to every single person involved in a small business. Take a chance on small businesses at home and abroad—you won’t regret it.
Finally, thank YOU for being a part of the Little Rae’s community—whether as an employee, a customer, an advocate, a partner, or someone who’s considering trying our products. We wouldn’t exist without your support.