Celebrate Your Independents!
“Why shop local? I can get it cheaper at Wal-Mart!” The AMIBA (American Independent Business Alliance) designates July 1-7 each year as National Independents Week.
When in the course of human events, it becomes appropriate for communities to assert their independence, to denounce uniformity and celebrate their uniqueness, a respect for freedom and human creativity requires independent businesses and peoples to declare those elements which make them unique.
So, consider this:
1. Based on studies done by AMIBA, 45 cents of every dollar you spend at a locally-owned business stays in your community. Only 13 cents of your $1 spent at a non-locally owned business stays. Shopping local means more jobs and more dollars for things like roads, libraries, schools, and first responders.
2. In a 2006 study, the Center for Women’s Business Research estimated that non-employer businesses comprise 75% of all U.S. firms, while 81% of women-owned firms fall into the non-employer category.
3. According to the Marion Kauffman Foundation’s Index of Entrepreneurial Activity for 2006, American adults start an average of 465,000 new businesses every month. That’s two new start-ups every 12 seconds!
4. A 2006 survey by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) to quantify contributions small business owners make to their communities found that 91% of them contribute in some way or other.
Here in Albuquerque, we have AIBA (Albuquerque Independent Business Alliance), of which I’m a member. AIBA’s goals are simple: to promote and organize the independent businesses of our wonderful city; in other words, to think outside the big box. Our mantra: Keep it querque!
It makes more sense and cents to shop local!
Related Post: You Can Beat Wal-Mart! Just Not on Price ( I’ve changed my mind since I wrote this in July 2005. You actually can beat Big Wally on price in some categories. If you do a price check, you may well find they’re actually higher on some items than other stores, and for lesser quality.)
Read More: Why Albuquerque? (By Bruce Fryer, a client and friend)
Find your local independent alliance
With a tip of the blog bowler to Dawn Rivers Baker of Microenterprise Journal for part of this data.
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Tags: entrepreneurs, independent business, American Independent Business Alliance, American Independent Business Alliance
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July 3rd, 2007 at 5:17 am
Celebrate our Houston independents…
Mary Schmidt, who writes a smart blog about marketing and business, calls our attention to the American Independent Business Alliance, which declares every July 1-7 “Independents Week” in order to encourage people to spend money at their local, indep…
July 3rd, 2007 at 6:42 am
i recently had the largest Walmart in the state open a couple miles from my house (and just over the town line, so no tax benefit for us…). I’m daily presented with the choice of stopping their for the odds and ends I need, or travelling twice the distance into town to support the businesses that I’ve always used.
I routinely pass Walmart to go to the Aubuchon Hardware in Northbridge, because the staff provides superior customer service. However I’ll often avoid the drive to the grocery store, because for years they treated us like a captive population. Funny, days after the Walmart opened, I was in the grocery store and someone walked up to ask if I needed help finding anything.
“Where have you been for the past 7 years?” I asked, then when about my business.
July 5th, 2007 at 6:21 am
Just for the record, Mary, that estimate of nonemployer businesses turned out to be low. Last year, the Census Bureau released data finding that 77% of U.S. firms were nonemployers all the way back in 2004. By now, that’s probably well up to 80%.
You know how I am about numbers … !