Small Business Saturday - November 30, 2024

What is Small Business Saturday?

We all know that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are big days for the big retail brands to open their doors for business and get flooded with customers. But in the chaos of the big sales, we often forget the small businesses working hard to get a handful of customers. Small Business Saturday helps those small businesses get some last-minute deals and comprehend and improve their branding.

Small businesses have always been America's heart and backbone for the local economy. They pay local taxes, which go back into the community and help improve public parks, libraries, schools, and emergency assistance. Thus, the day brings the small businesses' importance into the limelight, so they don't get outweighed by the larger businesses.

Small Business Saturday All Quick Overview

• Category: Support
• Where It’s Marked: The United States of America (U.S.A.)
• Why It’s Marked: The day marks the importance of small enterprises and helps them grow and learn about their brand.

History Of Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday is not very old because it started in 2010. But, the event's meaning has spread to 50 states in the U.S. over a short period.

During the Great Recession, American Express, now a 38 billion dollar company, created Small Business Saturday to support small businesses. The event got more coverage when the U.S. Senate enacted a resolution supporting Small Business Saturday.

Later in 2015, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) joined with American Express to become the event’s cosponsor. Since then, SBA has been helping small enterprises get the best out of the busy holiday season.

The U.S. SBA is the federal government’s autonomous agency, first started in 1953, intending to help American independent businesses achieve growth and success. The agency also wants to assist, counsel, and protect small businesses’ interests so they can run in the competitive market without compromising their growth and quality. The overall result can help strengthen the U.S. economy.

Moreover, SBA creates opportunities for small enterprises to access Federal contracts, capital, advocacy, and entrepreneurial expansion. It is also easy to find SBA anywhere because they have 1800 establishments throughout the U.S. that offers cost-efficient entrepreneurship training and free counseling.

In 2018, the holiday season looked up on small businesses on its 9th anniversary of the holiday. On November 24, 2018, small companies noticed record-breaking traffic from U.S. shoppers, which American Express's 2018 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) surveyed an estimated $17.8 billion.

According to the same survey that takes place annually, it is known that now the estimation has reached over $103 billion, and now 70% of U.S. consumers know about Small Business Saturday. Along with the efforts of American Express and SBA, Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) also plans to bring massive earnings and traffic to 30 million Independent Enterprises in America.

How to Celebrate Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday is a big day for all the local businesses to boost their year-end revenue, and they get a ton of help from American Express.

American Express gives out promotional tools like posters, signposts, and banners that the owners can use in their physical stores. Online stores are not left behind because American Express provides digital posters, banners, and marketing tools.

Moreover, Black-owned shops are usually neglected and have difficulty keeping up with financial barriers. Even more during the pandemic, many Black-owned local enterprises faced financial obstacles to keeping up with the bills. So, in 2021, American Express decided to make special signposts, free of charge, for Black-owned small businesses to help them boost their brand and provide some financial relief in the Covid-19 pandemic.

If you think that’s all, well, here’s more. American Express annually offers promotions and discounts to small business owners to save on materials. To make the best use of Small Business Saturday, they also help small businesses identify that year’s shopping interests and trends.

On the other hand, small businesses organize many exciting offers for their customers surrounding the occasion. They create sales offers encouraging shopping from small businesses, send out promotional emails informing customers about Small Business Saturday, offer discounts and loyalty bonuses for new or regular customers, boost their page by collaborating with other local businesses, making their shop or online store more easily accessible for customers, and maintaining appropriate customer relationship to hold on to them as well as spreading their brand name.

Local libraries, guest centers, the Chamber of Commerce, and local enterprise associations usually organize their events to support the importance of shopping from small businesses. They are combinedly known as Neighborhood Champions. Many local people volunteer in the event to spread the word about Small Business Saturday.

Countries that Observe Small Business Saturday

The United States of America celebrates Small Business Saturday annually.

Interesting Facts about Small Business Saturday

If you want to learn more about the event, here are some interesting facts about Small Business Saturday.

• Twitter gets over one million tweets featuring Small Business Saturday using #SmallBizSat, #SmallBusinessSaturday, and #ShopSmall.
• As per American Express, 112 million shoppers supported Small Business Saturday in 2016 by shopping or dining in small enterprises.
• On average, consumers spent $137.50 on Small Business Saturday in 2016.
• 250% more donations are made by small business owners.
• Small businesses provide more job opportunities in the U.S. than large companies, with 29.6 million.
• Shopping at a local store circulates three times the money into the local community.
• Only 14% of the money gets circulated by larger companies.
• According to Forbes, Small Business Saturday inspires 83% of U.S. consumers to shop from local businesses throughout the year.

Unique Small Business Saturday Celebration Ideas

If you, as a consumer, want to make a difference in your community by supporting local businesses, this is the day to start. We know large companies are very tempting, but you know what? Sometimes, you can find a rare gem in between the small businesses.

1) Shop from small or local businesses

On this Small Business Saturday, shop for gifts from your local store. It may seem, small businesses don't have many discounts, but if you visit it and get the information, you will be surprised to find great deals and overall superb service. You will find great products, services, and guarantees, and the money you spend will roll right back into the community.

2) Tell your friends and family

The best way to get the word out about Small Business Saturday is to tell your close ones about it. Inspire them to shop from local businesses. Almost everyone knows the names of the big box shops, but few know about the small businesses. Sometimes, small businesses don't advertise or market their brand, making them unrecognized. So, to help them out, our words are the best advertisement. Spread the word for your local shop if you love purchasing from them.

3) Shop not for a day but every day

Do you know what the best way to support local businesses is? It is to make a habit of shopping from local shops. Local shops struggle to hold onto customers but offer the best products and services. If you have wandered into a new small business, keep going for what you need throughout the year. It will help them grow and give better service in return.

Small Business Saturday Quotes

Here are some Small Business Saturdays to inspire everyone around us.

“I’m a big fan of small business ownership. I think it’s the backbone of American innovation. But to be successful, you first have to have the courage to go for it.” — Bill Rancic.

“Behind every small business, there’s a story worth knowing. All the corner shops in our towns and cities, the restaurants, cleaners, gyms, hair salons, hardware stores – these didn’t come out of nowhere.” — Paul Ryan.

“We are really competing against ourselves, we have no control over how other people perform.” — Pete Cashmore, founder, and CEO of Mashable.

FAQ

1. When is Small Business Saturday?

In 2022, Small Business Saturday will take place on November 26.

2. How much money goes back into the community through small businesses?

About ¾ of a dollar in the U.S. is given back into the community through local taxes. It helps to improve the local institutions of society.

3. What materials does American Express provide to small business owners?

American Express provides many free marketing materials, tools, and services that small business owners can avail themselves of through its website. It is a big help if you want your business to thrive..