03.17.07

Small Business Is Local Business

Posted in Small Business at 7:05 by lnxwalt

Our nation is dominated by large, faceless corporations.  Driving across town or across the country, one sees the same signs everywhere. These companies are so large that they are not attached to any particular area.

Smaller businesses, on the other hand, generally have their owners and employees living in the same community that the business is in.  This is an advantage when it comes time for the local youth sports leagues to get someone to help pay for equipment and uniforms.  It is not the big companies that support local youth programs—it is the small businesses.

When a severe illness or tragic death strikes someone in the area, it is the small, locally-owned businesses that donate money or goods and place collection cans next to their cash registers.  After all, there is some chance that the owner or employees know the victim.

When a small, locally-owned business has a fairly lucrative position opening, they are likely to hire someone locally.  They can not ship someone in from another branch of the company the way large companies do.  When your brother-in-law gets out of prison and needs a job, do not depend on “BigCorp, Inc” to take him, even if you already work there.  But if you work for a smaller business, there is a chance that he might get hired there.

Tax-wise, smaller businesses usually pay local taxes, state taxes, and federal taxes.  Larger businesses often have people on staff whose jobs exist to help find ways to avoid paying as much in taxes.

Smaller businesses often have all of their revenue coming from the local area.  This makes them more likely to participate in community-building activities such as the “Valley Bucks” program which encouraged local residents to spend their money where they live.  A larger company is less likely to care where you spend your money, as long as you spend it with them.

If you own or work for a small business, support your local economy by choosing smaller, locally-owned businesses for most of your purchases.  If you do not own or work for a small business, you should still seek out locally-owned small businesses for most of what you buy.  Think of it as an investment in your (and your children’s) future.

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