More than a dozen advocacy, public, and private organizations are joining American Express OPEN, the company’s small business unit, in declaring the Saturday after Thanksgiving as Small Business Saturday. This year, Small Business Saturday is November 27, 2010. Small Business Saturday recognizes the importance of small businesses to the overall economy and local communities. It’s a day to support the small, independently owned businesses.
The following questions and answers are from the accompanying website smallbusinesssaturday.com.
How can I get involved in Small Business Saturday?
There are a number of ways for you to get involved. First and foremost, it’s about helping raise awareness about the importance of small business to our communities. For example, you can visit www.facebook.com/smallbusinesssaturday where you can “like” Small Business Saturday and syndicate news feeds about the day to your personal, virtual networks. There, you can also spread the word about the day and your favorite businesses by giving a shout-out to your favorite local shops and restaurants via Facebook and Twitter.
You can also support Small Business Saturday by patronizing the local, independently owned small businesses in your neighborhood. That could mean anything from having dinner on your way home from the mall during the holiday shopping season or reserving a part of your holiday gift budget to spend at a local small business.
Why should I get involved in Small Business Saturday?
The goal of Small Business Saturday is to inspire you to support the local small businesses that mean the most to you. Supporting small business is all about supporting our communities.
Small business is the heartbeat of local communities and the engine of the US economy. Over the past two decades, small businesses created 65 percent of net new jobs. In addition, for every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures.
What featured events are happening during Small Business Saturday?
In support of this day, American Express OPEN is partnering with nearly 20 advocacy, public, and private organizations, including the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which is supporting Small Business Saturday events in Boston, Massachusetts; Cedar Falls, Iowa; Port Townsend, Washington; as well as the Convention and Visitor’s Bureaus in San Francisco, Greater Boston, Washington DC, Chicago, LA, and NYC.
In addition to the website, you can find more information and connect with others involved via the event’s social media channels, including @AmericanExpress on Twitter and www.facebook.com/smallbusinesssaturday.
