It sounds very convenient. A local company talking about the importance of supporting local businesses and prioritizing them above national — and multinational — corporations. This isn’t ultimately about drumming up business but supporting fellow business owners. When you go wherever the "best price” is, you’re communicating something. That something is that the cost matters more than anything else. BUT, when you support your local, small business, you’re supporting a person (and usually their family). That person lives in your town, is grateful for your business, and wants to help you!
GUARANTEEING QUALITY
Whether at the grocery store, buying materials for your business, or hiring a contractor for home renovations, the same question needs to be considered. Are you getting a quality product? It’s a great question — an important question.
Every person who is making a transaction is spending their hard-earned money. When it comes down to it, you have two options — (1) hire a local, small business where you can work directly with the owner, or (2) go with a large company who can undercut your neighbor. If money is the top priority, then it’s a no brainer.
Sometimes the big company provides a quality product, but the product isn’t the only thing that needs to be quality. A quality product may be great, but a quality person is essential to business!
When your working with a faceless corporation, you can’t choose who you work with. When considering your best and worst experiences with a company, ask yourself this question: what made or broke your relationship with that company? Was it the person? The customer service? The experience? Or, the product itself.
When we are out in the world making transactions, we often believe that we are looking for a particular product above anything else. But, what if you reconsider that claim?
What if what you’re really looking for is more than that? What makes a company a pleasure to work with is a formula combining quality products with quality people.
To put it a different way: if you go to a restaurant and the food is good but the staff treats you like garbage, you likely will not be returning. Likewise, if you go to a store that has quality products, but the staff looks bothered that you’re interrupting their day, there’s a good chance you will not be returning.
Why is that? Because you’re looking for a place where two things are true. You pay a fair price for the product or service you receive, and you feel valued by whom you’re doing business with.
Quality doesn’t just come from systems, it comes from relationships and social fabric. Keep your relationships local to keep your products and service high quality.
SUPPORTING FAMILIES
When you keep your business relationships local, you’re not just supporting businesses. You’re supporting people — and everyone who relies on them! This can include spouses, children, aging parents, and more.
It’s easy to view business transactions as purely an exchange of product for money. But, it’s also important to remember that the money is for something, especially when we consider smaller businesses.
Small businesses aren’t faceless corporations with disposable employees that run solely on numbers and charts. Every employee of a small business is like family and the local entrepreneur knows the because that business represents his/her family and livelihood.
In 2010, the supreme court declared that money is speech. It’s an interesting concept. When we spend money, we are communicating something.
Maybe you’re communicating that the product you are purchasing is good. Sometimes, it means “it’s what I can afford.” Other times it says, “this is a good product.” Regardless of what you may be communicating, you’re always communicating something with your purchase, and it’s always important to be aware of this.
You’re not only communicating something to the people directly involved in the transaction, but you’re saying something to your family and the people closest to you. For everyone who has children, it’s important to remember that things are more caught than taught. What a child sees and hears the parent, uncle, or other role model doing or saying will be what is caught.
It’s hard to get out of the pattern many of us have been taught. We talk about things in terms of money and that practical quality is almost completely lost. Coming home and talking about how one saved 20% off retail price or talked down the salesperson really only takes one person into account: yourself.
If our communities are to survive — and thrive — it is not enough to look out for ourselves and families. BUT, we must look to the well being of our neighbors and their businesses.
SECURING INDEPENDENCE
Independence from who? Independence from what?
We forget that we are always dependent on other people. It’s not independence to go to the grocery and exchange dollars for food. It’s not independence to pay for an amazon order and have it delivered to your door.
In fact, the opposite is true. We learned this during COVID. When the world shut down, supply chains struggles, and people were buying whatever they could, it didn’t matter how much money you were willing to spend or if there was enough for your neighbor because everyone was terrified to be without. We are all dependent on whomever or wherever we purchase our food, pump our gas, and fix our cars. Money doesn’t remove dependence.
It’s impossible for the individual to be fully independent. Because of this, it’s much more realistic to say that we choose who we are dependent upon. For example: when we go a grocery store, we’re dependent on every piece of the machine (from the CEO to the person who stocks shelves).
If we’re always dependent on somebody, how can we really secure independence?
While individuals can’t be independent, communities can almost be. There are the obvious exceptions. For example, your town won’t build phones and probably can’t grow Brazil Nuts. BUT, your own neighbors can own the grocery stores and phone repair and sales stores. Instead of going to Walmart, you can go to a locally owned store — and admittedly pay a bit more — to support your neighbor, guarantee quality, and be independent from outside conglomerations.
When local people in communities own their own resources, something amazing happens. Towns stop being identical, and they develop distinctions.
A UNIQUE SENSE OF PLACE
Have you ever noticed that places pretty much look the same?
Something happened in the 20th century. Every American city and town starting looking alike. Franchises or chains make up the majority of businesses, the buildings all look the same, and houses are cookie-cutter. It doesn’t really bother people until they start to look around.
When Walmart or Publix is the staple grocery store of every town, when McDonalds is everywhere, and the local coffee shop is Starbucks, there’s not much of difference between the town in Maine and the suburb across the country.
There’s something beautiful about where you live and where you’re from being distinct. When a place is full of fantastic local eats, everyone trusts the mechanics, and everyone is happy to recommend the contractor, then a place is special. When there is distinct architecture, local flavor, local stores, and trusted tradesman, your community is a pleasure to live in.
So why does local matter? The questions is better phrased: what matters more?
Is it more important to save a dollar, or is it better to stop thinking in terms of dollars and start thinking in terms of value and values? Supporting local means helping you neighbor feed his family and choosing to depend on people you know and who are accountable to those they serve.