If you’re like me—and almost everyone else in this country—the end of the year is a time to look back and assess. I enjoy the nostalgia and reminiscing that occurs at this time of year, but it can also be a time of dread. It’s a time to realize you either hit the mark or you didn’t. And if you did, you may be apprehensive about being able to do it again in the new year.

So, we make resolutions.

We tell ourselves we’re going to do X differently this year. And most of us fall short of X because we forget about it, or we fall back into old routines because they are easy and we know how they work.… Read the rest

This holiday season, we are supporting shop small. We want to celebrate the uniqueness of small business as well as the treasures and exquisite services that can be found in our backyard. But small businesses have challenges as they take on larger, national competitors. The perception that the giants have better deals, more attractive hours, and more selection, can be strong. That’s why it takes a creative approach to capture more of the holiday dollars. Cross promotion can be a very effective way for small business to stand out during the holiday season.

Why Cross Promotion?

Small businesses have the agility to do some creative things when it comes to promotion both within their own businesses and in partnerships with others.… Read the rest

Are you participating in Small Business Saturday—or better yet—Small Business Season, where you encourage people to shop small throughout the holiday and not just on the day after Black Friday? If so, you might be scrambling right now trying to put together last-minute touches on what you hope will be a hot time of year for your business.

If you’re wondering how you should spend your hours leading up to Small Business Saturday and what you need for the biggest shopping season of the year, we have a checklist to help.

Small Business Season Checklist

Here are the things you should have (or do) for your small business going into this busy holiday season:

• An offer. This is the first thing you’ll notice about any Black Friday ad.

There is nothing more convenient than whipping out your phone, typing in a URL (or opening an app), perusing offerings, and hitting a few buttons to buy something…anything…everything. We even get our groceries that way these days. But as convenient as online shopping seems, there are several reasons to shop local.

In person is the way to go this Small Business Season. If you can suspend disbelief for a few minutes, we’ll explain why.

Our Favorite Reasons to Shop Local During Small Business Season

Yes, online shopping is convenient. You don’t have to change out of your PJs and it’s always open. But in the t-chart of holiday shopping options, there are a lot of reasons to shop local.

Here are a few of our favorites:

You’re supporting your neighbors.… Read the rest