Support Local and Small Businesses in 2021
If this past year has taught us anything it’s that it is essential to support local and small businesses. We’ve seen countless shops close their doors, unable to make ends meet due to tightening restrictions as a result of the pandemic. I’m sure you don’t have to look very far in your community to find families negatively impacted. Whether it’s cutting back on hours or a complete shutdown of the business, we can agree that times are tough all around.
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How Can We Help Our Communities?
Look, as a consumer, our most significant impact comes from our dollars and how we choose to spend them. Not much of a surprise, I know, but it is worth reinforcing that there is tremendous power in our spending habits.
Starting with the highest impact, per dollar spent would be to support family and friends’ business first, then expand to local and small businesses. If you can’t find what you need locally, consider researching online companies that source their goods from small businesses. Our dollars have the most positive impact when they stay in our communities, cities, provinces, and our country.
Online Shopping
It’s safe to say that there has been a considerable shift to online purchasing over the past year. Given the current state of things, it makes a lot of sense too. No line ups, less risk of exposure, and it’s darn convenient. Of course, this has also had some negative consequences directly impacting small, local businesses. While many shops have found ways to expand their online presence, most cannot compete with giants like Amazon.
I feel that we must consider the impact of our online spending now more than ever. On a personal note, I like to do business with businesses that support and give back to our communities. Lately, when I shop online, I do a little bit of research on the company from which I’m about to purchase. And if at all possible, I’ll favor the companies who produce or source their goods locally. Or at least within our country.
Community Focused Online Platforms
One such company that I recently engaged with is truLocal. I had the pleasure of speaking with Greg Quaile, who is their vice president and co-founder. You may recognize their name from their debut on the popular TV show Dragons Den from three years ago.
If you’re not familiar with truLocal and what they do, they’ve developed a convenient online platform that connects you with high-quality, locally sourced meats and seafood.
I like this business model because it supports our local, provincial farmers by connecting them with access to a much larger online market. At the same time, they give you access to high-quality meats and conveniently delivers them right to your door.
My wife and I are incredibly fortunate to live where we do. We can drive 5 minutes down the road and shop at our favourite local farms. That’s not the case for many Canadians who live in the suburbs of our largest cities. If you are looking for provincially local, premium meat products, we highly recommend connecting with truLocal.
And, as a special bonus, we have a code for our readers. Enter the code: TRUQUICKDISH at checkout, on either a regular box, or the small box to receive the following offer.
- On a Regular Box: Get 4 free chicken breasts and 1lb of bacon in first two orders.
- Or on a Small Box: Get 2 free chicken breasts in first two order.
Copy the code from above and follow the link below to get this special offer.
Support Local and Small Businesses First
There’s no doubt that 2020 was a challenging year on so many levels. Let’s all do our part to make 2021 our comeback year. However, this post may be a tad bit late for a New Year resolution (I was never a big fan of those anyway). I think it’s never too late to consider the impact of how we spend our hard-earned dollars. It’s time we think locally and your small businesses.
#shoplocal #ConnectingYouToTheSource
