National Small Business Day

National Small Business Day is a reminder of the prime shopping opportunities right in our own communities.

Not only do the small businesses where we work, live and play offer a wide range of gifting possibilities, they are always ready to complete your shopping list with quality and thoughtful gifts.

Every year, on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the Small Shop movement energizes small business owners to prepare customers in any way they can. That includes brick-and-mortar customers and online shoppers. The one-day event continues to grow each year, which means business owners are ready to own their stores!

Small businesses feed our communities. They keep our main thoroughfares thriving and employ nearly half the American workforce. Supporting small businesses means you are supporting the local economy, local businesses, tax base, schools and infrastructure. Your holiday shopping puts food on the tables of people you know.

You will do well to your community and you will also find quality gifts. Small businesses take pride in their work. They worked hard for their dreams and it shows in their ingenuity.

History of National Small Business Day

National Small Business Day honors small businesses and celebrates small business owners. It is officially designated by the Small Business Administration and takes place around the same time as National Small Business Week, which celebrates important small businesses around the country.

Technically, more than 99% of businesses in the United States are small businesses. However, not all have 20 employees or less, and many are much larger. However, more than half of small businesses operate from home, and one in five companies in the United States is family-owned.

About 6.5 million new businesses are created in the United States each year, and about three-fifths of new jobs in the country come from small businesses. It takes about six days to start a small business in the United States. In 2016, the survival rate of businesses per year was 79.9%. About half of businesses do it for five years or more, and about a third does it for ten years or more.

How to celebrate National Small Business Day

One way to celebrate National Small Business Day might be to support some of your favorite small businesses in your community. They can be a mom and little pop store, or a production company with 1,000 employees that are the cornerstone of the town. You can shop or dine at a small business or buy a product made at a local company. Some other ways you can celebrate might be by joining or learning more about the National Small Business Association or learning more about small businesses through the Small Business Administration. Finally, you can use this day to start your own small business! Below are some references for us to prepare a happy National Small Business Day:

• "35 Facts about Small Business That Every Entrepreneur Should Know"
• "10 steps to start your business"
• "The Complete, 12-Step Guide to Starting a Business"