National Small Business Week: It’s our civic duty to celebrate

My entire life I’ve been surrounded by small businesses. And I still am. From family and friends who are small business owners to all the little shops in Dallas and beyond, my everyday life is impacted greatly by each one. Aren’t we so lucky to have them?

Small businesses are ingrained in our lives so much that it’s easy to take them for granted. Imagine what your life would be like without them—I know mine would be awfully strange. While I’m employed by a large company, the work we do is for our customers, many of which are small businesses. These partnerships are part of why I love what we do at AT&T Business.

So, to celebrate this week, I want us to reflect on and celebrate the impacts our small businesses have on us.

The power of small business by numbers*

Small businesses are all around us. It should come as no surprise to learn that more than half of Americans own or work for them. And in the U.S., small businesses constitute 97.7% of all firms with paid employees. Those are amazing numbers.

Even more, the stats I found that stick with me most involve growth—and particularly who is behind it. Small businesses create 2 out of 3 new jobs in the U.S. every single year, and women entrepreneurship grew by 114% between 1997 and 2017. (Can you imagine what that number looks like now?) And lastly, 28% of “main street” businesses are owned by immigrants.

More on my personal connection to small businesses

I come from a family of small business owners. They inspire just about everything I do. Seeing them wear their many hats, from logo designers to social media managers, being pseudo-CTOs and financial planners—running a small business should be considered an Olympic sport. Every single day, this family of mine gives me the motivation to tackle challenges with grace and precision.

Perhaps the single most inspiring quality my loved ones possess is their passion for their work. My friend Suzy is the perfect example of leaping into that passion and thriving despite all obstacles. Suzy used to be a talented nurse practitioner (and she loved her job, too). But her true passion came in the form of books. She’s run The Book Cellar in Chicago and its café, which serves everything from espresso to wine, for nearly 15 years. She loves it, and I love stopping in every time I’m in Chicago, too.

How we can support small businesses all weeks of the year

As customers, it is our civic duty to support our small businesses and their passions. Of course, the quickest way is by continuing to open our wallets for them. But let’s think about an extra step, at least for this week. A thank-you card? A five-star review? A shoutout on Instagram? Maybe all of the above!

If you’re like me and work for a large business, it’s important to remember your company’s roots. They were once small, too. Big businesses can celebrate this week by increasing their efforts to support the small ones, helping and supporting them to evolve and innovate. And while it’s true that many small businesses are thriving because of their big-biz partners, let’s remember large companies wouldn’t be thriving if they were in this world alone, either.

What I’ll be doing this Small Business Week

I just had some friends in town, so we grabbed a bite at Mot Bai Ha, one of my favorite Dallas restaurants. We also made a stop at Talulah and HESS, one of my go-to gift spots, then topped the weekend off with dinner at Nick & Sam’s. I plan to visit many of the wonderful small businesses in my Lakewood neighborhood—they’re part of why I chose to live there, after all. And of course, if I were in Chicago, sipping on a glass of wine at The Book Cellar would be first on my list.

Do you have any Dallas-area suggestions for me? Looking forward to your answers—and happy Small Business Week.

*Sources:  Forbes and Fundera