Image Up Advertising & Design

Small Business Saturday, Nov. 30 By Courtney Taylor, Image Up Advertising & Design I started my business 20 years ago and have gotten to know many other business owners in that time. It's kind of like being in a club with people who are all alike (which I suppose is common to most clubs — you won't find a knitting fanatic in a snorkeling club, at least not if he/she wants to focus on knitting). There is a personality trait business owners possess that propels us forward, not toward any grand goal, specifically, but because moving forward is what we do. Many of us work hard for years before we see decent return on our labor. Yet we do this without complaint or even a discussion. We simply do what needs to be done. We grit our teeth and slog through the red tape, taxes and new regulations year after year. Sure, we'll shake our heads and sharpen our pencils, but we have more important, and frankly more productive, things to do than gripe. We sacrifice time with our loved ones, time for ourselves, time to relax and unwind to instead tend to our business. If we don't do it, we know no one else will. Plus, and this is really top secret, we love every minute of it. There are a lot of small shops in town owned by people who firmly believe in their product or service and are confident that once you go into their store, you'll believe in it too. They wait patiently, sending out flyers, putting ads in magazines like this one, hoping that you'll be interested and come through their door or call their office. When the big box stores came to town a few years ago, a lot of the mom and pop businesses realized they couldn't compete and shuttered their stores. The recession has closed others. Those who are left are the hardy ones. They're the ones who tweaked their business model — whether it be with a new price structure or different products or services — to make it through the storm. They are the ones for whom Small Business Saturday was created. Faced with competition online and in chain stores, small businesses struggle to attract shoppers. November 30, 2013, is the day we, the consumers, go to them. Please mark your calendars, step away from your mouse and challenge yourself to visit at least three stores that day. You don't have to buy anything but, I think once you get in the store and meet the owner, you'll give the place a better look and may find something for someone on your shopping list. Small business owners get up each day thinking about ways to earn your business. They are hard-working, devoted and focused on the customer. I said earlier that they don't have any grand goal but actually, they do. They want to please the customer… you. They want to earn your business. That is their success. So they need you and me. Please, this Nov. 30, take the day to visit patronize a local businesses. Contact Courtney Taylor, graphic designer and magazine publisher, at 909-797-3647. BEAUMONT NOW | NOVEMBER 2013 13

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