5 Easy Ways Today to Support Small Business and the Self-Employed Because All the Small Things Really Add Up

 These are undoubtedly tough times for everyone in the United States and across the globe. I just wanted to make a brief post to share a heart-felt message from 123 Journal It and the Frisby family. First of all, we are praying for the well being and recovery for those affected by the coronavirus as well as those staying at home and practicing social distancing. It is in a time like this that I am truly grateful to be able to provide free printables to all of you and have time to make even more for you to use at home. I hope it helps you and your kids to have something positive to fill your days.

On a side note, I wanted to talk about how very small businesses and the self-employed are hit particularly hard right now. While the government is making plans for big business bail outs and reinforcements to unemployment for those who have lost their jobs, people who fall between the gap in the place of being a very small business or self-employed are usually overlooked. Yet, we still have bills to pay and family's to feed. As people tighten their purse strings (understandably so and no judgement here for it) and the government does what it can to make plans for big business and laid off workers, please don't forget those in-between - the very small businesses and the self-employed. You don't necessarily need to spend a dime to help either, just a bit of time. 

Here are five things YOU can do TODAY to help out a small business or self-employed person... and you can easily do it while you #stayathome and practice #socialdistancing - it's a win-win for everyone and I encourage you to spend a bit of time doing some of these easy things to lend a helping hand:

1. Stay Connected - Sign up for small business email lists and open their emails when they come. Also, don't be quick to unsubscribe from those mom & pop business lists as they depend a lot more on close connections for their business marketing than larger corporations do.
2. Pass It On - like it, pin it, and share it. This is something that really costs you nothing but 5-10 minutes at most of your time. It is honestly probably something that you are doing anyway, just shift your focus to small business and self-employed businesses like freelancers, authors, and designers. It is an easy step with lots of benefits for those you help spread the word about.
3. Visit Their Websites - Let Google know that real people love them. I think this one thing is so often overlooked. Whether you buy anything or not, simply browsing a website for a few minutes and clicking on some links or reading a blog article, REALLY helps. It tells search engines that the website is significant, that it adds value to peoples' lives, and that it is worth putting in results...so go browse, click, and enjoy for a few minutes a day.
4. Be An Advocate - Open your big mouth, or send an enthusiastic text, or face time to a friend. Seriously though, word of mouth endorsement is THE best for small businesses and the self-employed. If you like something, let people know it.
5. Buy It or Gift It - Lastly take that all-in step to support small, local, solo, and family owned businesses. That's not to say you can't go to your local chain grocery store or order your sister some of her favorite slippers on Amazon, but during these trying time IF you can get something from a small business or self-employed person, then please take a bit extra time and effort to do so. It really helps. It may help to the point of that business still being there next year and that family still thriving in a few months.

Thanks for your precious time. I appreciate it dearly.
Much love and well being to you and yours,
Shalana @123JournalItPublishing :)
#letssticktogether #nowisthetime🙂