5 Reasons to Support Small Businesses
If you are like me you probably agree that you should support small businesses, but too often find yourself sticking to the same big shops and brands. If that sounds like you, then read on for some small business inspiration and find out how just small changes can have a big impact on my small business and my friends in the small business world.
Research shows that more and more people intend on supporting small businesses over the next 12 months. Small and medium sized businesses are the lifeblood of the UK, accounting for over 99% of all businesses. Whatever you are looking for, whether it’s a new leash for your dog, or a new scent for your home, there will be a small business out there who will be providing high quality products that suit your needs perfectly and to whom your purchase will be a source of great pride, not just a number on a spreadsheet.
- Quality and longevity
I often find myself looking at things I have bought and thinking “they don’t make them like they used to”, and bemoaning the fact that I have to go out and replace the item so soon after buying it. When I look at where I bought the product 9 times out of 10 it is either from a large chain or bought cheaply from a vendor in China on Amazon. As a result, instead of the purchase being cheap, it ends up being more expensive because I have to buy the product twice. If I had just bought a good quality product initially then I wouldn’t have had that problem and would only have paid for it once.
When you buy from small businesses, the quality of the product is usually much higher as the maker really cares about the quality of the product, not just how much money they can make off of it.
This is why I am always so proud and happy when customers try our wax melts and realise just how much longer they last and stronger they are than the ones sold by big name brands.
2. Better for the environment
When you buy from a small business you are usually purchasing products that are made right here in the UK, from sellers that care about the impact their product is having on the environment.
By contrast, large brand names will have their products made in a different country where labour is cheap and have the products flown to their distribution center. The products are then transported in gas-guzzling large lorries to each store where they are sold in plastic packaging.
It is for this reason that all of my wax melts are hand poured right here in Bristol, and each one comes in fully recyclable packaging
3. Ethical ingredients
Not only do products bought from small businesses tend to be higher quality and better for the environment, they also often contain more ethical ingredients as they are not focused on just going for the cheapest option.
For example, some big name candle and wax melt companies use parrafin which is derived from fossil fuels and can actually pollute your home and leave soot like marks. Often they will also source their ingredients from unethical suppliers, prioritising getting the best price possible in order to make returns for their shareholders, rather than doing what is best for their customers.
Small businesses more often care about their suppliers and have more intimate relationships, meaning they can pick ethical suppliers without having to worry whether they can provide millions of units every year. As such small businesses can give more care and thought to the ingredients they are putting into their products and ensure that they being ethically responsible.
For instance, I only use 100% vegan soy wax in my wax melts, and I only use UK based ethical suppliers in my products.
4. Helping out a community
When you shop small and local you are not just helping to pay for a CEO’s next trip to the Bahamas. Instead you are making a real impact on the lives of individuals, who can use that to invest further in their small business, purchasing more products from local suppliers, thereby supporting the small business economy in the UK.
If you purchase from a big name some of that money may well go towards staff wages, however a significant amount will also go out of the country to pay factories in China, and ultimately in going towards a significant bonus for the CEO for hitting their sales or stock price target in the year.
When you support a small business, you are not just supporting that business, but also all of their family, their local suppliers, and ultimately their community.
5.The “feel good” factor
Finally, but perhaps most importantly, is the feel good factor you get with your purchase.
When was the last time you left a big chain store feeling a sense of genuine satisfaction, like you are contributing to something bigger?
When you support small businesses you know you are doing good, and that feeling really takes some beating.
Whether you choose some of our amazing wax melts today or just switch to going to the local greengrocer rather than the big chain supermarket, any way in which you can make a small change to support local businesses makes a massive difference, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking that step.