Small Business Saturday, Season of Small Kick Off Holiday Shopping on Nov. 30

VICKSBURG, Miss. – by Janita R. Stewart (SBA.gov)– Right on the heels of Thanksgiving Day is Black Friday, and the following week will be kicked off with Cyber Monday. In between those days is what has come to be known as “Small Business Saturday,”
which kicks off the ‘Season of Small’ starting November 30th.

Small Business Saturday is the day set-aside to celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for their communities. This year again, we all know that small businesses and entrepreneurs continue to need our support. There are about 33.5 million small businesses in the nation and Mississippi is home to 283,383 of them, making up 99.3% of all businesses in our state, paralleling the nation. Notably, this
represents an increase of almost 17,000 new business start-ups compared to the prior year. There is no doubt that small businesses are crucial to the national and our state’s economies.

With the holiday season upon us and with small businesses gearing up for it, our local mom-and-pop shops, restaurants, boutiques, independent retailers, service providers, and more, can maximize this opportunity by participating in Small Business Saturday and the Season of Small. We each can do our part as consumers by making it a point to support our local small businesses by shopping small.

We are encouraging small businesses to use Small Business Saturday and the Season of Small to help drive more traffic directly to their businesses – whether it is by the traditional means of visiting brick
and mortar retail stores, restaurants and more or by way of on-line purchases. Whichever means by which a small business chooses to promote its business, we encourage customers to visit in-person or shop online.

Choosing to shop local could result in a significant economic impact for our communities and would transcend throughout our state with increased revenues, expanding the tax base and maintaining employment at these local small businesses.

Small Business Saturday was launched by American Express in 2010, with the SBA joining as a co-sponsor in 2011. Since then, the popularity of Small Business Saturday has grown significantly. According to the National Retail Foundation, 2023’s Small Business Saturday was an incredibly popular shopping day. To build on this holiday tradition, the SBA launched the Season of Small Business last year to encourage local spending throughout this festive time of year and beyond November 30th.

As this holiday season gets underway, each of us has a choice to make so please choose to support the local economy. Doing so patronizes the entrepreneurs and small businesses that have worked hard every single day. Together, we could lighten their load.

Please join SBA and supporting organizations in recognizing Small Business Saturday on Saturday, November 30th and the Season of Small.

Editors Note: This article was submitted by Janita R. Stewart District Director, U.S. Small Business Administration, Mississippi.

Opinions expressed in editorials/guest columns do not necessarily reflect the views of the Vicksburg Daily News.