Supporting Small Business & Local Community

It is very important to Shawn and I that we support other small businesses and our local community. When you support each other, you build a stronger foundation and are more effective and productive!  We don't look at other businesses as competition but rather as potential partners, suppliers or places to refer people to.

What better way to celebrate your anniversary than to do so with another small business? We invited Pete & Meredith Skinner of PC Service On Site to join us as they were celebrating their first year of operation in the Barrie area after moving from the GTA. PC Service On Site looks after your tech needs, at your location thus they do not have a physical office.

To further our commitment of supporting local business, lunch featured Pulled Pork sandwiches covered in Crazy Bitch BBQ Sauce and cupcakes from Cheeky Treats!  We also wanted to add a special touch to our event and decided to make it a charity lunch with all lunch donations going to the Barrie Women & Children's Shelter and non-perishable food donations going to the Barrie Food Bank.  In 2 hours, we raised $225.00 and over 70 lbs of food!

I also had a crazy idea!  What if we helped promote Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, a major fundraiser for the Women & Children's Shelter, by having the men try on shoes and then dance Gangnam Style?
See the results below!

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes takes place October 14, 2012 at Heritage Park in Barrie.  The walk, triathlete and obstacle course start at noon but be there by 11am for shoe fitting.

Celebrating Small Business

As an entrepreneur, I make it a goal to support others in a similar situation.  I also make it a point to support my community.  Often, these two goals coincide with each other as supporting local business will benefit your community.

Recently, while chatting with another small business, we realized that we were both celebrating our first anniversaries - mine as a full-time storefront and theirs as a new business in Barrie.  As this company (PC Service On Site) did not have a physical location, I suggested they join us and celebrate together.  Thus, the event has been booked and on October 11, 2012, we will both celebrate our first anniversaries.

To add to our lunch-time event, we have decided to include hot sandwiches with all proceeds going to the Barrie Women & Children's Shelter. In addition, in support of their upcoming Walk a Mile in Her Shoes on October 14, we have invited male participants to test-drive their favorite heels.  There may even be some extra entertainment (stay tuned to see if we pull it off!).  This is just one way we, as small business owners, can support our community.

In small business, the first year of business is vital.  Many businesses fail right out of the starting gate; others fail by the six month mark.  As you talk with entrepreneurs, you will realize that many businesses have a rocky first year and the important thing is to keep adapting and push through.

If you are an entrepreneur, think about how you can help small businesses in your community. Make it a point to offer some advice or encouragement to another entrepreneur, or join forces to accomplish a mutual goal.

Small Business Week is October 15 - 19.  Get out and meet your local business owners!

Events:

October 17 - Barrie Chamber of Commerce Business After 5 - Barrie Food Bank
October 18 - Ask the Experts at Barrie City Hall Rotunda
October 19 - Speed Networking

Visit www.barriechamber.com or www.barriebusinesscentre.ca for more information on the above events or contact me at Rebecca@simcoenorth.ca and I will update you!