In January 2009 we went searching for new business owners who were experiencing success despite the economic conditions at the time and promised to check back over the year to see how they were doing with their entrepreneurial experiences.
We talked with two local businesses — Abaya’s Ballroom and Wild Bird Nest. Both businesses commented on their loyal customer base, which has helped them maintain their businesses during the recession.
They also noted a trend in consumers who are spending, but doing so in a cautious manner with a strong emphasis on quality. Smart consumers expect value and quality for their dollars more than ever. Both businesses’ success represents the power that local consumers have to improve the local economy by shopping at and patronizing local establishments.
Abaya’s Ballroom
When we spoke with Abaya’s Ballroom in January, owners F.J. and Catherine Abaya were just getting started working with an Everett Community College student business team to strengthen their company’s marketing plan.
During the winter, students suggested a new advertising strategy and upgrades to the company’s Web site, which they are implementing and finding to be helpful.
Abaya’s Ballroom also moved from its Everett location to Seattle and now works with another organization, DanceSport. The move is saving the business money on lease and maintenance fees, advertisement dollars and time.
The Abayas have noticed that despite the recession, they are selling larger packages of dance lessons, which offer a higher value-price ratio.
Catherine Abaya noted, “People are looking for quality and value that are close to home rather than expensive vacations. Our dance patrons are choosing to invest in self-care and personal improvement.”
Wild Bird Nest
Wild Bird Nest’s owner, Lissy Villa, continues to run her business. “I’m so grateful for my network of clients, they are priceless to me,” she said.
Her customers are faithful, and her business is one-of-a-kind and independently owned and operated. Despite the economy, Villa’s patrons are caring for their birds and choosing to spend carefully on quality feed and other accessories to preserve the environment. Villa continues to work seven days a week and has one invaluable part-time employee, Dorothy, who works on the weekends.
“I refuse to give up; I absolutely love this store!” she said.
Value of shopping local
Overall, these entrepreneurs are doing well in the economy and are satisfied with their businesses’ success and the pleasure they experience by providing quality service and products that build a meaningful network of customers and clients.
We wondered how other local business owners might also thrive with help from their patrons. One major concept for supporting local entrepreneurs was found at the Wild Bird Nest’s Web site www.wildbirdnest.com under a tab titled The 3/50 Project. Here’s what we found out about the project:
The Always Upward blog at http://alwaysupward.com/blog/50-dollar-retail-challenge/ discusses strengthening the local economy by patronizing local brick-and-mortar locations. Written by Rieva Lesonsky, consulting editor at BizWomen.com, the post titled, “Support Your Local Small Business” touched our entrepreneurial spirits!
Lesonsky’s article sprang from a customer service-related experiment last summer where a person decided to purchase goods and services only from businesses whose owners he’d met. Before long, he was frequenting the same three businesses repeatedly, which inspired Lesonsky to twist the concept slightly. She then considered the implications of her own shopping habits.
“With more and more small businesses on the edge of survival, I’ve been thinking about which three stores I would most hate to see go out of business, and how I can support them with my dollars,” she wrote.
Author Cynthia Baxter read the Always Upward blog and suggested her own twist in the article “The 3/50 Project: Saving the Brick and Mortars Our Economy Is Built On.”
The goal is simple: Ask consumers to frequent three local brick-and-mortar businesses they don’t want to see disappear, and to spend a very affordable $50 per month doing it. Keep in mind these businesses put money back into the local community through commercial property taxes, payroll taxes, sales tax, salaries and goodwill.
The 3/50 Project, 2009 from Retail Speaks at www.the350project.net is outlined below, and we hope you’ll consider using it:
50: If just half the employed U.S. populations spent $50 each month in independently owned stores, their purchases would generate $42,629,700,000 in revenue (Employment statistics courtesy U.S. Department of Labor/Bureau of Labor statistics, Feb. 6). Imagine the positive impact if three-quarters of employed Americans did that!
For every $100 spent in independently owned stores, $68 of it returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays here. Spend it online and nothing comes home.
The three small entrepreneurs you support regularly with your dollars could be a small boutique on your town’s Main Street, the beauty salon where you get your hair cut, or a local restaurant. It could mean using a insurance agent living in your community rather than getting a quote from an online resource halfway across the country. You could get your shoes repaired at the local shoe repair shop rather than buying a new pair from a big department store.
In times like these, we all need to put our money where it counts. Whenever possible, please shop locally and consider using The 3/50 Project’s philosophy.
Pat Sisneros is the vice president of College Services at Everett Community College. Lynne Munoz is director for the School of Business Design. Please send your comments to entrepreneurship@everettcc.edu.
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