Written by: Emily Joswiak • December 2, 2020• Business

Ways To Support Small Businesses During the Pandemic

As the biggest of the big businesses have boomed during the pandemic, small businesses are struggling throughout America. Shuttered doors and the public’s reliance on massive e-commerce have made it difficult for small businesses to survive. But as a vaccine nears and a return to normality finally begins to appear on the horizon, we can’t have a country without a varied and vibrant marketplace that brings activity and life to the Main Streets all across America. Consider these ways to support small businesses during the pandemic so that when we do return to a new normal, we can keep our old lifestyles intact.

Buy Gift Cards

Businesses can use up-front liquidity right now. Consider buying gift cards now to give your local home businesses an immediate cash infusion and redeem them later. By distributing gift cards, you can make new customers of friends and family who aren’t familiar with the small business in question. Small businesses and big ones alike tend to buy bulk gift cards especially during the holiday season, or on special occasions, such as Valentines’ Day or Memorial Day. You could do them a world of good if you try and purchase gift cards from those businesses, which in turn, not only grow in monetary terms, but also tend to think of you as a valuable customer! A small help goes a long way!

Invest in Their Future

If you’re fortunate to have a robust retirement account, you could be able to use that account to help small businesses in your community while continuing to build your retirement. Your IRA can act as a hometown bank by investing in promissory notes. Promissory notes come in two forms: secured and unsecured, with the former carrying collateral and a lower interest rate while the latter has a higher interest in lieu of collateral. By lending to small businesses, you can invest in your future and the strength of your community.

Order Online

There are four or five companies that dominate e-commerce in America. They do good work, but we know in our hearts that we cannot have a nation with only four or five dominant companies. But even most local small businesses necessarily maintain an internet presence, and with less foot traffic as we continue to stay safe, now is the time to take advantage. Do your part to keep competition lively by safely doing business online within your community. This way, they probably wouldn’t have to rely on ecommerce seo services to boost their prominence or spend extra to build their brand. It sounds paradoxical, but we need e-commerce now to protect brick-and-mortar retail down the road-few things would be more unsightly than a city center with nothing but vacant commercial real estate.

Donate To Arts Organizations

The performing arts are in grave danger. With mass gatherings being restricted, performance stages and spaces cannot do business. If these venues close their doors permanently, the ripple effect of losing these downtown destinations will harm everyone. One of the most important ways to support small businesses during the pandemic is to help sustain performing arts venues that can’t do business right now. Donate what you can to save stages and spaces in your community and beyond so that we can keep the arts-and small businesses-alive.

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