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Why we care so much about Small Business Saturday
Dec 2You might have seen over on Instagram that we’ve been talking a lot about shopping small this Christmas… Not forgetting that Love Actually reel, we’re trying to spread the word about why shopping small is so important, especially at this time of year. Every first Saturday of December, we celebrate Small Business Saturday amongst hundreds of other small businesses across the country. So, we thought we’d tell you a bit more about what Small Business Saturday is, how we’ve come to love it and why it’s so important to us!
So, what’s Small Business Saturday all about?
Small Business Saturday is a non-commercial campaign that aims to support and champion small businesses all around the country, encouraging customers to shop small and local, especially during the festive season. Initially founded by American Express in 2010 in the US, Small Business Saturday came over here to the UK with the help of Michelle Ovens CBE and has grown from there with a record of £1.1 billion spent with small businesses last year on Small Business Saturday! This 4th December 2021 will be the ninth year of Small Business Saturday in the UK, and as a small business ourselves, we are passionate about the difference it can make.

Why do we care so much about Small Business Saturday?
When Martha Brook was still in Martha’s bedroom, the Small Business Saturday team took a punt on us and chose us as one of their ‘Small Biz 100’ – the 100 small businesses they profiled that Small Business Saturday. Despite then being a tiny business, Martha was invited to meet the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Treasury Drum, and we had our first press features!
Martha with George Osbourne at The Treasury Drum in 2015
The Small Business Saturday team were so supportive, and through their fantastic community, we’ve made some long-lasting small business friends over the years and have continued to shout about the day ever since, despite being a little bit bigger now! So much so, Martha was asked to be a ‘Small Business Hero’ this year to further help champion the day, supporting their bus tour, visiting the House of Lords this week, and talking to the press about what a difference the day makes.

So, how can you get involved as a small business?
It’s not too late to get involved! You can register on the Small Business Saturday website here, where your business will be featured on the small business finder for free! Then think about what you can do on Small Business Saturday itself to shout about the day and encourage your customers to support you. It could be putting something in your shop window, mentioning it on social media or in your newsletter. On the Small Business Saturday website, you can also access a marketing pack, including their logos, to use across your website and do share any plans with the team so they can do a shout out via their own social media channels.
It’s also worth signing up for the Small Business Saturday newsletter so you can apply for their Small Biz 100 next year. Applications usually open in the summer, and it is well worth applying!

How can you support as a customer?
Did you know 42% of people will get their Christmas gifts from Amazon?! (Okay…you might know this already if you’ve seen our Reel!) It might not feel like it but by choosing to shop small, even with just one Christmas gift or one coffee, that little or large purchase goes such a long way and supports more than just their business, it supports a dream.
But more than that, there are many other ways you can support small businesses this week and beyond, such as leaving them a lovely review, writing a supportive comment on their social media page or signing up for their newsletter. We pulled together this handy graphic to help:

Want to find your local small businesses? Head over to the Small Business Finder to see what’s in your area! Don’t forget to spread the word by sharing photos supporting your small businesses with the hashtag #SmallBizSatUK.
So, there you go! Please help spread the word this weekend and let’s all seek out some brilliant small businesses to support on Small Business Saturday!
P.S. To celebrate Small Business Saturday, we’ll be giving free UK delivery all weekend on our website with the code SMALLBIZ. Happy Christmas shopping!

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