Hello and welcome to the Focused on Story Blog!!
I hope you are enjoying some spring weather in your part of the world. However, Mother Nature is reluctant to let go of winter weather in other areas. Spring is coming, eventually. Will you be planting seeds for your garden or deck this spring?
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| Happy Spring! |
Every year on March 29 National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day recognizes small business owners' work and contributions to our economy and society.
They are the backbone of our communities. Business owners are the ones who buy the Little League t-shirts, donate items for charity auctions, offer entry-level jobs to area residents, care about customers, belong to community organizations and school boards, coach teams and still manage to work much longer than 40 hour work weeks. I know because my husband and I were business owners.
Small business Saturday is always on the Saturday after US Thanksgiving Day encouraging shoppers to support businesses in their local communities and their online stores while shopping for the holidays. "Shop small" is the cry!
Many mom and pop stores expanded to become nationally known businesses e.g., Steak n Shake. The restaurant was a favorite stop in Normal, IL when I was a teen-ager. Known for their square burger patties and delicious thin French fries, they are now located in the Midwest, South, Mid-Atlantic and Western United States plus in Europe and the Middle East.
Gerber Baby Food was the Gerber family canning business in Fremont, Michigan. One day in 1927, Mr. Gerber came home to see his wife straining peas to feed their 7-month-old baby girl, Sally. After watching her work at the task, he tried it. That's when he decided his company, the Fremont Canning Company, could do the job easily. That was the beginning of Gerber Products. The headquarters for this worldwide product is still located in the small town of Fremont.
FYI--Sally was not the baby in the picture on their original baby food glass jars. Gerbers actually had a competition to find that darling baby photo for their logo. These days, a different baby graces the baby food containers every year after a similar contest for the honor.
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| The Growing Season by Sarah Frey |
I reviewed a book on this blog about Sarah Frey who began her business when she was 15-years-old. She heaped the back of her Dad's beat-up pickup truck with melons and delivered them to local grocery stores. With her ambition and determination, she has grown this produce delivery into Frey's Farms, the largest wholesale producer in the US.
Click here to read my blog review of her story, The Growing Season.
Attention Authors--be aware that writing a book and selling it means you are in business too! You wear many hats as an author, and one of your hats is that of a business person. Wishing you success in your business!
Take time to visit a small business in your area and say thank you.
I used the following sites to research this blog post.
Do you shop local? Own a small business? Please leave your comment in the comments section below. Thank you for visiting!
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If you are curious about our small business, download the eBook, Arranging a Dream: A Memoir. The book is the story of my husband and I moving to a town of strangers and purchasing a flower shop and greenhouse operation. We moved 5 hours from our friends and family and gave up two paychecks to live our dream.
The paperback and hardcover are available at amazon and bn.com.
Click the links below to order this feel-good story. Thank you.
The e-Book is available at major online booksellers.
Thank you!
10 comments:
I didn't know this special day even existed! So glad you posted about it. I'm a believer in supporting the small businesses in our town. I may have to pay a bit more for an item, but I don't want to be left with only COSCO or Walmart as my shopping choices!
I really don't know who decides to declare a national day like this. I find it on the National Calendar. But FB alerted me to the day for Small Business Owners in the planner. I agree. It seems the big box stores are pushing out the small businesses. But one good thing that came from the COVID pandemic was so many folks who lost their jobs founded companies and used their passions and niches to operate a successful small business.
I didn't know about this day. It certainly fits most Indie authors. Well done, Janet!
Thanks, Jacqui. I think we need a reminder once in a while that we are business people even if it goes against our grain since we think of ourselves as creatives, not bookkeepers and marketers.
Hi JQ, I love the idea of having a special day for small businesses. I really admire people like you and Ted who set up a business and work hard at making it thrive. But you're right, and I forgot, indie authors are small businesses too! I do everything from marketing to my accounts. Thanks for your great post!
Hey, JQ. I didn't know about the Mom & Pop Store Day, but I do know about the day in the fall. We have quite a bit of hype over buy local leading up and just after that. I, too forget I'm a small business. Of course, if I were a real small business needing to make a profit, I'd have had to give up writing a long time ago. I think most folks don't realize that many, many authors don't make a profit with what they do. It's why so many keep jobs or have some other way to support themselves. Loved this post, JQ, and I've shared. :)
I had no idea there was a day. I salute all those who have found a special place in the world.
So true. Many folks believe we can make sales like Stephen King and J.K. Rowling. Ha! It takes a lot of work and advertising dollars to sell books. Most authors do it for the satisfaction of getting the book into readers' hands and entertaining or informing them. Thanks for sharing!!
Awww, thanks for the salute!
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