
When 99% of American companies are small businesses, it’s no exaggeration to say that these businesses are the backbone of our country. These startups have been responsible for almost all new job creation over the past 3 decades! And not only are small businesses important to our economy but they’re important to us on a personal level as well. These are the storefronts and people who make up our communities and neighborhoods- they’re a part of our identity! However as technology marches on, small businesses also need to adapt and utilize this innovation to continue to reach their customers where and how they want to be reached. We’re going to cover some of our favorite ways that small businesses are able to use technology to stand out in really cool ways and contribute to their local community.
A big thanks to American Express for hosting the Big Future of Shopping Small event, for partnering with us to create this episode, and also for founding Small Business Saturday 10 years ago!
Additional links and resources we mentioned in this episode
- Homegrown is the breakfast spot we mentioned for a great experience
- Shopify and OpenCart were just two of the e-commerce sites we mentioned, but look no further than Squarespace and WordPress to get your site up and running
- We mentioned our friend’s use of social media to connect with potential customers where they are
- Here’s that article on employers hiring based on emotional intelligence
- Brother Moto and Bookish were two local businesses who we seeing doing a great job providing education and entertainment, beyond the products they’re selling
- A great article covering the example of Betabrand collaborating across different mediums to provide something really cool for their community

During this episode we enjoyed a Double Purple Chroma by Other Half Brewing. Since we recorded this episode live in NYC, we were excited to enjoy a local craft beer from the borough of Brooklyn. And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to spread the word to get more people doing smart things with their money!
Best friends out!