In honor of National Small Business Week, I wanted to acknowledge and share what working at a small business means to me. According to U.S. Small Business Administration:
“More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year.”
Chances are YOU are impacted by small businesses in your own life too. Without further ado, here are three cheers for my small business employer:
Cheer #1 – My small business offers FLEXIBILITY!
This is so important for me, as I juggle raising my 2 and 4 year old children, while still being able to work part-time at a fulfilling and interesting marketing job. It took some time to find this job, as I wrote about last year, but I am so pleased that it has been such a good fit. I write more about my search and journey in this post.
Cheer #2 – My small business Lacks Red Tape!
I talked about having to adjust my full-time and larger, corporate mindset to fit my part-time role and small business in transition back to work. With a lot of careful prioritization and planning (and fewer approvals), I am amazed at how much that can be accomplished in a limited amount of time. It feels good to go into work and really tackle my “must-do-today” list. I feel a sense of accomplishment checking things off that list each day.
In terms of “red tape,” one story best sums up the larger corporate experience vs. a small business (and when I say small, I mean five total employees – full and part-time – small):
I was planning our big annual customer event and required a check for down payment on our event space. I asked my boss about the check request procedure. He replied,”Okay, how much to you need, and how should I write it out?” In less than 5 minutes, the completed check was on my desk. Done and Done! Love that!
Cheers #3 – My small business provides OPPORTUNITY!
In previous marketing roles I have always been a member of the marketing department. Sometimes my title included the term manager, but I was never in charge of the big picture. In my current role, I am a solo marketer. I am in charge of coming up with overall strategy and plans and implementing them down to the very last detail. I do it all – wearing many hats – as all small business employees must do!
When I started this job over a year ago, I often shared my concern with my boss that I was accustomed to bouncing ideas off of other people much more (instead of just my boss and the two-person sales team). He admitted that when he first started the business nine years ago, when it was just him, that he struggled with that aspect too. In time he learned to simply do his research, trust his gut, and forge ahead. This attitude has given me more confidence to trust my instincts and efficiently move projects forward. It’s rewarding to see your work in action and measure results more easily (at times) when compared to larger organizations.
How do you root for small businesses?
Related Posts:
Shop Small. Buy Local. Do Good. – This post is from The Do Gooder Mama, who is recently back from a blogging-break. Do check out her blog for inspiration and awesomeness!
