Small Business Saturday is one of the coolest ideas that has taken too long to catch on. Let’s put a little hustle in this movement, shall we? So many creative and driven people are running their own businesses from online boutiques to Etsy shops to actual “brick and mortar” locations. The amount of work and sacrifice that goes into starting a small business is something nobody can plan for. It’s intense and a lot of stress. But the moment you make your first sale, or the day you connect with your first customer, it makes all your hard work worth it. To think that someone in the world came to your business and spent money they earned on something you’re offering, something that you love and feel passionate about – the feeling is immeasurable.
Not all of us were born with the entrepreneurial spirit. But most of us were born with the shopping one!
This is where organizedCHAOSonline steps up. It’s our job, dear shopping obsessed friends, to support these businesses on Saturday, November 30th, and on into the future.
What started back in 2010 by American Express to shine a spotlight on small and local businesses, has turned into a nationally observed holiday where we shop the passions of our peers. It is officially called “Small Business Saturday.”
Throw it out on social media, and you’ll see that you’re not the only one tweeting, posting on Facebook and even promoting in your Instagram feed with the hashtag #SmallBusinessSaturday.
Where should you shop?
Thanks for asking. Here’s our list of businesses you’ll want to shop this Small Business Saturday as recommended by the people we trust the most -YOU! The more this post gets shared, the more people will hear about these businesses. Click the share buttons below to help promote these hard-working businesses!
Start shopping!!
READER RECOMMENDED SMALL BUSINESSES…
[spacer]
Custom Apparel
Rhinestone Sash: http://www.rhinestonesash.com/
- Custom rhinestone sashes, shirts, etc for any occasion
[spacer]
Invitations and Papercraft
Pretty Pink Posh: http://prettypinkposh.com/prettypinkposhshop
- Embellishments for crafting projects
Stephanie Creekmur: http://www.stephaniecreekmur.com/
- Online stationery boutique and graphic design studio[
[spacer]
Bags, Clutches, Purses
Grandma’s Little Lilly: http://www.etsy.com/shop/GrandmasLittleLilly
- Coupon Organizers, EReader Cases, iphone wallets
Hayden J: http://www.etsy.com/shop/HaydenJ
- Handcrafted bags, totes, clutches, etc.
[spacer]
Art, Illustrations, Prints & Photography
Charlie Duncan Photography: http://www.cduncanphoto.com/
- From portraits, to product shots, fine art for your walls, to mentoring
Otturatore Photography: http://otturatorephotography.com/
- Specializing in newborn, children, and seniors and family photography
Flapper Doodle: http://www.etsy.com/shop/flapperdoodle
- Illustrations of 1920’s flappers Eloise and Ramona, assorted illustrated goodies
I Love It All: http://www.etsy.com/shop/iloveitall
- Subway art prints, posters, mini books, journals, greeting cards
Eryn Marie Designs: https://www.facebook.com/ErynMarieDesigns
- Decorative murals, hand painted furnishings and custom murals
[spacer]
Jewelry
Hardwear Designs: http://www.etsy.com/shop/hardweardesigns
- Mixed media jewelry and art
Bookity: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Bookity
- Handmade Map and Book Cufflinks, Jewellery, and Decor
Olive Yew: https://www.oliveyew.com/
- Handmade trendy gold jewelry. Simple designs.
Lavalake: http://www.etsy.com/shop/lavalake
The Noisy Cricket: http://www.etsy.com/shop/noisycricket
- Personalized hand stamped sterling jewelry
[spacer]
Mens/Womens Clothing
Morton James Boutique: https://www.facebook.com/MortonJames
- Well curated mens and womens clothing and accessories
well curated clothing and accessories
well curated clothing and accessories
[spacer]
Children’s Clothing and Toys
bChildrenswear: http://www.etsy.com/shop/bchildrenswear
- Modern clothing for your little one
Addison Renee Boutique: http://www.etsy.com/shop/addisonrenee
- Hair bows and a new line of boy accessories
[spacer]
Fitness, Health & Beauty
Nerium with Terri Yankovich: http://www.nerium.com/default.aspx?ID=terriyankovich
[spacer]
Housewares, Home Decor and Gifts
Oh Little Rabbit: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ohlittlerabbit
- Eco Friendly, Organic, Hand Printed Housewares & Gifts
Printing Grounds: http://www.etsy.com/shop/flapperdoodle
- Handcrafted wares for you and your home
re.Served by Victoria: http://www.etsy.com/shop/reServedbyvictoria
- Reclaimed serving and home decor pieces customized with hand-drawn updates
Tennessee Sweet Tea Creations:https://www.facebook.com/TennesseeSweetTeaCreations
Aedriel Originals: http://www.aedrieloriginals.com/
- Distinctive tableware and earthenware home accents
[spacer]
Miscellaneous
B is for Buttons: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Bisforbuttons
- Original buttons for all occasions, or make your own
Sisters Whimzy: http://www.sisterswhimzy.com/
- Totes, bags, trunksters and other fun things. Will personalize.
C Jayne Teach: http://www.etsy.com/shop/cjayneteach
- Organizational products for classrooms and educators
Flow Yoga Designs: http://www.etsy.com/shop/FlowYogaDesigns
- Hand painted yoga mats and products all inspired by yoga
Haus of Ariella: http://www.etsy.com/shop/HausofAriella
- Jewelry, photography, home decor
[spacer]
Events and Party Supplies
Oh Goodie Designs: http://www.ohgoodiedesigns.com/
- Custom party products. Event consulting and coordinating company
[spacer]
Giving Back, Nonprofit, Feel Good Shopping
Art to Aid: http://www.arttoaid.com/
- Artists of all kinds donating profits from art sales for charities you nominate
You own a business.
You know about Small Business Saturday.
You have an online shop.
BUT YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO GET PEOPLE TO FIND YOU.
Deep breath. It’s common.
You are going to have to do a little work on your end to get the ball rollin’. Once that happens, people will catch on.
The good news? It’s all free.
10 Steps To Getting Your Business Seen This Small Business Saturday
1. SOCIAL MEDIA MAKEOVER: Make sure you have all of your social media accounts updated with your current logo (or look), your website, a good tagline or your store’s mission.
2. HASHTAG YOUR ASS OFF: Start using (or teach yourself) the hashtags #SmallBusinessSaturday and/or #SmallBizSaturday. This is what people can and will be searching for on Saturday. Plus, it gets you into the mix of all the other people doing the same thing. Hashtags work on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
3. SEARCH AND CONNECT: While you’re on social media, start searching for hashtags that apply to your product or brand. Do you sell clothing from an online boutique? Start searching #leggings #fashion #whattowear #sweater #gifts. Once you find people who have pinned, tweeted or put on Facebook about something you have – WRITE A COMMENT!
4. PROMOTE YOURSELF: Don’t be shy. This is a time for self-promotion. There’s no shame in this game. In order for your business to be successful, it has to be promoted so people know you’re here. Ask anyone and everyone to get the word out about your business.
5. BLOG: Whether you do it regularly or you remember only during times like now, write a blog. You don’t have to do in depth research, just write about what you know – your business. Include many keywords, include the words Small Business Saturday and start off your blog with a quick summary of what the blog is about. Think of how a news article is written.
6. SPRUCE UP YOUR SITE: Take a peek at your website. Is it easy to figure out who you are? Can people navigate quickly? Can they read the text? Have you included an “about me” section so people know who they are shopping with? Did you explain what you sell and why it’s the best? Do you have a “contact me” section? Do you mention shipping? All of these things are important for the new customer to know. Remember, you are very familiar with what you do but not everyone else is.
7. DISCOUNTS AND SPECIAL OFFERS: Offer a discount. Give something, anything. Perhaps you have a special gift you can add to purchase or maybe you can offer customers a discount for shopping with you on Saturday. We all love a discount…especially this time of year.
8. SHOW WHAT YOU’VE GOT: Be active. Post pictures of what you have available online. Post it to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, the home page of your website, your forehead, the neighborhood, the mall Santa. WHEREVER!
9. PIN IT ALL: We’re convinced that Pinterest is magic. If you don’t have it already, add a Pin It button to your website. Just go to Pinterest and an option will become available to you (or you can look in the top menu bar of Pinterest for more). If you make a Pin It button available, others will do the work for you in spreading the word about your business. Let their passion speak to their network. This is an invaluable way to be connected with people you wouldn’t have had an opportunity to connect with otherwise. You can also pin everything from your site. We’re all in a hurry so if we can find what we’re looking for quickly, you’ve become our best friend.
10. START A GANG: Enlist the help of others you admire. There are a ton of very successful small business owners. In fact, I’d argue you can’t even call them a small business because they are doing so well. That’s the magic of the game. They technically still qualify and are kicking serious ass doing it. Ask for help. Ask for tips. Ask if they will help you grow by giving you a mention. Does that make you nervous? There are two things that would be the absolute worst case scenario: 1. You don’t get a reply. 2. They say no. Those don’t seem so bad, do they? Get to it!
See how impactful #SmallBusinessSaturday is and read even MORE suggestions
on how to be active in promoting yourself. Find it HERE.
Side note: Take a look at this blog post that you just read. Do you see how many times ‘Small Business Saturday’ was mentioned? Do you notice how many “keywords” are used that got your attention as a business owner? Do you see how you’re reading this right now?
We attracted you. Now go attract others and tell us who you are so we can follow you!
This is a fun game, isn’t it? Congratulations on your future success! We’ll be playing the role of emotional parents applauding you from the sidelines.
Dare I say there’s a little sanity in Black Friday? This free app will give you a list of all the stores in our area, all coupons and ads available, let you search by category and even save your list so you don’t have to lug around all the ads. This is go-time and we have zero leeway to mess around.
It’s coupon clipping and shopping organization in one. Be still my heart.
The app is available on iTunes and for Android.
Oh, and P.S. the app lists online resources like Amazon.
Click on the above links and get to planning!
It’s the Last Day to Enter – Winner Announced on Sunday, August 11th!
The organizedCHAOSonline community is growing, and it’s all because of YOU! We are so incredibly grateful to be connected with you. But… who are you? We don’t want our readers to be just a number in our Facebook “Like” stats; we want to meet who we’re writing to, and where our posts are being read. Where do you live? What are you interested in reading?
We’d like to create an organized CHAOS online community of people across the nation who are interested in the same things we are, and think the same way we do. On our Facebook page a few days ago, we asked our readers to comment with their home state. The below states (and countries) checked in.
Does yours have a pin? Show pride in where you live, by having your home represented on the map. We’d like to see pins on every state, and even expand into new countries!
Our Way of Thanking You…
We’re just so excited to hear from you all, we want to gift one of you a T-shirt that boasts your home state. We are IN LOVE with these shirts! To enter to win, see below (Entry deadline 8/11/13).
“The Home T”
ENTER HERE:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Share This Contest With Your Friends!
You are welcome to post this contest on your blog or website. Click HERE to get any code you’ll need.
My son just started kindergarten which means he had to say “goodbye” to his Pre-K classes and incredible teachers.
I found this how-to on School “Glue” stick push up pops. It was cute but I wanted to make some changes. That’s my answer to everything, by the way. I never take anything at face value. My project is what you see in the pictures.
Supplies:
- Push up pops (Michaels)
- Candy (white)
- Ribbon (orange in two different sizes)
- Cardstock
- Glue dots
- A Lifetime movie playing in the background
- Your favorite drink
- Time to yourself
This is the easiest freaking project on the face of this planet. Here’s how:
- Click HERE for the “glue” tag printables. Print on cardstock and cut out.
- Stuff the Push up Pops with white candy (just like glue – get it?)
- Wrap the thick ribbon around the top and adhere with glue dots. Do the same at the bottom with the thinner ribbon
- Stick the rectangle label on the front.
- Call it good.
- Appear amazing and pretend like this was really hard. When people compliment you, don’t blow it off like it was nothing. Be enthusiastic as if this took the better part of a week.
