Local businesses strive to make customers happy, but they need a bit of love from you, too. About 99.6% of businesses in Georgia are friendly neighborhood enterprises that have less than 500 employees. With all the labor and effort that goes into everyone’s products and services, Jennifer Scarbrough, the co-owner of The Local at The Lankford, speaks for small business owners when she says that local entrepreneurs won’t survive by themselves.

Indeed, local businesses need your support more than ever. If the awesome goodies aren’t enough to make you smile, here are a few more reasons why you should support local:

Strengthens local communities

Behind the high-quality products and services that you enjoy are community members that you meet on a regular basis. So whenever you purchase items from local businesses, you are uplifting the lives of your family members, neighbors, and friends. This support fosters connections and strengthens the unity of your local community.

But aside from boosting the neighborhood, buying local means you're able to empower diverse entrepreneurs in the area. To illustrate, there are many women-owned businesses in the state— and Georgia Grinders is one of them! Our female-founded company aims to give back to the community by producing premium nut butter products that were created from a traditional family recipe.

Better customer service

Since you’re supporting the people around you, you get to enjoy the benefits of more personalized customer service. Though Georgia is mostly composed of small businesses, these shops go big when it comes to making their customers happy. In fact, a survey revealed that 81% of consumers experience better service from small businesses as compared with big companies. This is very true in Georgia, where each customer is like a friend you haven't met yet. Local business owners can even offer greater advice regarding their products and services, since they can take the time to understand your needs. This ensures that your purchases remain relevant and personalized. In fact, it can be hard to go back to big chain stores because local businesses have such high-quality products and excellent hospitality!

Higher environmental sustainability

Your support doesn't only strengthen the local community, it also protects the local environment. Shops that source products and ingredients from nearby actually emit less carbon dioxide, as compared with big chain stores that produce a lot of waste and emissions in transport. Similarly, you can even reduce your carbon footprint through something as easy as going for a little walk to the neighborhood stores. These activities are simple, but they are integral in conserving the Earth’s natural resources. As such, more individuals are studying and practicing sustainable living so that they can make conscious choices that can help maintain the environment. Some have even become professionals that implement recycling programs and sustainable processes to help reduce the carbon footprint of local businesses.

Improved local economy

Aside from preserving the local environment, you are also supporting initiatives and projects within your local community every time you purchase from neighborhood shops. In fact, Georgians are being encouraged to purchase from local shops, since an average of 67 cents stays in the community for every dollar spent at small businesses. Most tax dollars stay in the community, giving the government more means to maintain the beauty of your area. This means that you get to enjoy carefully crafted products while supporting projects that you and your community benefit from. A strong local economy can lead to better infrastructure, a cleaner environment, and most importantly, a well-supported community.

Home is where the heart is

Though they might not be big name brands, local businesses can do a lot for the community. Case in point: Georgia Grinders offers clean, healthy, and delicious nut butters made from high quality ingredients that are optimized for flavor and texture. By supporting our small business, you can give back to three different local organizations in the state! When you shop local, every purchase definitely counts.

Exclusive for georgiagrinders.com by Autumn Gray