As state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, I’m thankful for Oklahoma’s small businesses. I’m thankful for their drive and stubbornness, their determination to keep the lights on and keep people working.
Our neighbors haven’t had it easy. Many barely scraped by through the pandemic only to face historic inflation that’s driving up the cost of everything. Workers are in short supply. And if Congress doesn’t act, our job creators will face a massive tax hike in 2025, making it difficult to plan ahead.
That’s why Congress must pass the bipartisan Main Street Tax Certainty Act, championed by Rep. Kevin Hern, to stop the massive tax hike on small businesses. But support for Main Street doesn’t begin and end with Congress. In fact, there’s no better opportunity to show our appreciation for our local job creators than by shopping locally all year round, but especially on Small Business Saturday.
Small Business Saturday, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, is a day for celebrating the locally-owned shops and restaurants that keep our communities thriving.
Small businesses face the same challenges as the national chains, but unlike big box stores, Main Street doesn’t have deep pockets. They operate on infamously thin margins. Small businesses have persevered, but without our support, some of them might not be around next Christmas. We can’t afford to let that happen.
Oklahoma’s economy is built on its small businesses. While big corporations get most of the attention, a whopping 99.4 percent of all businesses in the state are small businesses, according to the latest stats from the U.S. Small Business Administration. More than half of Oklahomans are employed by a small business.
We’d be lost without our small businesses, so Small Business Saturday is the perfect time to express our gratitude.
Although it may seem as if Small Business Saturday has been around forever, this tradition is only 13 years old. Originally created as part of a marketing campaign to help small businesses recover from one of the worst recessions in U.S. history, it has since taken a life of its own, much like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Better yet, studies show that locally spent dollars stay local. When we shop small, we’re helping the family-run businesses that sponsor our kid’s sports teams, support our schools, and donate to charities. We’re supporting our neighbors who employ hardworking Oklahomans. And we’re reaffirming our commitment to our community.
I’m asking everyone to shop small on Saturday, Nov. 25, because when we help small businesses, we help everyone.
