Thank you Brother International Corporation for sponsoring today’s post!

5 Easy Ways to Support Local Businesses

“When you buy from a small business an actual person does a little happy dance.”

As you know, small business and community are near and dear to my heart! My family owns the small local business (apple orchard/farm/garden center/gift shop/cafe), Harvest Moon Farm and Orchard, and for 9 years I managed the store operations.

Now, since Luca is getting bigger, it is getting harder and harder to manage the store. So I am taking a break from the pressures of full-time management and focusing more on just the bookkeeping aspects of the business.

Owning a small business has always been a dream of mine. I grew up admiring my father who owned and ran his own small business. It built character, taught me drive, perseverance and commitment and overall shaped me as a person, as an employee and as a small business owner myself.

With not only the family farm, but also my blogging business, I feel incredibly grateful that I get to live out my passion of entrepreneurship and do what I love every single day.

What does entrepreneurship mean to me?

Entrepreneurship has become a way of life for my family and me. Whether it’s full-time, part-time or in your spare time, being an entrepreneur means awakening your own abilities and being in charge of your own destiny. It means having a vision of a business or product that can help others, maybe even change lives, while also helping support your family financially – and then having the drive and endurance to realize that vision and see it through.

I love pursuing my passion of running a small business alongside my family. Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely downsides to working closely with family every day. It’s not all rainbows and butterflies! But we all share a common passion to succeed. We see the bigger picture and we love doing what we do. Making people happy and knowing our business is making a difference in people’s lives by providing high-quality products and customer service is something we are so proud of.

Thankfully, while running our small business, I have Brother at my side. Brother not only supports me in my office at work, but in my home office too.

They help my small business run smoothly and efficiently. Brother printers, like the INKvestment Tank MFC-J995DW, are amazing as they allow me to print all my checks, any quick signage and everything else I need for the store super easily – we never have to think twice.

In fact, Brother is the only name I trust for printing! We have used their printers since 2011 when we opened our doors.

Brother supports us so that we can provide everything you need to be able to shop local!

So how can you support local businesses like Harvest Moon Farm and Orchard?

Here are 5 easy ways to support your favorite small shops! 

Go to Your Local Farmer’s Market or Orchard Store

One of the best ways to support local shops is visiting your local orchards and farmer’s markets.

Not only are you getting the freshest ingredients, but you get to meet the farmers, try the produce, and get the highest quality fruits and vegetables.

When you buy at a farmer’s market or orchard store, you are supporting a farmer, a family, and a community.

Spread the Word

Another easy way to support your local small shop is to talk about them.
When you are going to visit a local business, tell your friends you are going! Better yet, invite them to come with you!

While in town, ask people if they have gone to your favorite shops, or businesses like the orchard to pick apples, peaches, or other produce yet.

Post honest reviews online. Rave about local businesses and small shops on local social media pages or chat forums.

When you visit your local small shops or small businesses, tag them in your social media posts so people know you are there and encourage them to visit.

Word of mouth helps support small businesses so much more than you can imagine.

Attend Local Events at Small Shops

Many local businesses and small shops hold all kinds of local events.

At Harvest Moon Farm and Orchard, we hold community pizza nights every Friday and Saturday in the summer and they are my favorite! Families come to the orchard, listen to live music, drink our hard cider, eat our made-from-scratch brick oven pizza, eat some more, and shop local. The vibe is just so positive and contagious. A pristine and safe farm setting, animal noises coming from the barn, a rock band jamming away, and mom and dad get to enjoy adult conversation with friends and neighbors.

The events are a fun way to support the community and give them a place to come each week with their families. We do live in the country, so there are not many places for local families to go!

By attending local events like these, you are not only supporting a small business, but you are helping change lives in the community by creating jobs and supporting the local economy.

Be Respectful While Visiting

If you follow me on Instagram you know how passionate I am about being respectful when visiting small businesses.

One way to do this is to pick up after yourself and your family while visiting. If you see something on the ground pick it up and throw it away.

For example, we have tons of apples that fall from the trees at the orchard. I know it is so tempting to smash them or throw them, but be respectful and leave them there. Usually orchards have workers that go around picking these up daily and then they feed them to the animals. When they are smashed or thrown all over the place, we can’t do that.

If there are rules posted, read them. Explain them to your kids and do your best to follow them. Rules that are put in place at orchards and other small businesses are usually there to keep you and your family safe.

Shop Local All Year Long

Small Business Saturday is such a great way to support local businesses and small shops. It encourages people to visit local stores and spread awareness about shopping small. But don’t let supporting small businesses end after Small Business Saturday is over!

Continue to shop local and visit small businesses throughout the whole year. By doing so, you are getting higher quality products, fresher produce and fruit, and usually better service all while supporting people that live right there in your community.

So next time you are headed into town to pick something up for dinner, or to grab your favorite coffee drink, support someone’s dream by shopping local.

CHECK OUT MY SMALL SHOP 2019 GIFT GUIDE RIGHT HERE!