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Wake Tech Encourages Consumers To “Shop Small” On Small Business Saturday®
RALEIGH, N.C. (November 24, 2014) - Looking for some unique holiday gifts? How about turning those old family films into video, or surprising your child with a hand-knitted puppy?! With the holiday shopping season upon us, Wake Tech’s Small Business Center, in conjunction with the North Carolina Community College Small Business Center Network (SBCN) encourages you to #ShopSmall by supporting local small businesses.
Nestled between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday® has quickly become a nationally recognized day to support your local independent merchants with the power of your dollar.
“When small businesses thrive, our community experiences greater overall economic health,” said Theresa Peaden, director of the Small Business Center at Wake Tech. “Wake County is filled with local small businesses, owned by your neighbors, with a wide variety of products and services that will make great holiday gifts.”
Wake Tech’s Small Business Center has provided valuable assistance to dozens of small business owners in Wake County, including Emanuel Cole from The FotoShoppe in Cary, Rebecca Hart, owner of Warm n’ Fuzzy in Cary, and Jaqueline Green of Sweet Cheeks Bakery in Apex.
“I am proud to say that Wake Tech’s Small Business Center has supported hundreds of new and expanding small businesses over the past 30 years with counseling services, business plan development, and startup resources,” said Wake Tech President Dr. Stephen Scott. “But the success of these small businesses depends on the support of Wake County citizens. Please, keep our community strong - shop small on November 29!”
Small Business Saturday® was founded by American Express in 2010 as a day to celebrate local businesses through the launch of the holiday shopping season. The day has since grown into a powerful movement in support of local small businesses that make our community unique.
Consumer spending with independent merchants during the 2013 Small Business Saturday® neared $5.7 billion according to the results of a survey conducted by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). A recent forecast by consulting and financial advising firm Deloitte, US indicates that holiday shopping sales are expected to increase by as much as 4.5 percent in the 2014 season, with sales expecting to total between $981 and $986 billion.
Sixty million workers in the United States are employed by small business, accounting for approximately, half of the private sector workforce. The Small Business Administration (SBA) reports that Small Businesses were also the driving force for 63 percent of new net private sector jobs created between 1993 and mid-2013. Furthermore, in the state of North Carolina 47 percent of the workforce is employed in a small business setting.
Small Business Saturday® is our opportunity to support the local small businesses that provide economic vitality and quality of life to our community. The SBCN encourages you to use the power of your dollar to #ShopSmall on November 29 and help make a lasting impact in the place you call home.
The mission of the NC Community Colleges Small Business Center Network (SBCN) is to increase the success rate and number of viable small businesses in North Carolina by providing high quality, readily accessible assistance to prospective and existing small business owners, which will lead to job creation and retention. The SBCN assists in the establishment of more than 650 businesses each year. Small Business Centers have an economic impact in 90 percent of all N.C. Counties, including helping to create and retain over 3,000 jobs annually.
