Anybody who knows me, knows the gigantic soft spot I have for small businesses. It started about a decade ago working with the Business Assistance Center in Palm Coast where the SBDC (Small Business Development Center) offered free support to entrepreneurs trying to get their idea off the ground or take their business to the next level. It was inspiring to see so many people following their dreams.
Organizing the community’s first Small Business Saturday event through the BAC, it was a chance to create momentum behind a very unique part of Flagler County, Palm Coast, Bunnell, Flagler Beach and Marineland that still exists today – our incredibly vibrant and collaborative small business community.
If you look around, most of our community is made up of small businesses, and it’s one of the most special things about our business community overall. It’s people helping others succeed and thrive, whether it’s through networking and referrals, shopping and service use, word of mouth support, sharing and liking each other’s social media pages, it’s this really awesome ecosystem of genuine caring.
Following my passion back to what I really love to do, news reporting and discovering the latest and greatest scoop, showcasing our small business community has always remained a part of the fabric of my work. You can catch a ‘Big Five’ on Monday talking about a small business or nonprofit on Flagler News Weekly, and if you’ve gone to the trouble of hiring someone to write a press release, unless it’s vulgar, it’s getting published, because I know that exposure is priceless to a business trying to make it.
Hopefully this Saturday, (November 25) and really, through the holiday season, we will all try to shop local, shop small. This economy has been tight in 2023, and giving that small business a boost may just be the very thing that ensures they’ll be there next year too.
To all of our small business owners in the Flagler County area, we appreciate you. It’s not easy being small but when we need that one-of-a-kind item or to talk to a real person, you’re there, and that makes all the difference.
Thank you! Danielle
Be sure to check out these resources on shopping local!Â
Find out more about Small Business SaturdayÂ
Shop Local: Handcrafted and Homegrown Series
Palm Coast’s Be Local, Buy Local DirectoryÂ
