Hello and welcome to the Messy Mompreneur Podcast, where we cover all things community, parent entrepreneurship, and building life-first marketing efforts for your small business! I’m your host, Alysha Sanford. I’m a mostly-work-from-home toddler mom with a background in brand photography and a passion for sustainable marketing strategies. You’re probably listening because you, too, wear all of the hats, and I’m so happy to have you here!

You’ve already heard how collaboration and partnerships can lift your business during last week’s episode… if not, please go back and give it a listen.

And today, we’re taking that one step further — exploring why shopping small and supporting fellow small businesses matters more now than ever. Whether you’re running a service-based business or a creative brand, the ripple effects of your holiday spending and support are far-reaching. By the end of this episode, you’ll have both the mindset and the tactics to show up intentionally this season — not just as a seller, but as a community builder.

Main Topics included in this Episode

  • 3 reasons why shopping small makes a big difference
  • Some gift ideas that mean the most
  • Where to shop small this season
  • My challenge for you this week

Resources Mentioned

Connect with Alysha

Music Licensing Info

Music by Eli Lev - Dancin' on the Lawn

Link

Episode Transcription

You've already heard how collaboration and partnerships can lift your business. During last week's episode, and if not, please go back and give it a listen. Today we're taking that one step further, exploring why shopping small and supporting fellow small businesses matters now more than ever. Whether you're running a service based business or a creative brand, the ripple effects of your holiday spending and support are far reaching. By the end of this episode, you'll have both the mindset and the tactics to show up intentionally. This season, not just as a seller, but as a community builder. Hello and welcome back to the Messy Mompreneur Podcast where we cover all things community, parent, entrepreneurship and building life first marketing efforts for your small business. I'm your host, Alysha Sanford. I'm a mostly work from home mom of a toddler with a background in brand photography and a passion for sharing about sustainable marketing strategies. That you can weave into your capacity. You're probably listening because you also wear all of the hats, and I'm so happy to have you. Yeah. Every year around this time, life seems to speed up. School routines, fall events, those long to do lists, and the countdown to the holidays can make it really tempting to just hop onto Amazon, click add to cart, and call it good. I've done it before. I totally understand why people default to what's quickest and easiest, but over the years, especially as my business has grown and I've connected more deeply. With other small business owners, I've learned how much impact our purchases can have. Where we spend is just as meaningful as what we buy. When we choose to support a small business, we're choosing to support families, dreams, stability and community. That's really the heart behind this episode. I want to help you shop with intention, support the people who light up our towns and online spaces and feel good about where your dollars go this year. So let's talk about the three reasons why shopping small makes a big difference, and I know these are probably obvious, but let's just remind ourselves real quick. The first one is that your dollar stays local. When you shop small, your money stays within your community or the community that you sent it to. It helps local families pay for groceries, childcare, medical appointments and holiday traditions. And during a time when costs are even more astronomical and a lot of families are feeling the strain. Every purchase truly matters. A $25 order may feel small to you, but it might make someone's entire week on the other side. Of. It we've all seen the meme out there about how when you buy from a small business and actual human does a happy dance and it's 100% true. And reason #2 when you shop small you support real people and not corporations. There's nothing wrong with buying from big stores when you need to, but choosing small businesses when you can makes a noticeable difference. You're helping a family run shop, stay open, you're supporting a maker who creates everything by hand at the dining room table you're encouraging. Someone who's putting everything they have into building something meaningful that lights them up. And the third reason. When you shop small, you strengthen community connections. Every small business carries a story. Supporting them keeps those stories going. It also strengthens the connections within your own town or your online community. When you're buying a candle from a local vendor, ordering prints from a small artist or grabbing a coffee at your favorite spot, your purchase sends a message that. Their work matters. This ties directly into one of my own brand pillars that your connections matter more than any algorithm. The same is true for your dollars. So as we head into the holiday shopping season, if you're listening in real time, recording this in November. And dropping it in December, I want to highlight some of the gifts that mean the most. Some of the most meaningful gifts that I've personally received have come from small businesses. So if you're building your holiday list, here are some ideas to get your wheels turning. The first would be from your local coffee restaurants and local treat spots, gift cards to local coffee shops or restaurants always make my day this they support businesses that I love and they give me something special to look forward to. It's also one of the easiest ways to support local families while giving a gift that's actually useful. One of my favorite gifts last year was a variety of gift cards to my favorite little restaurant and coffee shop in town. I loved knowing that those gift card purchases rippled back into my community. Also, gifts of experiences for kids as a toddler mom myself, I love receiving memberships or experience related gifts like a local zoo or wildlife park membership, a frozen yogurt or ice cream date gift certificate. That cinema passes or seasonal event tickets, play area or activity passes, or creative kits from small craft shops or Etsy vendors. These gifts give kids something fun to look forward to and help families make new memories together while supporting a local establishment or a small maker. And practical gifts for busy families. Let's talk about something underrated. Grocery or department store gift cards. They allow families to choose what they need most and can take real pressure off during the holidays. Practical doesn't mean impersonal. It means thoughtful. And gifts from local makers and vendors think handmade soaps, candles, jewelry, art prints, specialty foods and seasonal goods are always something that feel personal. These makers pour so much care into every product. Holiday markets and vendor craft fairs are full of hidden gems, and you often get to meet the real maker in person. How cool is that and have conversations and hear more about their why. If you're shopping online, explore Etsy or small independent shops, you'll find so many one-of-a-kind gifts there too. So shopping small this season, think of the locations that you can do that local brick and mortar shops. You can support the boutiques, bakeries, restaurants, wineries, coffee shops and general stores that make your town feel like home. We've talked about that already, but just a reminder, even 1 intentional purchase helps them to keep going and stay open and pay their staff. Pop up vendors and market booths. As we mentioned, if your area hosts holiday markets, craft fairs or farmers markets, even farmers markets are awesome. Many of these vendors rely on holiday sales and don't have a storefront of their own, so attendance matters and some of them are seasonal, so they might even make all of their money in a certain season. A quick side note, in my volunteer work for a local economic development group I just wrapped up helping with our annual wine walk and this fun event brings so many people together to enjoy an afternoon touring the historic town, sample local sips and shop the storefronts. Last year, when I had a creative space in that town, I hosted 9 vendors in my own space who didn't have their own brick and mortar space. Wine walk attendees loved the unexpected curated shopping experience that they walked into, and the vendors did really well. And I had so much fun hosting them all gave me such goosebump feeling to watch them all succeeding and smiling the whole time and making sales networking. And online small businesses that you've been silently cheerleading support them too. Independent shops, Etsy sellers, Wellness brands, coaches and designers all bring something special. Their products often feel more personal because they're made or tailored with care their custom. Revisit their online shop. Their list of links, their freebies, their service offerings, where could you invest in something that would both support them in their mission, as well as to gift yourself or a person close to you something cool, unique or helpful? And service providers. Massage therapists, aestheticians, photographers, tutors, cleaners, virtual assistants, many of them offer holiday gift cards, especially around Black Friday, Small Business Saturday. They run deals to where? You spend a certain amount, but you get extra value. Keep an eye out for them. They make thoughtful gifts that can feel like luxury without being over the top. OK, so my challenge for you this week is to consider how you could make an effort to shop small first. Here are a few simple ways to be intentional with your shopping this season. You can choose at least one small business gift for each person on your list. You could pair items together like a handmade mug with a local coffee shop card or a candle from a local maker with a book from a neighborhood bookstore. You can shop early. Many small businesses create limited batches or work solo. You can share their posts and tell friends about them. Word of mouth still matters the most and they would absolutely appreciate it again if especially if you tag them so that they can reshare it and they see it. You can leave Google reviews for your favorite spots. You can consider gifting experiences or services instead of more stuff. And I say that in a small house with tons of clutter you to make sure to not forget the consumables like teas, wine, jam, baked goods, things that people can enjoy and not just store. When you shop online, filter for small shop or local seller on places like Etsy and if you're looking for a more meaningful family tradition, considered donating or volunteering together for a local charity. If money feels tight this year, you're not alone. So many families are stretched thin. Shopping small doesn't mean spending more. It simply means choosing thoughtfully, choosing locally when you can, and choosing to invest in people rather than corporations. Whatever your budget, your choices have an impact. Small businesses feel every bit of support, whether it's $5 or $500 and when we all take those small intentional steps, we create the kind of community that we actually want to live in. So I'll leave you with that today. Thank you so much for spending your time with me. I would love to connect with you. You can find me on Instagram with the handle at hey, Alysha Sanford or check out the other contact info in the show notes. Make sure to sign up for the Friday mix weekly e-mail where I'm most actively sharing my top hits for all things small business and marketing each week. And if you're listening on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, make sure to subscribe to the show for future weekly episodes. All right, friend. Until next time. Bye.