A great November 28 needed to help California’s small businesses weather worst time ever
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 24, 2020—The state director for California’s leading small-business association today called on the consumer troops to turn out in force this Small Business Saturday, November 28.
“No one has to be told how bad it is, we can all see it for ourselves in the boarded-up store fronts in our neighborhoods,” said John Kabateck, California state director for NFIB, the nation’s leading small-business association. “This is the worst economic climate in everyone’s lifetime, 90% of our small-business owning members have spent all of their Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, 52% said they would need another round, and 20% said they could operate no longer than six months under current economic conditions.
“Add to that Yelp research showing 60% of closed businesses plan to remain that way permanently. Congress has so far failed to come through with another round of PPP funding and California lawmakers, instead of helping pave the way to prosperity, reverted to their default position of adding even more costly regulations. To call the situation grim would be an understatement. I’m hopeful we can overcome this, and I believe we will once people remember that these are not just restaurants and bookstores and auto repair shops, they are also the places where most of us got our first job, the places that will take a gamble with employing someone a corporation wouldn’t give the time of day to, and the places we are likely to come across our neighbors, family, and friends, either shopping the aisle or behind the counter. In short, they are what makes a community.”
Kabateck said a big Small Business Saturday couldn’t by itself reverse course, but it could buy many of the remaining small businesses time to right their course, and he recommended five things every Californian can do to help:
- Check to see if local small businesses are open to in-person shopping, and pay them a visit if you feel comfortable (following applicable safety requirements, of course)
- Call your favorite local merchants to place an order for curbside pickup or delivery
- See if local small businesses are selling online by visiting their social media pages or websites
- Buy gift cards/certificates from local small businesses for yourself or as gifts to others
- Order takeout or delivery from local restaurants, either directly or through your favorite mobile app
Background
Begun by American Express in 2010 to spur small businesses out of the recession, the annual Small Business Saturday event has been a great financial boon for Main Street enterprises. According to the 2019 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey from American Express and NFIB and figures from Adobe Analytics, Small Business Saturday outperformed both Black Friday ($5.4 billion) and Cyber Monday ($9.2 billion).
- Retweet this news release here
- Read it on the NFIB California Facebook page
- Read it on the NFIB California webpage
Keep up with the latest on California small-business at www.nfib.com/california or by following NFIB on Twitter @NFIB_CA or on Facebook @NFIB.CA.
For more than 77 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven association. Since its founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.
National Federation of Independent Business
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