Today is Small Business Saturday, a day set up to champion small businesses.
There are many great things about running a small business. For a lot of small business owners, it's a chance to spend their working hours on something they love. It can enable you to set your own schedule and manage your work on your terms.
At the same time, running a small business is challenging. With smaller cashflow and proportionately higher overheads than the big guys - and consequently less opportunity to reduce prices to entice people to buy - life as a small business owner can feel like walking a constant tightrope to keep things in the red.
And, with much smaller advertising budgets than big corporations, not to mention social media algorithms making it increasingly difficult to be seen, being seen by new customers can be another big challenge.
That's why, on Small Business Saturday, we wanted to give a shout-out to a few other small business whose owners, like us, work hard day in, day out to produce lovely products that you might just be interested in buying.
With Christmas coming up it's an ideal time for many people to check out a few small businesses and see if they could help fill a gap on your festive shopping list. Don't forget, every purchase you make from a small business has a tangible impact on the individuals and families behind that business. Big business bosses and shareholders don't do a happy dance when you spend £10 or £20 on their products but small business owners up and down the land do.
So, without further ado, allow us to introduce...
Handmade by Herbie's Mum
She also has a range of gift items printed with her designs, with everything from notepads and mugs to greetings cards and even duvet covers available in some of her beautiful designs.
This small business offers a variety of artwork and crafts, from realistic animal paintings and cute little characters to ornaments, hair accessories, badges, stickers and more.
Marsden Makes Co. is a small business based here in West Cumbria creating personalised products and design work for individuals and businesses.
The business has a wide range of products to personalise, including everything from mugs and notebooks to tote bags, clothing and so much more.
Marsden Makes Co. also offers a design service and clothing service.
Sophie in Somerset is a Christian small business turning original artwork into physical and digital stationery products to spread joy.
From wall art to keyrings and stickers, Sophie has a wealth of potential stocking fillers to help you in the coming weeks.
Plus she has printable calendars and to-do lists to help you stay organised, and colouring sheets to keep everyone entertained.
Tom is an experienced professional photographer based in West Cumbria who can turn his hand to everything from press and PR photography to landscapes and family portraits, producing amazing shots every time.
If you're looking for a scenic picture to hang on your wall, want someone to capture family memories to treasure for a lifetime or need somebody to shoot some images for your business or event, Tom's your man.
Don't forget, small businesses rely on word of mouth and customer recommendations to help people discover for themselves how good they are. So, if you buy something from these or any other small business, please consider how you might be able to share your experience with others. It can cost you nothing but might make a real difference to the businesses you recommend.
As always, thank you to everyone who supports our small business, both by buying from us and helping to spread the word about us.
Watch our video as Mark and Jean's son explains the difference your support makes to small businesses:
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