Small Business Saturday is a great way to support local businesses
The day after Thanksgiving is not only known for eating leftovers, but it's also a day when consumers head to the stores to get some deals with Black Friday shopping. Local businesses are also hoping to get a piece of the action through Small Business Saturday.
"It's a day that's really dedicated to supporting the very diverse range of local businesses that in our state and are really critical to creating jobs, they help boost our economy, and they just enhance our neighborhoods," said U.S. Small Business Administration District Director for the Colorado Office, Frances Padilla.
Saturday will be the 13th year of Small Business Saturday and according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, 100 million shoppers spent over $23 billion on Small Business Saturday last year. Since the beginning of Small Business Saturday, it's estimated consumers spent $163 billion on small businesses.
Locally, small businesses help the economy as there are 691,230 small businesses in Colorado that employ 1.2 million people. Also, small businesses make up 99.5% of all businesses in the state and house 47.6% of all Colorado employees.
Courtney Samuel is a gym owner of Perseverance and he highlighted small businesses' importance to the local economy.
"A lot of people don't know small businesses run the world," Samuel said. "It's the middle class that usually runs small businesses and we fuel the economy. So, it's important to support us."
According to American Express, 67 cents of every dollar spent in a small business stays in the local community, which is another added benefit of supporting small businesses.
"Most of us are giving a good service. So, support that service."
For more information on Small Business Saturday, head to www.sba.gov.
