Avoid Devastation- Buy Local Say Business Owners

When a community member buys local, significantly more of that money stays in the region, helping to drive the local economy. Statistics tell us that buying local has benefits beyond mere convenience and employment boosts. When you support local business owners, you are helping make your community a better place to live.  Balanced reciprocity aggregates the link between small business and social cohesion.

According to the CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY, the top three factors negatively impacting small business in the last year was increasing costs, increasing competition, and poor economic environments. Conversely, the top factors having a positive impact was customer loyalty, good staff, and improved customer satisfaction. We have reached a tipping point, and it can swing either way.

Geelong innovator and business owner Mariesa Lauder of Jomara Hair Studio agrees.

“We have an incredibly loyal guest base in the Geelong region, and our Belmont friends do shop locally, and it is wonderful. Their support means we can grow, we can employ, and this ultimately gets reinvested by our business and staff into the local economy. When you have local community investing their time and money into your goods and services, it means you can then better supply to them. However, this needs to be supported more across our region” says Mariesa.

”Larger chains use buying power to negotiate price cutting, rent, and lease agreements and this can be a headache for smaller businesses trying to compete. We are all for growth, but often the national companies and chains can squash local business, and this ultimately hurts and has a negative flow down impact. However, we can change this! “ says the positive Geelong local.

In a turn of events, technology may also be the key, with the introduction of app Nearest,  a mobile app showcasing businesses that are nearest to you.  

Neil Butler is the mastermind behind the new platform that is already assisting locals and businesses connect.

”Small businesses are dependent upon the support of the people who are nearest to them. It is easy to say that you support local businesses but does that only extend to situations where the local business is cheaper or more convenient?  Typically, smaller local businesses cannot match the marketing budgets of these larger, metropolitan-based or global organizations and so it is critical that we commit to the ones that are nearest to us. We want our local economy to flourish and not struggle to survive. We want people to think that running a small business is a worthwhile investment of time, effort, and money" says Neil.

Buying local not only supports a robust local economy it also is a critical driver in community cohesion. You can choose tomorrow to make a positive economic impact on your town, and its future.

For more information about Mariesa of Jomara Hair Studio please go to: http://www.jomara.com.au

To speak with Neil Butler of Nearest go to www.nearest.com.au

Contact Information

Mariesa Lauder

Director

Jomara Hair Studio

Contact via E-mail