Why should your business use other local businesses?
In recent years, there’s been a big push for consumers to “buy local”. But why stop at the consumer level – as a business owner, you can also apply the “buy local” philosophy to your own company operations. When it comes to hiring other businesses to do work for your organization, whether it’s construction, marketing, catering, or any other service or product, we recommend that you explore Squamish first before looking beyond the community. The Squamish Chamber of Commerce Member Directory is a great place to start when seeking a particular product or service.
With a population of almost 20,000 people, Squamish is a tight-knit community that loves to support its own. And by using local businesses, you’ll be helping your community in multiple ways. First, when you work with a Squamish company, the money you spend as a business owner stays in the community, supporting other businesses and their employees. Squamish is a unique community that boasts a wide variety of products and services. By supporting these businesses and helping them continue to operate and thrive, you help to contribute to what makes Squamish amazing. Your support helps to stimulate the local economy, potentially resulting in increased business for your own company.
Secondly, working with other Squamish businesses means that you have the opportunity to build working relationships with the vendors you do business with. Most local business owners are eager to go above and beyond in their customer service, especially when they are dealing with other Squamish business owners. Word of mouth advertising is one of the most credible types of marketing, and your satisfaction as a Squamish resident and business owner is extremely important. In addition, you might discover the opportunity to create reciprocal referral relationships with other Squamish businesses that will help expand your own operations. You could contact each other’s list of customers and offer a special discount to them, enticing them to try out each of your businesses. For more info on establishing a reciprocal relationship, check out this article.
Finally, supporting other Squamish businesses is a great way to network and spread the word about your own business. Marketing is all about increasing brand recognition and providing multiple touchpoints for your consumers. And while traditional marketing through radio, print, social media and online ads definitely works, you are missing out on a real opportunity if you aren’t visible in the community among your local network of businesses.
If you would like to discover the many products and services offered right here in our community, joining the Squamish Chamber of Commerce or attending one of our events is a great opportunity to meet other business owners, swap ideas, network and mingle with community leaders.
In summary, shopping local is a great philosophy to apply to your business operations because it strengthens our Squamish community, helps you develop strong customer service relationships with local vendors, and provides an opportunity to spread the word about your own business. Remember, you can survive on your own, but it takes a community to thrive!
