Shop Local, Hire Local, Play Local – Guest Blog

Read our latest guest blog from Squamish Chamber member, Christine Campbell Owner of C.Campbell Agency 

The buzz words right now are:  Shop local – hire local – play local. It seems like a good topic for discussion.

As a bookkeeper, I am very aware of the state of our economy. I work closely with many local businesses and am privy to much behind the scenes information, giving me firsthand knowledge of how many businesses are faring. It is a challenging time for all businesses, whether they are thriving or failing. Some businesses are just not well equipped to deal with the added stress and challenges that have emerged. Some businesses are embracing the challenges and are thinking outside the box, creating a new norm for how they do business. Some businesses have the desire to make changes but just don’t know where to start. This is why C Campbell Agency has been expanding and has added consulting services to our portfolio. We are able to offer solutions and strategies for how to survive the ever-evolving economic challenges. Businesses are looking for more than basic bookkeeping services and our more in-depth bookkeeping services along with consulting services are helping businesses increase their bottom lines and to find solutions for workforce issues.

So, what’s the big deal about Shop local – hire local – play local? Here are the highlights from a December 2019 LOCO BC study called The Economic Impact of Local Business, A Study on the Local Recirculation of Revenue By B.C. Retailers and Restaurants

  • Independent businesses recirculate up to 4.6 times more revenue in the local economy than multinationals 
  • Independent businesses recirculate up to $63 of every $100 in revenue in the local economy, compared to $14 for multinationals 
  • Independent businesses produce up to 8.4 times more jobs/ft2 & up to 8.1 times more revenue/ft2 than multinationals 
  • Independent businesses spend up to 31.4% of their revenue on B.C. products & services
  • Independent businesses donate up to 24 times more per dollar of revenue to local charities that multinationals 
  • A 10% shift in B.C. consumer spending towards independent businesses would create 14,150 jobs & keep $4.3 billion in the B.C. economy

This is the “Shop local” part. Local businesses are working hard to keep afloat during these unprecedented times. They are re-evaluating their bottom lines and looking at innovative ideas to increase business while following all the new protocols being put in place. They are looking to gain control of their business’s big financial picture and move forward into greater profitability. They are looking for solutions and strategies and are finding great value in consulting services. We need to keep this in mind as businesses evolve with all these changes and we need to keep supporting our local businesses so they can thrive and continue to support our communities. 

The “Hire local” part is more complicated. Businesses would like to hire locally as their employees are then connected to the community and are more likely to stick around. As much as businesses would like to hire local, it’s often difficult finding the right employee in their own community. Why is it so hard to connect with the right people? Why do businesses end up looking across Canada to hire and fill positions that they would have liked to hire locally for? We can all support local businesses by helping to connect people from our communities that are qualified and looking for work, with businesses that may be looking to hire. These connections not only help locals find work locally, but they also increase their support of the local businesses.  

That brings us to “Play local”. We are so fortunate to live where we do and that we were able to enjoy being outside, hiking, biking, running, golfing, climbing, walking, kayaking, kiteboarding, and more during the beautiful weather we had this summer. Now as we head into fall, we will need to be more creative to continue to play local. Some of the activities we will be able to continue, soon there will be snow up in the mountains and we’ll be able to be active in winter activities, and we will need to find more indoor activities for when the weather is just not that inviting. There are lots of local things we can do while we spend the next few months supporting local venues.

We can all do our part to help our community thrive during these challenging times. Shop local – hire local – play local is one small initiative that will help us all come out on top. 

Christine Campbell 

About Christine Campbell

C Campbell Agency is a bookkeeping and business financial consulting agency based in Squamish, headed by Christine Campbell and supported by a team of five. Christine brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience from being the Chair of the Board of Directors for Squamish Chamber of Commerce, Executive Director of Downtown Squamish Business Improvement Association, Board Member of Inside Edge Knowledge Association, Sponsorship Director of Test of Metal Inc., and Founder of Squamish Business Mentors Group. For more information on Christine Campbell’s consulting services and the C Campbell Agency, please visit their website. 

Views and opinions expressed in guest blogs are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or advice of the Squamish Chamber of Commerce. 

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