“Be a rainbow in somebody else’s cloud.” Maya Angelou

5 Mins Read

Watercolour illustrations card sets by Paper-Roses

The world is indeed going through a challenging time and businesses of all sizes are impacted. It hits harder on independent small businesses as they in general have a smaller cash flow to keep their operations running and they do not have multiple revenue streams like many big corporations to survive for a longer period. Many local businesses rely on face-to-face interactions or local initiatives to engage with the community. To prevent the spread of Covid-19, many people in Hong Kong are doing their part to practice social distancing and with different restrictions happening, many small local businesses are impacted.

It is upsetting to see so many local businesses shut down during the pandemic. The once busy streets have become empty and thousands of businesses have shut down. Small businesses are our go-to places whenever we have a need - grabbing a quick snack at the corner shop, releasing our stress at the neighborhood gym, buying some handmade products from the local makers who remember your needs, getting a haircut with the hairdresser you trust, dining at the local family-owned restaurant that just knows how you like your food to be served (Many of them probably start serving you food since you were a kid) and so many more. Local businesses keep the local economy growing and we can all do our part to contribute.

Shop local online

We all miss the time when we walk into our favourite neighborhood shop to have a casual chat with the business owner, order our all-time favourite dish without looking at the menu (A chaan, mm goi!), or just shop what you need like home (you just know where everything is placed). Depending on the nature of businesses, some local businesses especially those with a focus on selling products rather than services are adopting the change and have an online presence too. If you want to shop, shop online and support local businesses. If you have a need to make a purchase or want to send a gift for a special occasion, think about the local businesses. Not only your purchases would support them going through this challenging time but most importantly it gives a positive message to the independent business owners that their hard work is being valued and encourage them to get through this tough period of time.

Give them a shout out

Not every support requires financial investment, in fact, many require zero financial investment but a simple gesture or effort. During the period of social distancing, many physical events have been canceled. There are fewer opportunities for independent businesses to introduce their products and services to the local communities, fewer opportunities for them to get noticed by people walking on the streets, and fewer opportunities for non-profits to run fundraising events to help people and animals in need. Read SCMP article on HK Dog Shelters may not survive pandemics to learn more. Give them a shout out on social media generously, share about their businesses with your family and friends, engage with local businesses on social media, give them a thumbs up and comment on their post with kind words or emojis. These simple gestures require minimum effort but will help independent businesses to gain more exposure.

Leave a Positive Review

Every little help will support these local businesses in gaining more visibility and get their products and services to people who would be interested. Leaving them a positive review if you are happy with their products or services. It doesn’t need to be a long essay, a few kind words would do. This will help independent businesses to gain more potential new customers. This will also encourage business owners to continue putting in the effort into what they are doing. If for any reason you weren’t happy with the products or services, do not leave a negative review. It is already very hard for small businesses to survive during challenging times and it is absolutely unnecessary to make situations harder for others. Let’s be kind. A better approach would be providing your feedback to the small businesses directly. Independent businesses owners very often are willing to improve to thrive the best so give them a chance to know the area they need to improve.

Offer your expertise

Another way to support local businesses is to offer your expertise. Having been running their business offline, some of them might require a longer learning time to switch and operate their business online. Offering your expertise for free or at an affordable price will help them gain better knowledge and go through the transition faster. It could be offering help to set up a basic website to showcase their product or services, sharing your knowledge in design or marketing to help them build their online presence or any knowledge or experience you can share to help to support them during this period would be helpful. Just as Maya Angelou said, “Be a rainbow in somebody else’s cloud.”

continue your regular Subscriptions Or purchases

While we might not be going to our regular gym, salon or restaurants on a temporary basis, we can still support them during this period so we can resume our favourite daily routine when things turn well. If you have any regular subscriptions like gym memberships, nail or massage treatments package, instead of asking for cancellation or refund, ask for a time extension. It is hard for small businesses when they have to temporally shut their businesses to prevent to spread of the virus. Cancelling or asking for a refund would add extra stress to small businesses.

Take a look if your favourite local business provides alternative services during this period too, for instance, your local restaurants might offer delivery services now (some hot pot restaurants are offering ready-to-go hot pot kits), your hairdresser might be offering a hair treatment kit for you to take care your hair at home or your local gym might be offering online workout or yoga classes. Continue your regular purchases with them if they are offering something as an alternative. It will help them to go through this period and ensure that when things turn well, you go back to your favourite regular routine. And yes that fitness trainer will still be there to train you up when you are trying to escape from the push-ups and you can still order your favourite dish without looking at the menu.

Support independent makers, artists and designers

There are fewer opportunities for your local makers, artists, and designers to meet you during this time but their passion for creating things hasn’t stopped. Passionate people are often givers. Many independent artisans are still continuing to pursue their passion and spread positivity to the community through their creations during challenging times.⁠ The artists who add colors to your life with paint, the craftsmen who make things with upcycled materials to keep Mother Earth healthy, the carpenters who liven up your home in your favourite style, the designers who come up with meaningful designs for you to express gratitude and the illustrators who draw positive illustrations to bring a smile to your face. If you have a need to make a purchase or get a gift for an occasion, take a look if this is something independent makers, artists, or designers are offering too. When you shop independently, you are helping individuals to turn an idea into reality and supporting a dream.

Thank you for being an appreciative reader as always. Here are a few simple ways to support independent businesses and there are many more. This is the time when we need to be compassionate, be kind to one another and show empathy. Many people are going through a challenging time and everybody adopts change differently. If we all do our part to make a positive impact on each others’ lives, we can strengthen our community and build a bright future together. If you enjoyed reading this blog post, please share it with your family and friends. Thank you and we will be sharing with you stories of craftsmanship, and culture again very soon. Until then, take care.

July 2020