Being a small business owner who knows a lot of other entrepreneurs, I’ve always understood what it means to support each other. Blair Kaplan Communications turns 12 this year and I’ve learned a lot of lessons. One of the biggest lessons that I’ve learned is to support my business community, lift others up and do what I can to help other people’s businesses grow and thrive. This concept got me thinking about how I support small businesses and my entrepreneurial friends and the content in the post came to mind. I wanted to highlight ways that you can help entrepreneurs grow their brands and encourage their businesses to grow.
Tip 1: Celebrate Your Wins
If you are an entrepreneur and have a win, big or small, share it with your friends, family and post about it to social media. How can we celebrate you if we don’t know about all of your wins? If you celebrate your wins, we will want to celebrate your wins alongside you. If you see someone sharing a win, no matter how big or small, congratulate them and be stoked for them.
Tip 2: Stop, Drop and Scroll
If you have a business, post frequently to social media. If you have social media and you notice entrepreneurs posting to social media, engage with their posts. Each social media network has its own algorithm and when you comment, like and engage with other people’s content, it will help their social media posts be seen. It’s easy to scroll past many posts but if you notice any that are made by people who own a business, stop, drop (a comment) and then (sc)roll.
Tip 3: Business Referrals Rock
If you know people who owns a small business, do your best to use their services and refer them business. A lot of businesses grow because of referrals. Word of mouth is an effective way for word to spread and it doesn’t cost the business owner any money (advertising can be expensive). It seems like there are many people on Facebook who put up posts looking for help with various things (social media marketing, plumber, hairdressers, etc…). If you see one of those posts and you know someone who can help them, drop your referral in the comments. Also, if you had a good experience with a business, leave them a review on Facebook, Trip Advisor, Google, etc..
Tip 4: Collaborate
Collaborations can go a long way. If you are an entrepreneur and you know other entrepreneurs, try to find a way to team up and collaborate. When forces are joined, you will each have access to one another’s networks and expertise. For example, Catherine Aird is another social media marketing expert in Whistler and we partnered to lead a social media workshop about how to build a social media strategy. We work well together, have a lot of combined knowledge and have a lot of fun educating others. We don’t see one another as competition and we do see how our talent, knowledge and personalities can inspire and educate members of our community.
These are just a few ways that you can help support those of us who are building our dreams, achieving our goals, making ends meet while navigating the entrepreneurial jungle. What are some ways that you support the entrepreneurs in your life? Drop your answers in the comments and let’s help the future of our business communities.
