essay 佩奇

Topic: People should support more local (mom & pop shop) businesses

I. Introduction

A. Attention getter: Have you ever had to choose between a Starbucks or the local unknown coffee shop across the street? Or maybe you bought some food from Panda Express even though there is an actual authentic Chinese place right next to it. We’ve all done it before. We go to the big corporations instead of the local business because we are familiar with them: we know the exact price and taste of everything. However, local businesses are a staple of every community and they will only survive if we support and help them.

B. Brief Background to topic: According to Demand Media author J. Mariah Brown on smallbusiness.chron.com in 2015, “a small business is defined as a business with 500 employees or less. According to the US Small Business Administration, small businesses represent 99.7% of all employer firms.”

C. Audience Relevance: No matter where any of you live, I’m 99.9% sure you have some local, small businesses in your community and it’s important for all of us to support them so we can keep them in business and have a thriving local economy.

D. Thesis: Small businesses are the backbone to the nation’s economy and they bring the necessary revenue, support for local institutions like schools, and customer-oriented approach that every successful neighborhood needs.

E. Preview of main points: So first I’m going to talk about what is sadly happening to these well-liked local businesses, who is responsible for these closings, and what all of us can do to revive our community.

Transition to MP1: Small business is the backbone of our economy, so with that, I’ll talk about the increased decline of these popular spots.

II. Main point 1 (problems)

A. Sub point A: problem 1: In an article written by Daily News staff writer, Nicole Carter on nydailynews.com in November 2010, she says that, “Of nearly 6,000 independent or small businesses [in New York City in 2010] 726 closed just the year before… also the Small Business Administration report that small-business loans took a 500% nosedive from 2007-2009.” That’s just astounding that in only two years, the loans for these businesses went down 500%.

B. Sub point B: problem 2: In the same article, it sates that in the “Department of Small Businesses Services, business owners tell the outlet that new taxes, tough parking rules, rezoning, and redevelopment simply cater to larger businesses, and they just can’t keep up.”

Transition to MP2: So now that we’ve discussed what has been happening to these local businesses, let’s see why this is happening and who’s responsible.

III. Main point 2 (causes)

A. Sub point A: cause 1: So in an article on reclaimdemocracy.org written by co-founder of the American Independent Business Alliance Jeff Milchen in July 2012, he states that, “local officials often fail for the seductions and political appeal of luring new national chains. They often look at promises of jobs and tax revenues, but fail to consider the greater losses that occur when the local business base is undermined.” As it states, some people automatically think that a big chain is popular and cool. I mean who here hasn’t seen a snapchat or Instagram post of someone’s Starbucks.

B. Sub point B: cause 2: Another big factor that might hit small businesses harder than large corporations is a slowing economy. In an online article on smallbusiness.chron.com by longtime business writer Lisa McQuerrey in 2015, she describes how small businesses are affected by the economy faster than other corporations. When people start to be more cautious about their spending, it’s very hard to get a small business loan and many companies are forced to downsize which can substantially decrease their profits and market especially if they only have 1 or 2 stores opened.

Transition to MP3: After learning the many factors that keep small businesses struggling, let’s discuss the different ways of supporting our lovely small companies.

IV. Main point 3 (solutions)

A. Sub point A: solution 1: So of course, the main solution to fighting the closing of local businesses is to support them. But you might ask, how can I find where these local businesses are? Well thankfully we have the wonderful, magical Internet that has many different websites such as seekitlocal.com and manta.com, which are local business directories that can help us to find the coolest places around.

B. Sub point B: solution 2: You can also support local businesses by swapping out your regular day-to-day shopping extravaganzas to support your community. For example, instead of going to Ihop or Applebee’s, try a locally owned restaurant. Instead of buying your groceries at a major grocery store, buy some from a local farmer at a farmer’s market. Instead of giving free advertising and Instagraming a photo of Starbucks, Instagram a photo of a local coffee shop. You’ll not only try new things, but you’ll also be giving back to your community. This week is actually perfect because Saturday, November 28 is small business Saturday. In an article on thehearld-news.com, online journalist Diane Krieger Spivak writes today Nov 24, that Small Business Saturday is, “a day to recognize small businesses and shop local, help the local economy and support these mom-and-pop stores after everybody’s shopping corporate on Black Friday.”

Transition to conclusion: So as I’ve discussed, there are many ways to stop the closing of local businesses and instead showing that you support their livelihood.

V. Conclusion

A. Review thesis: Once again, small businesses are extremely important to our economy and they provide lots of needed employment options and we should all chip in to make sure they last forever.

B. Review main points: I first talked about the amount of small businesses that have closed within the past decade, then about the many different causes of these closing, and lastly how we can try new things to support these small shops.

C. Memorable closer: So hopefully, everyone of you will think about your options between a large corporation and a small business and reflect on which option will better your life and the life of your community in the long-run.

Works Cited