What do customers want? Doing business makes us think about other people’s perspective. Photo by Deb Brown, used by permission.

You’ve probably heard me say this one before:

The best way to save your town is to start your own small business.

I have four reasons that back that up:

1. You’ll decide what values to put first
2. More small businesses means more jobs*
3. Locally-owned businesses are the key to local prosperity*
4. You’ll return more of what you earn to the local economy*

*Research-backed conclusions. Read more here: Want to help save your small town? Start your own business.

Now I have a fifth reason, and it’s a bit deeper.

Buying and selling requires us to talk to each other.

Community happens when people talk to each other. We’re rebuilding social capital while we’re chatting over a purchase. I see value in building bonds like this.

And there’s a deeper level.

Selling something requires us to think about other people.

We have to think about what other people will like, what they will buy. That is thinking about another person’s perspective. That’s a valuable skill. I’ve been considering lately how many large challenges we face as a society that come down to not thinking from other people’s perspectives. Our communities could use more empathy.

So you’ll be hearing me say this one now:

Local commerce rebuilds community.

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About Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband own a retail liquor store in Alva, Oklahoma, and a small cattle ranch nearby. Becky is an international speaker on small business.

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