• Take the Survey of Rural Challenges
  • Small Town Speaker Becky McCray
  • Shop Local video
  • SaveYour.Town

Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource

A row of small town shops
  • Front Page
  • Latest stories
  • About
  • Guided Tour
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • RSS

Holiday 2022 marketing: Tell your founding story

By Becky McCray

We’re all using the same marketing theme this year: Shop Indie Local. When we work together to spread the word, we’ll multiply how many customers we reach.

Learn more from AMIBA, the Shop Indie Local lead sponsor.

There's still time to Shop Indie Local, the Santa Cat says

Let’s do a throwback. Tell your founding story. 

How did your business come into being? How were you founded? Who was involved in your early history?

Go dig out an old photo, the older the better. Tell an early story from your business in just a few sentences.

Standing behind a cash register in a liquor store

I know this works because I recently heard a presentation from an Oklahoma business legend Stan Clark where he shared his story of getting started. The whole room was fascinated, and your people will be, too.

My liquor store founding story was that I bought it in 2006 — from my mom! I can tell that along with how my husband and I worked together to get our license, how we modernized our technology away from the old register you see here, and who our early helpers were.

Afraid your business is to new? Pshaw! I bet people still don’t know why and how you started.

Make sure you throw in the hashtag: #ShopIndieLocal

You can do this on Facebook or Instagram, or in print ads you’re planning to run. Makes a great video story or reel!

Check your fellow local businesses online. Look for their founding stories and cheer them on with likes, shares and comments.

See the whole series:

Read all our articles in our Shop Indie Local series.

Learn more from AMIBA, the Shop Indie Local lead sponsor.

Reprint or share this article:

Shop Indie Local is our group theme for holiday marketing this year. You have my permission to forward these articles to your local retailers, merchants association, chamber of commerce, downtown development group or any one else you think would benefit from them. All you need to do is list the author as Becky McCray of SmallBizSurvival.com and then let me know who you are sharing with.

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

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 have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
  • Rural Tourism Trend: electric vehicle chargers can drive visitors - January 15, 2023
  • 2023 trends for rural and small town businesses - December 26, 2022
  • Local reviews on Google Maps drive enduring value - December 17, 2022
  • Extra agritourism revenue from camping, cabins and RVs with HipCamp - December 12, 2022
  • Harvest Hosts attract vanlifers and RV tourists, Boondockers Welcome - December 2, 2022
  • Holiday 2022 marketing: Tell your founding story - December 1, 2022
  • Holiday 2022 Marketing: Tell your customers’ stories - November 30, 2022
  • Holiday 2022 Marketing: Introduce your people - November 29, 2022
  • Holiday 2022 Marketing: Share your holiday traditions - November 28, 2022
  • Holiday Marketing 2022: Support your service businesses - November 22, 2022

December 1, 2022 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, marketing, rural, shop local Tagged With: shop indie local, shop local, shop small

Wondering what is and is not allowed in the comments?
Or how to get a nifty photo beside your name?
Check our commenting policy.
Use your real name, not a business name.


Don't see the comment form?
Comments are automatically closed on older posts, but you can send me your comment via this contact form and I'll add it manually for you. Thanks!

Howdy!

Glad you dropped in to the rural and small town business blog, established in 2006.

We want you to feel at home, so please take our guided tour.

Meet our authors on the About page.

Have something to say? You can give us a holler on the contact form.

If you would like permission to re-use an article you've read here, please make a Reprint Request.

Want to search our past articles? Catch up with the latest stories? Browse through the categories? All the good stuff is on the Front Page.

Shop Local

Buy local buttonReady to set up a shop local campaign in your small town? You'll need a guide who understands how we're different and what really works: Shop Local Campaigns for Small Towns.

Best of Small Biz Survival

What is holding us back? Why does every project take so long in small towns?

How any business can be part of downtown events by going mobile

Concert-goers talking and enjoying the evening in downtown Webster City, Iowa.

Why do people say there’s nothing to do here then not come to our concerts?

Retailers: Fill all empty space, floor to ceiling

More of the best of Small Biz Survival

Copyright © 2023 Becky McCray
Front Page · Log in