Local firms need support in tough times
| • | More local talk on war |
By Bev Harbin
People tend to think about political crisis in an abstract way, and about economic disaster on a macro scale.
We read about the global impact of war and the geopolitical fallout of world events, but often the figures and statistics don't have real meaning for us.
Bev Harbin is the Chamber of Commerce Hawai'i small-business advocate.
We are unable to bring them down to the level of everyday reality.
While our collective attention is focused on Iraq, Korea, Afghanistan and other hot spots, we may react in our own lives with fear or inertia. Our tendency may be to hold back or hold off, to conserve cash flow, to forgo activities and stop spending on luxuries.
For many, a sort of paralysis sets in; others succumb to a natural tendency to hoard; some people stop paying bills or purchasing even basic necessities; others stockpile essentials such as toilet paper to last well into the next decade.
On behalf of small business in the Islands, I would like to deliver a message to consumers: Think globally but act locally. The fates of many small local companies are in your hands right now. We ask you to continue to support the small businesses of Hawai'i through this difficult time.
While this is certainly not the time for lavish or unnecessary spending, remember that small businesses rely on your patronage to stay in business. Many small companies, still reeling from 9/11 and more than a decade of economic languor, have little or no capital base and not much residual to tide them through the next crisis.
Ironically, it doesn't take that much to keep many small businesses afloat. For many, $50 can be the difference between red ink and black at the end of the week. Your patronage at a lunch wagon, corner store, small shop or cafe can make the difference for them. They are dependent on cash flowing through the economy — even if it's just a few dollars at a time.
There are many small, affordable things you can do to help keep the engine of small business revved.
• Treat the family — or the office — to plate lunch at a local diner.
• Pick up a bouquet or give someone a lei — just 'cause.
• Keep up maintenance on your car, your appliances, your home. Many local small businesses are service businesses that depend on individual consumers.
• Pay your bills — or at least make partial payments. Your hairdresser, daycare provider, doctor and lawyer all are dependent on cash continuing to flow through our economy.
• Buy local produce at the farmers' markets; look for local fish, herbs and other foods.
Finally, it may seem like a very small gesture, but encourage local business people to hang in there. If you know a small-business person — and we all do — let them know that you support them and appreciate the value they contribute to our economy and our island way of life.
It just may help them hang on and make it through.
