The most direct way to drive change and exercise democracy is by controlling where you spend your money. Every time you shop for home decor, buy a cup of coffee, or select a new piece of jewelry, you have the ability to make an impactful choice to shop at a woman owned business.
Here is why it is important to shop with women owned businesses:
1. Create Jobs
Data shows that the majority of new jobs are created by small business owners in your own community. Shopping with women owned businesses and small businesses owned by other minorities helps to combat employment inequality since unemployment rates among these populations are typically higher than the national average. Spending your money at a woman owned shop, especially a local one, is good for the economy.
2. Help Fight Inequality
Woman owned businesses have historically struggled with challenges that become barriers to entry in the business world. Some of these challenges are:
- access to bank loans
- gender discrimination
- sexism
When you shop at a woman owned business, it puts a bit of pressure on the mostly white male CEOs who earn millions. The collective pressure of thousands of people choosing to spend their money with local, women owned businesses can make an impact.
3. Support Yourself
When women shop at businesses owned by other women, it is a type of bonding. We are saying, "I see you and how you are overcoming obstacles to run your own business." Women who shop at women owned businesses do so in solidarity against sexism and glass ceilings. Supporting minority owned businesses is a celebration of womanhood.
4. Buy Cool Stuff
Most woman owned boutiques offer carefully curated objects created by artisans or local craftspeople. Understanding that they are up against retail corporations, they make well considered decisions on which products will occupy valuable shelf space. The shelves (or virtual shelves) of these boutiques hold unique and original products that creak joy and solve problems. When you shop at one of these boutiques, you are communicating that you value the time and consideration it takes to carefully select products that your customers will love and cherish.
5. Build Relationships
The owners of small women owned businesses have a vested interest in building relationships with their customers and offering stellar customer service. This translates into a better experience for you and possibly a lifelong friendship. Whether online or in person, when you shop with a small business, you become a valued part of a community. The customers of woman owned business, shortyLOVE, is one example. Customers share photos of themselves and their families enjoying their bags and it has grown into a supportive community.
When you support women owned businesses, you are investing in gender parity in commerce, helping to build communities, and contributing to the growth of the economy overall. It is empowering to use your dollar to purchase the things you love and make a difference at the same time.