5 Meaningful Ways to Support Small Businesses Without Breaking the Bank
- Lisa McCurdy
- Nov 13, 2025
- 4 min read
The holidays are here—and with them, all the shopping lists, travel plans, and twinkly chaos we know and love. I worked in eCommerce for over 15 years, the hustle and bustle of Q4 is what I live for. It is the busiest time of year for all my B2C and B2B companies. But before you fill your cart with big-box deals or let Amazon Prime do the thinking for you, let’s talk about something near and dear to my heart: supporting small businesses.
Behind every local maker, boutique owner, or service-based entrepreneur is a real person with real dreams—and likely, a cat curled up nearby help fuel their heart and drive their hustle (IYKYK. 😉).
Here’s how you can show them love and really make your dollars count this season and every season — and trust me, your support matters more than you know:
1. Buy Directly from the Source (Skip the Middleman!)
It might be convenient to grab something off Amazon, but here’s the truth: your convenience leads to fees being taken out of the small business owner’s pocket. According to Aliaksandr Vlasenka of Netpeak Journal, “The truth is, Amazon selling fees can devour anywhere from 20% to 30% of your product’s selling price — and that's before you even think about advertising, returns or the soul-crushing reality that your competitors are probably selling knockoffs for half the price.” In total Amazon has more than 200 different fees that can affect a seller and their product, which can lead to significantly lower profits and in some cases selling products at a loss just to get their name out there.
✨ Do this instead: Head to the brand’s actual website or social page and order directly from them. Online retailers may even identify small businesses with icons like this:
When you buy directly from small businesses more of your money go straight to them. They’ll probably also do a little happy dance to see higher traffic on their website that they worked so hard to build.
🔥 BONUS TIP: A lot of small businesses already have their “Early Black Friday” deals up and you might save MORE than if you opt for order from an online marketplace.
2. Hype Them Up on Social: Engagement is Currency
In a digital world, visibility is everything. Likes, comments, shares, and tags aren’t just for fun—they help small businesses get seen and stay seen. Your simple engagement tells the algorithm, “Hey, this is worth showing off!”
✨ Pro tip: Tag them in your holiday hauls. Post a quick story about why you love their product or service. Drop a comment on their latest post. These small actions create big waves—and cost you nothing.
3. Be Their Word-of-Mouth Hero
Referrals are gold. When you genuinely love a business or product, don’t keep it to yourself. Share the love in your group chats, in DMs, around the dinner table, or even better—online where it can spread.
🎁 Want to go the extra mile?
Nominate them for local awards or gift guides.
Leave a Google or Yelp review.
Shout them out on LinkedIn or your business page.
Your voice carries more weight than you know—especially with friends and fam who trust your taste. Think of it like this: when you share a small biz, you're not just supporting them... you're helping someone else find a product or service they'll love. Win-win.
4. Choose Experiences Over Excess
Small businesses don’t just sell things—they create experiences. Think cooking classes, wellness sessions, design consults, handmade subscription boxes, and more.
✨ Think about it:
That yoga studio you’ve been meaning to check out? Gift a month to a friend. Know a new parent? Give them a house-cleaning service or meal delivery from a local chef. It’s thoughtful and it keeps money in your community.
5. Don’t Ask for Discounts—Look for Value
We get it—everyone loves a deal. But asking a small business to lower their prices can unintentionally devalue their work. Behind every product or service is time, sweat, strategy, and sometimes sleepless nights.
What you have to keep in mind is that small businesses don’t have the same margins that larger companies do. If they are selling an item for $19.99 it is because they need to sell it for $19.99. Oftentimes when small businesses are giving discounts it cuts into their profits and sometimes makes the sales net neutral or worse still a loss.
✨ Instead, ask yourself: What’s the value this brings? Am I supporting someone’s dream? Is this a more meaningful gift than the mass-produced version?
Spoiler alert: the answer is usually, “Yes!”
Supporting Small Isn’t Small—It’s Legacy-Building
When you support a small business, you’re not just buying a product or service—you’re casting a vote for someone’s dream. You’re investing in a family, a community, and a ripple effect of good.
This holiday season, let’s choose purchases with heart. Because when we uplift each other, we all grow.
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