Kicking off SMALL BUSINESS MONTH | Give a shout out to someone special!

[Helen]

In the spirit of the SBA’s Small Business Week, we are dubbing May as Seller Community’s Small Business Month! Over the next 4 weeks our focus is on celebrating the thousands of business owners who make the Seller Community a vibrant and valuable space, while showcasing helpful resources across the Community designed to support you with your success.

We've got a lot to share but to kick things off, let's get the celebration started here by inviting you to give a shout out to someone who helped get your business up and running, or to someone who helps you or your  business every day.

Even better, recognize another member of the Seller Community who helped you!  We welcome you to share photos, such as selfies with your team or business partner or a gif to express your appreciation!

Bonus! Those who participate in one or more of our planned Small Business Month activities, throughout the month of May, will earn this limited edition achievement – a snazzy new badge for your community profile!*

✨ Small Business Month 2023 ✨

We’ll update this thread with additional details on ALL available activities but for now you can get a head start by replying to share who you’d like to recognize! 🧵👇

Last but not least, there’s still time to participate in the SBA’s National Small Business Week Virtual Summit on May 2 - May 3. This free event is an opportunity to learn new business strategies, meet other business owners and chat with industry experts including Square’s very own @MartinG and @Pesso!

*Badges will be rewarded periodically throughout May 2023. In order to earn the badge you must reply or comment on one or more Small Business Month 2023 posts between May 1 - May 31, 2023.

[FamilyCravings]

We have been fortunate to have family and friends who also own small businesses and we all try to support each other. Great Bottles in Suffolk VA is owned by my parents, and they have helped us introduce our food to their customers by allowing us to cater for some of their wine tasting events. Our friends own Happy Hour Glass Works, also in Suffolk VA, and they have also invited our food truck to several of their community events. Both are great owned by wonderful business owners, who also use square 🙂 and who help support and lift up other small businesses in their community. 

[Helen]

Thank you for showing your appreciation for your local community and family too @FamilyCravings! 💙

[SubzeroCandies]

WOW - We are locals.  I would love to visit your pages.  My daughter and I just started a freeze dry candy business in Virginia Beach!

I also work for charity in Norfolk and we tend to have food trucks at our celebrations.  Can you share all your business pages?

[Me55]

artdesignsbyirene.square.site 

I would like to shout out myself, because without me, it could not have been done..😂🤣

Seriously, I do all the wire wrapping and setting up at markets with no help, just me.. great job me!!

[QuokkaCoffee]

Definitely my parents and siblings who put up with me living in the same house--shoutout to other millennials who couldn't start their businesses without committing to living at home for a little while longer!--but often go days without seeing me because of my early starts/late finishes.

They were as supportive when I first started planning the business in 2020 as they are now, as I discuss potentially moving onto something more stable and less burnout-inducing by early next year. 🙂

My very small team who inspire me to be a better leader by being honest and vulnerable about my mental health struggles.

The regulars, of course, who show up day and and day out without fail.

And the Super Sellers (hi, Supreme Leader @isabelle!) who overcome and adapt in awe-inspiring ways--who make me believe I have one more day left in me, every day.

[Helen]

Thank you @QuokkaCoffee! 💙

[isabelle]

Uhhh @QuokkaCoffee making me blush on a thursday afternoon! 

YOU inspire ME/us! Thank you for sharing 💕

[DinaLRosenberg]

I gotta shout out my business partner and team... without these people we literally wouldn't be the business we are! It's all about people.

[Justquilts]

It definetly takes a team of good people to make a business succesfull.

[Helen]

This is very true @DinaLRosenberg @Justquilts! Thank you for recognizing your business partners and your teams!

[BadandBougie]

My friend Diem who is giving me a chance and letting me have a piece of her store for my store front. She has so much faith in me sometimes and I really believe it’s her that keeps me going. 💕💕💕

[TalebyDean]

If it’s not self indulgent I shout out to me. We all have had bad stuff happen to us I get that. The stuff I’ve gone through and the barriers I’ve overcome to get my business going back again on square is pretty amazing. I tell myself just keep swimming. 🐟🐟🐟

[Minion]

Besides my parents, close friends and other sellers who I tend to bounce ideas off from.  I really need to give a shout out to myself.  As cheeky as it may sound.  I'm a one man show, and I rarely give myself enough credit at the end of the day.  The discipline to get up day in and day out and work to build a business.  To be better than I was yesterday.  I'm generally pretty hard on myself, so to be able to take a step back and look at where I was and where I am now, even if its not where I thought I would at this time, it's still forward steps.

[MudFire_Dex]

Gosh - I have so many people to shout out:
1). My own belligerent self - I got fired and started a business 3 months later using my credit cards and business connections from working in the field for 10 years. Daphne felt so passionate about what I was doing that she joined me. 

2). The cornerstone investors and former owners at MudFire. I did commission work - selling plate installations to IHG hotels for several years to grow/change MudFire but without our initial investors we wouldn't be at year 10 as of March.

3). Daphne - her support and love has gotten me through every permutation of what can go wrong and right in business.

4). Square....y'all gave me the courage to be queer in my business again. I'd had a punishing time of things in my first business and faced a lot of homophobia and personal attacks related to who I am and I started to be like - it is ok - I can be behind the scenes. Now I am much more visible in the day to day operations and feel a lot more comfortable. Square's investment in me as a person did that. 😍

[Freedom231]

I want to shout out to Kelly Holmes the Owner and operator of a small business of integrity.   --Full Circle Painting--

She has helped my business when needed Freedom Handyman & Tree Service.  Plus she is my friend. Grinding like a rose that grew out of the concrete like myself I say YOU GO GIRL!!! YOUR AN AMAZING HUMAN AND A HECK OF AN OWNER WHO SHOWS THE WORLD HOW TO MAKE LEMONAID FROM A ROCK. Keep your head up!!!!

[Dandiesbarbers1]

Rather than a badge, we'd prefer to receive free credit card processing or offer the best business a complimentary month of Square service.

[MagicToybox]

I'd really like to give a shout out to my small town community who have embraced me and my business with open arms. Even on slow sales days, I receive great compliments on my shop from my customers. 

Of course my employees who tolerate working for a small business and keep things running in the right direction. 

@Helen Any chance there is a way to view the webinar from 5/2-5/3? 

[Helen]

What a great shout out for your community @MagicToybox!

I've just sent you a private message to help locate that webinar. 

[OceanMalasada]

This goes out to my wife and nephews who make up our team at Ocean Malasada without them this small business wouldn’t be where it is today. 

[lawnbrook]

 3 Shoutouts for me.

I've been going through some unexpected health challenges over these past few months which has really turned our world upside down.

1 - To my best friend, business partner, wife. She's had to take up the slack on the business side on top of her already busy life, and also be there with me every step of the way through a miriad of medical appointments

2 - To my local community and friends who without question jumped in to help us get through a our vineyard maintenance and vintage

3- To the Square Super Seller community who have shown me support and love as I progress through my treatment.

I've always treated others as I'd like to be treated and it's times like these where the good in people comes shining through.

Bruce