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.

[JDDISPATCH365]

Hi Everyone!

thank you for the warm welcome to the community. I am a small business owner-based here in Oceanside California. I am in the transportation sector, with an extensive background in receivable finance, FMCSA compliance and went back to school to finish my certification in Business Software Productivity. I’m a product of a series of unfortunate events, and though the struggle has been real, my love to help others and to have a chance to create and build something that can outlast me, AND provide for my 15 year old, put me here. I’m a firm believer that things/people/situations come into our lives for a reason or a season. The sooner you are able to discern, the more you’ll appreciate when you overcome it. I am so happy to say that my business can and will provide and promote diversity and inclusion in an era we must work together to be ONE strong nation that can weather the season or the reason. Thank you all and PRIDE is a word that to me means resilience and self worth. Oh and Selena is my one that got away lol, thankfully my boyfriend didn’t know much of so I’m able to share her music and show him some Mexican culture lol. 

[JDDISPATCH365]

 Anything for Selena’s bidi bidi bom bom 

[Ladya28]

For one have to give a shout out to my Lord and Savior Jesus 🙏🏽  He has gotten me through so much. My faith has encouraged me to keep going when things were tough or business was slow and I wasn't sure how to keep things a float. Jesus always makes a way out of no way! Shout out to my family they help in the day to day operations of my salon Lady A's Braids and weaves studio LLC  along with our in studio boutique 7even28ightbrands.  It takes a lot of time, effort and dedication. I'm gonna thank myself as the owner and hair weaving specialist in my salon, because weather I'm in my office, behind the chair, coaching, advertising, working the boutique or making our hair care products, I'm giving my all to everything to provide my clients with the absolute best I can give! Square has been a great part of Lady A's success, I love the marketing ideas and plan to use more along with the ability they give small businesses to access loans when needed. Thanks to everyone here! Keep striving in your businesses and remember God will provide! 

[JUYBoutique20]

I would like to give a shout out to my daughters Ariah and Alanis, my sons Jayen and Marshall and my husband Marshall...Without their patience and support I would not be doing what I love... I also wanna shout out my bestie Annie Smith with S.O.L.E. (Shoes of Luxury and Elegance).  She helped me to get my vision up and running...

[JessPoynter]

Wanted to give a shoutout to @lenjobakes for opening her second location!!! Lenore you're doin SUCH a great job, always leading with joy and fun. Congrats! 

[lenjobakes]

@JessPoynter Get out of here!

Yes. I am two months late. But I was coming to give kudos to you and @ryanwanner and @Pesso and @isabelle for those early early early days of the pandemic where we would jump on calls and y'all would tell me to keep going or just sympathize or give me advice on how to create an online store.

So grateful for all of you! I definitely know my business (and the growth we experience) could not have happened without such great impact from y'all!

Thank you ❤️

[JessPoynter]

Awwww!!! @lenjobakes stop cutting onions in here ma’am!! 

Ah! So so happy for you and your growth! 

[Pesso]

You're the best, @lenjobakes -- your energy and passion and enthusiasm definitely kept me going in those days too (and still now even), so the thanks comes right back atcha. Grateful for you too!

[JTPets]

Shout out to Square, because without them I wouldn't have a business running the way I am today, All of my operations are centralized around 1 major app. My website, my inventory, my vendor management, my CRM...its all under one roof. Could it be better? Yes. But Square seeks out my approval and feedback and works with all of us to better the apps.

Second, Shout out to the woman who adopted me as an unofficial family member and who gave me "a gift" of $4000 to start my business and I now have inventory assets worth over $70,000 and an annual sales in excess of $150,000

Third, shout out to my own Wife and kids who struggle with me working a full-time job while also working to get this family business of the ground and make it profitable!

Fourth, @isabelle She is patient and helpful with all the square bugs we throw at her, one of which are her fault 😜

[isabelle]

LOL! Thank you for this shout out @JTPets !

[maddylelu]

I'd like to shoutout my biggest supporter and my fiancé Robert! He always provides me with great ideas, reminders to make sensible decisions, and plenty of pep talks that fill me with confidence! As a business owner, it is always so easy to drown in imposter syndrome and forget what you're capable of. If it weren't for Robert, I would be stuck in that mentality, but, whenever I doubt myself, he reminds me of how much I have accomplished and how The SOUR Collective has grown. Not to mention, he always helps me man my table at vendor events. Me and my business wouldn't be where we are today without him!

[Prettybrat24]

My shout out going to my Mother in-law Rhonda Hendricks who is also the owner of a small business known as Rhonda Bling. I must say she has been so supportive of me and has trusted me to manage her jewelry business branding desires. Ma you helped me to realize that I need to not limit my creative ideas but instead embrace them all one day at a time.

Please show your support by following her on Facebook @RhondaHendricks 

As well as visit her shop @Rhondabling.com

[MysticCity]

I'd like to shout out our New Business, Mystic City Creations and the launch of our Ecommerce.

[Helen]

Congratulations on your new business @MysticCity!

[CloudBaileyLLC]

I want to give a shout out to my husband and my two sons. I created this business for my boys in the middle of the pandemic because they needed something to do & wanted more people to smile. I am thankful they agree to my ideas and fully support it via their labor because it’s opened doors we didn’t even imagine walking through!

[Helen]

Thanks @CloudBaileyLLC, I hope your family sees this message! I especially like this line, it's is an inspirational message to everyone! 

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@CloudBaileyLLC wrote:

[...] I am thankful they agree to my ideas and fully support it via their labor because it’s opened doors we didn’t even imagine walking through!

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[lenjobakes]

It's never too late to have an attitude of gratitude!

I'm grateful for my parents who let me live in their house and eat their food whilst working on this business. They also showed up to wash dishes, go and get supplies whenever I need, do the shop laundry, and literally anything else I might need.

I'm grateful for my amazing team who have come alongside and helped build this business into the enterprise that it is today maintaining my particularly high standard of excellence.

I'm grateful for customers who show up every day that we're open and buy the things that we make.

But mostly I'm grateful for this community that yields such great advice and has been a source of inspiration and energy when the journey of entrepreneurship gets a bit tiring.