What is your word for 2022?

The New York Times (inspired by author Kelly McGonigal) recently asked, “What is your word of the year?” This is a word that is meant to guide your way of thinking in the next twelve months and help you make the most of 2022.

Our word this year is YES.

Photo by Paper Artist Alia Bright

Yes to reaching and supporting more creatives than ever before in our local communities.

Yes, yes, yes to bringing in small business creatives to promote national brands.

Over 2020 & 2021, we had to rely on our local communities more than ever before.

Sourcing hand sanitizer from local distillers, face masks from local sewers and kit meals from local restaurants just to name a few ways small businesses stepped in to support us. Across the country we have felt the hardship of imports with long delays and extraordinary price hikes. Now more small businesses are stepping up to the challenges of sourcing with hand sewn tote bags, small batch pottery, locally sourced batch honey, coffee & tea gifts... the list goes on and is extraordinary!

How can local small businesses contribute to the Promotional Products industry?

Small business creatives across our nation are making unique contributions to the promotional products industry everyday. For example, this paper art. No, this is not graphic design. This is actual paper artwork created by Oregon local, Alia Bright. Phenomenal and stunning, sure to catch the attention of your audience in person or recaptured via print on your collateral.

Our big YES, is to help pair our national clients with local sources for promotional products.

With most merchandising & promotional product companies, the networking between small business creatives and large national brands has not been established. Over 2020 and 2021, Brand Avenues was able meet every deliverable but utilizing our creative community relationships. While most vendors were out of stock across our nation, our creative community was thriving by creating shirts, bags, hats, socks and unique gifts that truly became keepsakes.

These are not from China and do not come with a China price tag. It does however come with an immense sense of connection to your community, to the creation process and to the specific artists that contribute. That is truly worth the buck!

We encourage you to participate in Small Business Week as well as make an effort to source small business goods as much as possible.

Small Business Week takes place in the US the week of May 1-7, 2022, and there’s never been a better time to show your support for your local business community! You never know what unique items you might find when you shop small — plus, your money will go toward helping members of your community. Read on to learn more about the important role small businesses play in our communities!

Small businesses make a big impact — on both national and local levels. According to a study by American Express, small businesses in the U.S. (defined as having fewer than 100 employees) are responsible for $4.8 trillion of the country’s national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). If American small businesses were a country, they’d be equivalent in GDP to Japan, which is the third largest economy in the world!

Clearly, small businesses are a major player in the national economy. But they make an even bigger impact within their own communities. According to the same American Express study, for every dollar spent at a local business, 67 cents stays in the local community. Of that 67 cents, 44 cents go to the owner and employees in the form of wages and benefits, while 23 cents are reinvested in other local businesses.

Every purchasing decision you make affects the economy in some way. Because local businesses tend to use other local vendors for their needs, the money spent there doesn’t just support one local business, but also all the others who provide them with supplies and services. And when the owner and staff live where they work, more of their wages go right back to other local businesses, creating an interconnected support network that keeps communities thriving.

Small businesses also help communities to stay more resilient. Having a smaller organization makes it easier for local businesses to adapt to economic changes — by adjusting staff, changing product offerings, or tweaking their business model. Small businesses also have more direct access to their customers and a more intimate understanding of their needs. Having a finger on the pulse of a community means always having the knowledge necessary to adapt your offerings to please your customers.

Maybe we’re biased — after all, Brand Avenues is a women owned, minority owned, small business. We love our community and our clients.