It is no secret that the day-to-day life of a small business owner can be challenging. With so much invested financially and emotionally, an entrepreneur has to be involved in every part of his or her business – from packaging to payroll.
The UPS Store, which is owned and operated by independent franchisees around the country, solves challenges for busy small business owners every day. To best serve them, it is crucial to know what parts of owning and operating a business are the biggest pain points and create solutions based on those needs.
To celebrate these hardworking business owners and provide them with a helping hand, The UPS Store is launching its annual Small Biz Salute. Throughout the month of May, The UPS Store is bringing together small business owners to make meaningful connections in their communities and gain valuable marketing advice from business experts.
Mystified by Marketing
When thinking about small business owners and the many challenges they face, many assume that time and finances are at the top of their list. But in a new survey from The UPS Store, small business owners reported a concern about a different challenge: marketing their business.
One-third of small business owners surveyed by The UPS Store said marketing is their biggest business challenge, surpassing time, finances and people management. And it can be a tough challenge to crack. Marketing often is low on the budgetary totem pole, with the majority of respondents (77 percent) only able to spend a quarter of their budget or less on marketing.
But that doesn’t mean marketing is a challenge small business owners don’t think is worth taking on. In the same survey, 75 percent reported that they want to expand their marketing efforts, and more than half said marketing was high on their list of business priorities.
So where are small business owners to turn to solve this marketing conundrum? Based on this same survey, the answer is simple – each other.
Community as a Collective Resource
According to the survey, 68 percent of respondents consider small business owners a community and collective resource. And it is a community small business owners want to contribute to and gain from.
More than half of respondents (52 percent) said other small business owners are their preferred source of advice, and half stated that connections and relationships would be the most beneficial takeaway from networking with other small businesses. Likewise, a majority of respondents (61 percent) would prefer to make these connections through local, in-person meet-ups.
While a majority (62 percent) of small business owners said they would take advantage of networking opportunities if available, a minority (37 percent) feel that they know the best way to go about networking with other small business owners.
Small Biz Salute
This May, The UPS Store will help small business owners expand their networking with a series of local events and resources.
To serve small business customers and support their marketing efforts, The UPS Store will be celebrating National Small Business Month with its annual Small Biz Salute. The nationwide initiative will provide marketing help and networking opportunities to small business owners, while also giving the community a chance to show support for their favorite small businesses.
Throughout the month of May, The UPS Store will encourage people to “salute” their favorite local small business by giving them a shout out on social media with #SmallBizSalute. In four cities — Minneapolis, Nashville, Houston and Phoenix — The UPS Store will be hosting events to provide small business owners the opportunity to meet and network with other owners in their communities. At the events, The UPS Store will offer marketing advice and attendees can learn from business experts on ways to streamline their marketing efforts.
In addition to the Small Biz Salute events, small business owners across the country can take advantage of 4,500 UPS Store locations where they’ll find a suite of products and services that can help them better market their business, including:
- Marketing services. More than three-fourths of small business owners surveyed (76 percent) agree that there is room to expand their marketing efforts. The UPS Store provides tools and resources to help small business owners promote and market their business with email marketing, website design, social media and more.
- Print services. Business cards and print materials are a common tool amongst small business owners. Three-fourths of all respondents (75 percent) use business cards to promote their business, along with brochures (27 percent), flyers (22 percent) or direct mail pieces (22 percent). The UPS Store offers online and print services.
- Mentoring and business management. Each UPS Store location is locally owned and operated, and franchisees often take an innovative approach to providing unique customer consulting and solutions. The UPS Store also works with SCORE to help build awareness of business mentoring opportunities for small business owners across the country.
For more information on The UPS Store and Small Biz Salute, visit www.theupsstore.com/smallbizsalute.
