Monday Motivation: The Flip Side of the Coin

Monday Motivation, Inspiration, Business Success Strategies for Women Entrepreneurs, Consumers, Small Businesses

Yesterday 130 Happy Birthday messages poured into my Facebook feed, 22 people donated $660 through my Facebook fundraiser for the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, and 3-D gifs sparkled, rang, and illuminated my screen, all making my 57^th birthday a wonderful affair. This topped with personal messages, phone calls, dinners, plays, and even a 14-mile bike ride added to this annual event of turning another year older. How blessed I feel today.

While Facebook continues to face allegations of complaints due to amplifying hate online, allowing misinformation and pollical unrest, and hiding pertinent information from the public which is now being disclosed by whistleblowers, it contradicts the experience, I had with the company yesterday. We all know there are two sides of every coin and you can’t have one side without the other.

As a 26-year small business owner, having learned about monopolies in my college business courses, I realize ultra-large global companies like Facebook, Amazon, and others take breathe out of the small guys and gals. It’s a reason I’ve preached for two decades for women entrepreneurs to put their money in the hands, pocketbooks and bank accounts of other women owned businesses first and foremost, to attempt to level the economic playing field.

95% of my purchasing decisions are made with small companies. I don’t need Small Business Saturday to remind me to support local companies, but sometimes consumers can’t help but participate, play, and spend time on and with large corporate entities who have a “corner” of the marketplace. David vs. Goliath has been a long-time analogy that works perfect in small business America. But I must say, without Facebook having the capital, marketing reach, and staff to develop the ability for their customers to raise money for their favorite non-profits once a year on their birthdays, the near $700 donation to a non-profit near and dear to my heart, and bald head, wouldn’t typically be possible.

We can live, work and buy in a world where we choose what we do, who we spend time with, and what companies we support. Don’t look at any business entity as small or big, but rather for the perks, services, and benefits they offer you, the consumer. Choose wisely by earmarking a certain percentage of your buying dollars on a mix of companies – large and small this day, and during the holiday purchasing season. You have the choice to place your hard-earned money where you want and making a difference in this large global, and yet small-micro community of ours.