Support Local

It has been a relatively recent resolution of mine to shop as local as possible for all of my family's needs.  I do my best to support 'Mom & Pop' businesses and local stores as opposed to big chains and mega marts.  It is both not as easy at it seems and easier than it seems.

Shopping local requires a little more leg work until you've established relationships with local businesses and entrepreneurs.  For instance, we recently needed our chimney and wood burner cleaned.  I first tried to get references from local friends and family.  When that fell short I decided to look online.  Since our community is fairly small the list was short.  I made four phone calls.  Three resulted in immediate connection and price quotes.  The fourth call fell to an answering machine.  Something about that fact told me to hold out for a returned call.  I am SO GLAD I waited.  The gentleman that returned my call was friendly, helpful, informative, and cheaper than everyone else I called.  So, not only did I end up with a lifelong business relationship with a local chimney sweep.  I got premium service at a cheaper rate.  Not to mention the fact that he also believes in supporting his customers businesses, so the next time any of his vehicles need a transmission guess who he'll be calling?  Was it worth the extra leg work?  You bet!

With the advances in technology, and easy access to information, creating situations like my search for a local chimney sweep is much easier than it would be otherwise.  On the other hand you do have to have a little bit of research savvy, and some knowledge when it comes to using the internet to network.  It also helps if you are willing to wait and are not in a hurry.

When it comes to supporting our communities, I believe it is well worth learning how to navigate the local networking landscape, make connections, and keep my money close to home.  A sense of community seems to be lacking in our society, and what better way to mend that gap than by creating relationships with local business owners?

In my quest for all things local, I discovered this awesome website:

There are SO MANY resources here.  Searching is very easy, and there are even contests and sweepstakes that offer opportunities to win Michigan products from Michigan based businesses.  How cool is that?  The most recent opportunity is from Just Good Chocolate.  Enter to win a pouch of their hot cocoa and little nibblers variety pack.  YUM!

Another resource that I LOVE is Eat Wild.  It is a WONDERFUL resource for searching out local, naturally farmed animals, produce, dairy, and other wild products.

I hope these resources inspire you to seek out, find, and establish relationships with local businesses, entrepreneurs, and farms.  After all, small business is the backbone of our society.

Discounted Travel

I don't know about you, but sometimes we do have to rent a vehicle when we travel with the kids. It's just easier that way sometimes it seems. With money being tight for almost everyone and the price of everything increasing, maybe a discount on travel could be just what you need to make that family vacation happen this summer.

If you are anything like me, I start planning our summer vacation in January. Well this year it didn't work out that way. We had kids going everywhere for the first half of the summer, and we needed to wait until those commitments were firmed up. Then, gas prices kept rising, the cost of living day to day kept going up, and I started putting off planning our family vacation. Honestly, it will not happen in traditional form this year.

If we had Advantage Rent a Car here in Michigan, I am certain we would be taking advantage of their special offer this summer. With their summer special car rental just got a lot more affordable, and fun! Advantage Rent a Car is currently offering up to 50% off the rental of convertible and luxury cars. That means at least part of your travel expense could be literally cut in half if you were already planning to rent a convertible or luxury car, or maybe you could afford to upgrade from an economy class and add a little luxury to your excursion.

Imagine traveling the beautiful landscape of your choice in style with the top down and the music kicking. Renting a car through Advantage Rent a Car with the up to 50% discount on convertible or luxury cars will give you peace of mind knowing that you have 24-hour roadside service at your fingertips. You'll have no worries about flat tires or the car overheating. It's all on the Advantage Rent a Car service team.

You know I'm all about small business, family owned, and entrepreneurship. Advantage Rent a Car embodies all of these, and I encourage you to visit their site. They have a wonderful history growing from a small family business to a world wide corporation that has managed to keep it's entrepreneurial spirit. Don't forget to take advantage of their summer special of up to 50% off of convertible and luxury car rentals!

Poverty Free World?

Is it possible for the world to be without poverty? Can people be empowered to rise above financial constraints? One man believes it is surely possible, and his name is Muhammad Yunus. I watched an interview with him on the Canadian show, The Hour, last night. It was compelling.

It is the vision of Muhammad Yunus to totally eradicate poverty from the world. He started the Grameen Bank Project in 1976 with a mere $27 from his own pocket. Owned by the poor borrowers of the project became an actual bank in 1983 under a new law created especially for its creation in Bangladesh. Now the Grameen Bank serves more than 7 million families in over 81,000 villages.

Muhammad Yunus recently won the Nobel Peace Prize for his unique concept of micro credit. Micro credit has been used in Bangladesh, India to dramatically change the lives of many families. The concept is to empower families with small loans to get out of debt and become entrepreneurs. Women make up 97% of the loan holders through Grameen Bank.

The difference is changing our thinking from consumer business to social business. Consumer business benefits the company and it's share holders. Social business benefits the community at large. The commitment of a social business entrepreneur is to make a difference in the world as opposed to the consumer business entrepreneur whose sole purpose is to maximize profits. Which kind of entrepreneur would you like to be?

For further study read, Creating a World Without Poverty byMuhammad Yunus.