55 Support Small Business Quotes for the Chamber

Last week was Small Business Week in the US. So, you may be wondering why we’re posting this article on support small business quotes this week instead of last. Here’s why.

Hopefully, if your chamber made some headway in supporting small business last week, then you’ll want to carry that on this week and in the weeks to come. Build on the momentum you started. In marketing, as in life, we never tell someone something once and expect it to stick.

In the 1930s, the movie industry came up with what is now referred to as the “Rule of 7.” The Rule of 7 states that the prospect must hear the marketing message 7 times before it sinks in. (For point of reference, The Rule of Spouses hearing your message is slightly higher than that.)

Assuming you moved the dial on small business marketing last week, let’s continue your work this week and into the future. These small business support quotes can be used in image quotes, as a basis for a blog post, as your e-mail signature line, as a quote featured in your newsletter, or an opening line (attributed where applicable, of course) for your next small business presentation.

Again, when using these quotes, don’t get yourself into any trouble with plagiarism. Attribute them to the speaker listed below (we’ve done our best to research these and ensure they are accurately attributed but you know the inter webs). This is a handy post to save/bookmark and use whenever you need quotes in support of small business.

For ease of use, we’ve broken up the support small business quotes by segment.

Small Business Quotes from Celebrities & Business Notables

1. A big business starts small. – Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group
2. When you buy something made by a person, there is something special there, and you feel it. The consciousness with which a thing is made is often more important than the thing itself. – J. Donald Walters, author of Art of Leadership
3. A small business is an amazing way to serve and leave an impact on the world you live in. – Nicole Snow, author
4. You don’t need to have a 100-person company to develop that idea. – Larry Page, co-founder of Google
5. In a world where you can shop anywhere, shop local. — Robyn Liechti, self-care journal author
6. Behind every small business, there’s a story worth knowing.” — Paul Ryan, former Speaker of the House
7. The relationships created between customers and those that work in independent business frequently go beyond just purchases—it becomes familial. — Rembert Browne, writer
8. Independent businesses make neighborhoods healthy; they ground them.” — Bernie Telsey, casting director
9. Small business is the backbone of our economy…small business is where the jobs are generated. — Michele Bachmann, former US representative
10. Independent businesses create and offer choice. — Lyndsey Butler, Founder/CEO/Creative Director VEDA NYC
11. As consumers, we have so much power to change the world by just being careful in what we buy. — Emma Watson, actress
12. Most independent businesses are run by people – not by boards, not by stockholders, not by algorithms. — Erica Cerulo, author
13. Small business people are people with goals and values that can’t be calculated on a profit and loss statement.” — Linda McMahon, former head of SBA
14. Why help make big companies bigger when you can get the same thing from the little guy and actually help someone accomplish their dream? — Trevor D. Richardson, writer
15. I started my first business when I was 19. I learned a valuable lesson as a small business owner. You are the first one to work, last one to leave, and last one to be paid. — Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the House
16. Supporting small businesses is not just about commerce; it’s about community. – Dan Rather, journalist
17. Every time you spend money you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want. – Anna Lappe, author
18. There’s nothing wrong with staying small. You can do big things with a small team. — Jason Fried, CEO of Basecamp
19. Small businesses bring originality and variety to a world that’s becoming increasingly homogenized. – Craig Costello, Microsoft
20. Independent businesses give cities their shape, texture, color, and taste… often literally. – Hasan Minhaj, comedian
21. Mom & pop stores are not about something small; they are about something big. Ninety percent of all U.S. businesses are family owned or controlled. They are important not only for the food, drink, clothing, and tools they sell us, but also for providing us with intellectual stimulation, social interaction, and connection to our communities. We must have mom & pop stores because we are social animals. We crave to be part of the marketplace. ― Robert Spector, author
22. Small businesses bring cities to life. ― Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr, author
23. The best way to support your friend’s business is to pay full price. ― Jason Langella, author
24. The small stores are holding the one card that large retailers cannot, personal service. A clean bathroom, lounge chairs, and a sympathetic ear concerning weight gain, sagging skin, and “batwing” arms round it all off. ― C.L. McManus, author
25. The old-adage that business is business, don’t take it personal, doesn’t apply to the self-employed. It’s all personal! ― Jeffrey Shaw, author

Quotes in Support of Small Business from Small Businesses

1. If we want to have these amazing small businesses, we need to actively seek out and support those who put their necks on the line to chase down a dream. Sometimes it may be a bit faster to zip through the drive-through line, but I can almost guarantee that the personal service and higher quality product will be worth the extra minute it may take. It could be a lasting relationship that holds more value in the long run. – Branch Street Coffee Roasters
2. You can feel when someone really cares about the neighborhood they’re running a business in. — Sandeep Salter, creator and owner of Picture Room and Salter House
3. When you support an independent business, you’re supporting a true reflection of the person or people behind it. — Stella Ishii, founder of 6397 and co-owner of The NEWS

Anonymous Quotes and Catch Phrases in Support of Small Business

1. When you shop with local small businesses, more of your money stays in your community.
2. Keep your taxes where you live. Buy from local businesses instead of large corporations.
3. When you support handmade you are not just supporting a person, small business, family, our economy; you are purchasing a small part of an artist’s heart.
4. How can you build a stronger community? Help local businesses thrive.
5. Every small purchase makes a big difference.
6. Local businesses are the lifeblood of the community.
7. The best compliment you can give is a referral.
8. When you support small business, you are supporting a dream.
9. A celebrity makes $80+ million a year, you will never meet them. You pay them full price or extra for what they sell. A small business owner makes $25K – $100K a year, they live next door, and you want a discount.
10. Supporting another person’s success won’t ever damper yours.
11. Small business success is measured one customer at a time.
12. Small purchases make a big difference.
13. Think big, shop small.
14. When you buy from a small business, an actual person does a little happy dance.
15. What do local small businesses need to be successful? They need your support!
16. When you’re supporting small businesses you’re not helping a CEO buy a third vacation home. You are helping a little girl get dance lessons, a little boy his team jersey, a mom put food on the table, a dad pay a mortgage, or a student pay for college.
17. Be local, buy local.
18. Support your friend’s business and success like you support the celebrities you don’t know.
19. Small businesses represent the creative consciousness.
20. You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy local and that’s kind of the same thing.
21. Would you rather support an entrepreneur’s dream or a corporation’s balance sheet?
22. Find love in all the local places.
23. Support movers, makers, hustlers, shakers.
24. Support your friends. Don’t ask for free stuff. Pay for it. Go to their shows. Be the first to buy their products and promote their ideas.
25. Supporting small business owners is like that first sip of coffee in the morning. So gooooood…
26. Giving a gift from a small business is giving a gift twice–one to your actual recipient and one to the small business owner. 
27. Buy GOOD things from REAL people.
28. There is a family behind every successful small business.
29. When it comes to deciding where to shop, remember that there’s no place like home.
30. Shop local, cause Amazon won’t sponsor your kid’s ball team.
31. Yes, it’s true that money talks. When you don’t buy local, your money walks.
32. Want to make sure there are job opportunities in your own community? Support the local companies that hire local employees!
33. Independent businesses create character and charm in our communities. Think global, buy local.
34. Most independent businesses support other independent businesses, so when you shop local, you support a whole community of small businesses.
35. Your friend’s business is your community’s business. 
36. Make small business, your business.    

A Final Quote in Support of Small Businesses

Starting and continuing a small business is hard work. You have to be hungry to keep it going and that’s why I love this final quote. While it’s not about small business, it illustrates the tenacity required to endure and that’s why it earned a spot in this list:

“Whenever I meet a successful CEO, I ask them how they did it. Mediocre CEOs point to their brilliant strategic moves or their intuitive business sense or a variety of other self-congratulatory explanations. The great CEOs tend to be remarkably consistent in their answers: They all say, ‘I didn’t quit.'” – Ben Horowitz, co-founder of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz

By: CHRISTINA METCALF