All about small business owners
There are 33.2 million small businesses in the United States according to 2022 statistics. 27 million of those don’t hire employees and 5.4 million of them have 20 employees or fewer. Small businesses make up 99.9% of businesses in the United States, yet only make up 43.5% of the U.S. GDP and 44% of the U.S. economic activity overall. This means that the .1% of large U.S. businesses is making up 56% of the economy.
Big box retailers like Walmart, Home Depot, Costco, CVS, Starbucks, etc are showing up in towns across America and all but eliminating the need for local small businesses. Amazon has thrown the equation even further out of whack by appealing to people’s desire for convenience. As fierce as the competition is, these massive corporations aren’t the enemy, they’re just expanding their reach to become more profitable…but something can be done about it.
How do we compete?
Small businesses can’t compete with multi-million (and billion) dollar corporations in terms of resources, but we have an advantage that they don’t…a personal one-to-one touch. Massive corporations don’t care about the individual, they care about their money. As small business owners, we know our communities. We know the connections in town. We’re part of the chambers of commerce and rotary clubs. We know people’s names, who their kids are, and what position they play on the high school football team. We have something that these massive corporations could never have. We have heart and we have connection.
There’s a big opportunity to showcase that love for people and community because 2020 changed a lot of people’s outlook on what’s really important. People started realizing that family and friends and community were more important than ambition and convenience. When big corporations shut their doors, many small business owners refused to shut theirs. The current political and social landscape has awakened people to who really cares about them and who cares more about turning a profit.
I see a great opportunity for small business owners to shine and to fill in the gaps that big businesses have left behind. Let’s go get get involved in our communities and towns and do what we do best – connect with and serve people.
about me
Without getting too, too personal, I’m a husband to the same woman for 28 years and I have two awesome sons, ages 22 and 16. I love the mountains and would be hiking and backpacking every weekend if I could (funny how someone so connected to the digital world is so connected to the beauty and simplicity of nature). I really love nature and it inspires me to create. Digital marketing gives me the best of both worlds. There is both the creative and the analytical. I’m equal parts of both.
In 2006 I started learning how to write HTML and was able to purchase a copy of Adobe Creative Suite 4. I used Dreamweaver to structure HTML and place images and text on a webpage. I slowly learned the structure of a website and how I could manipulate layouts by tweaking the tags. In 2007 I learned how to create webpage layouts in Adobe Photoshop and then slice the image up and export it as HTML code. It saved me a lot of time and was more fun than writing HTML in a text editor.
In 2009, after a long 10+months of unemployment, I went to work for a local Chick-fil-A and eventually became a manager. I was part of the marketing team and took on all of the digital marketing duties because of my web knowledge, email marketing, and social media experience. I grew the digital footprint of that store by almost 100% and created a lot of print materials and multimedia displays for the store. I had made such an impact that other local UMDs (Unit Marketing Directors) from other Chick-fil-A’s came to learn about my strategies for social media and email marketing.
In 2014, after a period of only building sporadic websites for people, I was contracted to work for Apologia Educational Ministries as an email marketing coordinator. That role grew and expanded over time when they found out that I built websites. I built several websites for them, including as a part of the team that built their existing site. I performed SEO audits and site improvements, managed email marketing, headed up Google analytics, and completed many, many projects for them. Six years later, I found myself looking for work as my contract had expired.
I now work as a digital marketer for a local ad agency. I bring with me 16 total years of experience in digital marketing, a certification in Google Search Ads, and a certification in Google Analytics GA4. Most importantly, I bring my integrity, my empathy, and my desire to serve small business owners. After all, I am one too.
Michael
I believe in small businesses
I believe in entrepeneurship
I believe in people’s creativity
I believe in people’s dreams
So, what inspired me to name this “Firefall Digital”? The Biblical story of Gideon has special meaning to me. I identify very closely with Gideon because, while I haven’t rescued the Israelites out of the hands of the Midianites, my life has followed a similar story arc to Gideon’s life. I believe Gideon was an every-man. He was the smallest of his clan which was the weakest in the tribe of Manassah. His size and strength didn’t matter. God saw a warrior in him.
The torch of Gideon is reflected in the name “Firefall” and the logo. It represents an unwavering trust in God, overcoming great fear and insurmountable obstacles, and conquering the giants in life that have held us captive. So, I’m going to let my torch shine!