💰 Vote with Your money 💰

Whats gold and doesn’t work? Theresa May’s front door key! Lols & lols. But replaced by Boris. Let’s just move right on from there….

Anyway, I have to stop reading the paper and watching the news as much now because I just turn into angry-Jess. Kinda like the hulk but less green. And with a hard-Brexit looming for October which will probs involve the UK not only leaving the EU but the single market and the customs union. 

Basically, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, small businesses are the backbone of the UK economy, and we all need to stick together and promote and shout about each other. There is more than enough success to go around, so why not be jolly and make new mates in the process? In my experience there ain’t no Small-Business-owning-Mama that you haven’t got something in common with: kids, business, cooking (or lack of it), messy houses, trying to leave the house, drinking too much wine (on a Monday), trying to fit in work etc, we’ve all got common ground. 

Anyway I digress. I went to Holly Tucker’s (founder of notonthehighstreet.com & champion for small businesses) podcast recording at the b.e.autiful Manchester cathedral last week. I met up with some small business owners and we had a wine, chit chat and listened to Holly as she interviewed Mark Constantine from Lush (the bath bomb place!) I’ll pop a link HERE to her podcast Conversations of Inspiration. And what a bloody inspiration it was, I have titled this blog ‘Vote with your Money’ as this is something Holly says all the time, and I found it very fitting having had that Boris-bafoon elected PM this week. Holly is currently running a campaign #votewithyourmoney which is all about shopping small & supporting the independents. Actually thinking about where your money goes and spending more consciously: is the money you are spending going to line an already over-flowing fat-cats pockets? Or is it paying for swimming lessons for the Mum who is hustling on a night & running a business around raising a family?! Who are you impacting by your purchases choices? As Holly says: “Every time you are spending your money you are casting a vote for the kind of world you want”. 

On that note I would like to link to a few fabulous small businesses that you may like too:

1. Betsy & Els Fabulous laser creations from the seaside!
2. Little Letter Gifts - making the 'thought count'
3. Koko Blossom - fabulous & on-trend personalised gifts 
4. Bespoke & Oak Co - lovely and traditional personalised gifts 
5. Eleanor Bowmer - colourful prints to brighten your home

Also if you are a small biz/know any online small businesses, they may find this interesting….

I'm gonna talk about the C word.....SOZ!

So, a few months ago I was going to start a newspaper for my local area (Clitheroe in Lancashire) promoting all the small businesses. However it was a lot of content to fill and also trying to find someone to deliver them was a ball ache, plus it was a not-for-profit thing and it was taking up loadsa time, plus because I work from home, I don't have a shop front anyway. I was just trying to boost my local high street. So it's gone on the back burner until I can come up with a way to do it!

I've recently had a re-think and want to do a full colour newspaper but aiming it at small businesses to use as a type of funky advertising platform on the run up to Christmas. I'm putting this out there now as I want to start collecting stuff together for it and work on it a bit each week then have it ready to post out for people to have it around the beginning of November to peruse for Christmas presents. 

I want to pack it with small businesses' funky products, but try to keep costs down, so gift guides etc, interviews, things to do/maybe make but with the intention of helping boost sales for independent businesses at (sorry!!) Christmas time. 

This was the type of idea I had below, an actual funky but old-skool newspaper that you can read whilst taking 5 and having a brew. It will be called ‘Squiffy News - Small Business News (or something similar). If you are a (or know a) small online business &  you would like to be added to my list for initial information, please message me with your email on instagram HERE or email me on hello@squiffyprint.co.uk. 

On that note, go forth on social media and start helping boost your fave small businesses by liking, commenting & sharing their posts. 

Until next week, I love you and leave you….