Embracing Unity in Community

In juggling the joys and trials of owning your own business, most small business owners opt for one of two paths… The path on the right sees a shopkeep focusing almost solely on his or her own business, and rarely are there employees to speak of. The path on the left sees an entrepreneur looking both inward and outward, taking in the necessary information from within the business and in the community at large. 

Me? I prefer the path on the left.

You might be asking yourself why this even matters, but here's the thing... A community, or more specifically a downtown, is like a living and breathing organism. All of the organs need to be working together to maintain the health of that organism. Think about it. If you only worry about taking care of your heart and neglect your lungs, are you truly healthy? Probably not. You need both organs to live and function. Ignoring any part of the body in favor of another can lead to injury, disease, or worse.

The same is true of our communities, including downtowns. Sure... We all went into business for ourselves and probably aren't as geared towards answering to a "boss" as maybe we were in a past career. That doesn't mean it's smart to operate in a silo, completely separated from other small businesses. The truth is that if my neighbor is struggling, it can directly and indirectly impact me too.

Don't believe me? Look at foot traffic, quality of events, marketing and new business development. All of these important issues require businesses to work together as a unit. Having exceptional local restaurants can draw in foot traffic, and creating engaging events can bring in out of town guests. People want to be where the party is, and it's unlikely only one business will ever draw in as much support as a group of businesses can.

Put simply... It pays to work together. 

unboxed is proud to partner with neighboring businesses for events like Witches Day Out, make and take events, downtown happenings and so much more. We're constantly looking for ways to increase our community collaborations, and we love the opportunity to get creative in how we serve our community. Today I'm challenging other business owners to reach out to their peers and colleagues. Scared? Call us first. We're always open for a chat. 

Let's put the unity in community, and together we can all grow.

Much love, 

Nikki