Small business advocate urges buyers to ‘shop small’ this Saturday

As shoppers prepare for an exciting weekend, Tennessee’s Small Business Advocate Richard Wilson is encouraging customers to join the “shop small” movement.

November 29 is Small Business Saturday. It is a time to show support for small independently owned businesses during one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year, a press release said.

Since 2010, Small Business Saturday has been celebrated annually on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. According to American Express, consumers spent more than $5.7 billion on Small Business Saturday in 2013.

Tennessee is home to 566,578 small businesses, which employ more than a million people, the state press release said. Bureau of Labor Statistics show 90 percent of Tennessee’s employers are small businesses.

“Small businesses create jobs, boost the economy and improve our local communities,” said Tennessee’s Small Business Advocate Richard Wilson. “I urge all Tennesseans to show support for the small businesses and entrepreneurs who are vital to our state’s success.”

The Office of Small Business Advocate is a point of contact to state government for business owners with 50 or fewer employees. The Office provides information and answers questions for Tennesseans who are starting a small business or who already own a small business, the press release said.