Local small business owners seek to cash in on Small Business Saturday

State officials hit the road this week to highlight Small Business Saturday and the state’s Shop Small Delaware initiative.

Small Business Saturday is this Saturday, November 30 – and it can mean big bucks for small business owners.

In 2023, the reported projected spending in the U.S. from those who shopped at small businesses on Small Business Saturday was around $17 billion, according to the SBA.

Zack King and his wife own several businesses in Milford, as well as being landlord to several other small businesses.

“You know they’re generally working off of a break even type environment more than half of the year.,” he said. “They rely on days like Small Business Saturday, the black Fridays, the holiday season, to actually make their money.”

Michelle Harris is the Delaware District Director for the Small Business Administration.

“Small businesses are the economic backbone of the country, so to speak. So we want to make sure that we’re reminding everyone to shop small and see what they can do to support their local small businesses,” she said.

She says in recent years, small business startups are higher than they have been in decades. And, those businesses that made it through the pandemic are in a time of significant transition.

“Now, small businesses are moving from a point of ‘OK, I’m just surviving,’ to a point of ‘now I need to start thriving again. I need to start thinking about how do I scale? How do I expand?’“ she said.