The top ten reasons to shop locally are listed below. Share them with everyone that you know and encourage them to make a conscious decision this holiday season when they make their purchases.

1. Support yourself - Several studies have shown that when you buy from an independent, locally owned business, rather than a nationally owned businesses, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers and farms - continuing to strengthen the economic base of the community.

2. Support Community Groups - Non-profit organizations receive an average 250% more support from smaller business owners than they do from large businesses.

3. Keep Your Community Unique - Where we shop, where we eat and have fun, all of it makes our community home. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the distinctive character of this place. Our tourism businesses also benefit.

“When people go on vacation they generally seek out destinations that offer them the sense of being someplace, not just anyplace.” ~ Richard Moe, President, National Historic Preservation Trust.

4. Reduce Environmental Impact - Locally owned businesses tend to prefer local purchases. Additionally, they usually set up shop in a town or city center as opposed to developing on the fringe. This means less urban sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution.

5. Create More Good Jobs - Small, local businesses are the largest employer nationally and in our community. They provide the most jobs to residents.

6. Get Better Service - Local businesses often hire people with a better understanding of the products they are selling and take more time to get to know customers.

7. Invest in Your Community - Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community and have a vested interest in the community’s future.

8. Put Your Taxes to Good Use - Local businesses in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure investment and make more efficient use of public services as compared to nationally owned stores entering the community.

9. Market-Driven Products - A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term. A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based not on a national sales plan but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees a much broader range of product choices.

10. Encourage Local Prosperity - A growing body of economic research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character. However, in order to maintain their uniquensess, its community members must commit to buying locally to support their continued success and growth.

Happy Holiday Shopping!

Thumbnail Image: Ali Edwards

A reliable benchmark for determining whether you are living your best life through your career is to create and implement your own mission statement. Although your employer probably has a mission statement specific to the organization, it is also helpful for you to follow your own statement that reflects your expectations as a professional.

To create a personal mission statement, start by listing all of your values (beliefs or ideas that represent who you are)such as honesty, compassion, strong work ethic, leadership etc. From the list highlight the top five values that are essential to you. Next, list all of your professional objectives/goals. For instance, do you want to ensure that you mentor the next generation of professionals? Or do you want to constantly stay on top of your industry by seeking out continuing education? Now, from that list, highlight the top five objectives/values that are essential to you.

Now take a blank sheet of paper and re-write the five values and five objectives/goals. From these words and phrases, create your own personal mission statement. A mission statement is traditionally one to two sentences long that serves as a broad statement representing the core importance of your existence. Once your mission statement is written, evaluate whether or not your career reflects it. If not, identify opportunities to incorporate your statement into your work.

Through the creation and implementation of your personal mission statement for your career, you can utilize this resource as a benchmark for determining whether or not you are living your best life at work.

It is important to recognize changes that could jeopardize your employment.  Once you understand the signs, you can take steps to overcome the challenges and find ways to maintain your employment.  Here are some ideas for you to consider:-

• Is your job is dependent on travel?  The easiest line item to decrease without effecting the overall operation of  a business is to cut travel.  Propose ways to decrease your travel before you are eliminated and consider other forms of face-to-face communication such as web conferencing.
• Is your job is focused on one skill or function?  Those who are not versatile are not valuable employees.  Identify all of your skills and abilities then find ways to utilize them within various other projects, departments, and needs of the company. Let everyone know that you are willing to expand your current job description by sharing your plethora of abilities.  Also consider investigating low-cost training opportunities to expand your talents.
• Has your boss has been laid off?  More then likely the department that you currently work within is viewed as expendable if its leader has been kicked to the curb.  One of two things will occur next a) the staff will be absorbed under other departments or b) everyone will be laid off.  As with the previous scenario, make it known that you are able to function above and beyond the assigned job description.  Identify ways to not only accomplish your job duties but to be useful to other departments.

Despite your proactive approach to handling major changes within a company, being let go due to financial constraints cannot always be avoided.  Here are a few signs that your time is limited and steps are being put in place to let you go.

• You are asked to cc your boss on everything that you do.
• You were not given an incentive bonus or pay raise.
• You are not assigned new projects or given new opportunities.
• You are not kept in-the-loop about the activities of the department.

In the unfortunate event that a pink slip is imminent, recognize these signs quickly and take steps to secure your future.  Update your resume and begin a job search.  Make copies of your work that highlight your skills and talents.  And most importantly, hang in there.  There are bigger and better opportunities for you on the horizon.

To help you update your resume, we are offering all subscribing readers a resume template - send us an email at nicole(at)moderngoddessmagazine.com and we’ll send you the resume template asap.

For those who have an interest in returning back to the business world after being a full-time mom for several years, should consider the following opportunities to fold into their busy lives.

1. Take Part-Time Jobs

You need something to put on your resume to avoid creating a huge gap. Don’t be afraid if it’s not lucrative. The experience and the contacts will help you in the long run.

2. Volunteer Like You Mean It

Forget the bake sales and car washes. Make it measurable work. Sit on a school board or do community projects to develop contacts.

3. Education is the Magic Bullet

Depending on what industry you want to embark upon, returning back to school could be a necessary step. Not only does it provide you with knowledge and skills, it shows an employer that you are serious and willing to invest in yourself. It is also a great resume filler.

4. Update Your Resume

Don’t wait 10 years to brush off the dust from your resume. Keep it current and ready at a moments notice.

5. Create A List

Continuously investigate women-friendly businesses and create a list that you can return back to once you are ready to send out resumes. If you find a business that you absolutely LOVE, consider linking up with someone within the company that is well established to learn more about the work environment and to serve as a mentor.

Here’s to the Comeback Mom!

• Do we have to return back to college?
• Are we too old to change careers?
• Will we be successful if we change paths?
• Can we still retire as planned?
• Can we actually do it?

Before you allow yourself to get caught up in the details, consider exploring the options in an abstract manner.  First, learn more about yourself and gather information to help guide you through the process.  After you have a better understanding of your foundational needs, wants, and preferences, you can begin to explore more deeply.

Here are some important questions to ask to help get you started:

• What do you want?
• What other choices do you have?
• What will this goal provide you?
• What is important to you about that goal?
• What are you willing to give up to accomplish this goal?
• What are you unwilling to change?
• What have you tried to achieve to accomplish this goal?
• What can you learn from this goal?
• What will you do differently next time?
• What can you do to make a difference?
• What is good about your present situation?
• What could be stopping you from taking action?
• What is the worst thing that could happen if you do this?
• What is the best thing that could happen to you if you do this?
• What is the worst thing that could happen if you don’t do this?

Answering these questions won’t produce more clarity as to whether you should take the step towards changing your career but rather, it will help you to understand where you currently stand.  It is important to know where you are coming from before you can move forward.

Additional information that you will need to gather includes a) identifying support, b) investigating potential careers, c) meeting with mentors, d) understanding your options, and e) identifying the best steps for transitioning.

Best of luck… What do you want to be when you grow up?

Networking and Word-Of-Mouth

One of the most effective approaches to marketing is absolutely free… networking. Each person that you interact with that has a positive experience, is likely to share information about your business with at least five other like-minded individuals. The word-of-mouth exposure that networking provides can create new business opportunities and expand your market base. Both formal (ie. meetings) and informal (ie. train ride) provide great opportunities to network.

Press Release

Although you could choose to spend hundreds of dollars to place ads in your local newspapers and magazines, a free article can generate more attention to you and your business. Write a unique press release that will draw the attention of the editors to write an article about your and your business. A press release can be focused on an event that you are hosting, an honor or award that you have received, or an update on where your business is going.

Participation in Organizations

Identify organizations that are of interest to you and/or your business. Consider non-profit organizations that you can provide volunteer services for and organizations that attracts professionals similar to yourself. Your participation in these types of groups will provide valuable information about your community business leaders and increase your public exposure. Many business women have found their greatest mentors through their participation in these organizations.

Monthly Email and Blogs

The best way to capture those who have come across your business is to provide monthly updates. Amidst the craziness of personal and professional life, people need to be reminded of your existence. In fact, most people appreciate the reminders and information provided in the emails. Another method, the blog, can exemplify your knowledge, skills, and experience in the business that you have chosen. For someone that is vacillating between utilizing your business versus another, the blog can provide them with a glimpse into what they might expect from you.

Libraries, Bookstores and Coffee Shops

My favorite place to advertise is at libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops. A large percentage of my market, women, visit these locations and frequently read the community bulletin boards. You can leave a stack of business cards, brochures, or postcards for others to pick up. People love to discover great resources and will be excited to find your information at their favorite low-key spots.

As your New Year kicks off to a great start, be certain to allow low-cost marketing strategies to work for your business. Marketing doesn’t require you to spend thousands of dollars to be successful. Use your creativity to discover new ways to take your business to the next level.