Today marks the start of National Small Business Week, an annual event hosted by the U.S. Small Business Administration that “honors the nation’s 31 million small businesses for their perseverance, ingenuity, triumphs, and creativity.”
At Pie, our mission is to empower small businesses to thrive. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we witnessed firsthand the struggles our customers faced on a daily basis, and continue to face. Even as they endured hardship, small business owners expressed joy and excitement about their work, the people they employ, and the many ways they serve their communities.
To celebrate small businesses across the United States, we asked our own customers to share what they love about being a small business. It’s humbling to hear their stories and what pushes them to continue making an impact in their communities.
Chris Flores, owner of Water Heater Warehouse, a full service water heating company in Fullerton, California shared that his favorite part of being a small business owner is being able to hire employees and make a difference in the community. He said that “being a business owner during a global pandemic is not easy, but having the right people and resources in place can get you through anything.”
Barbara Flom, managing member of Yarnify!, a fiber arts store in Chicago, IL shared that creativity and beauty has become even more important to their customers over the past year. Every opportunity to teach, inspire confidence, and share the joy of crafting is a reminder of why they love what they do.
William Peck, owner of Peck Construction in Nashville, TN loves seeing the happiness on a customer’s face when they see the finished project in their home that was once just a rough drawing on paper or an inspirational photo they found online. He told us that he believes that as a current small business owner it’s important to “always keep an open mind which helps you to adapt to changes around you that are many times out of your control.”
John Leonti, owner of Leonti Recycling, a roll-off dumpster rental service in Waldwick, New Jersey told us that his favorite thing about being a small business owner is that it gives him an opportunity to provide an essential service to the people in his community. He remains steadfast in his positivity, sharing that “small businesses are resilient! We have a great ability to improvise and innovate when suddenly faced with a new challenge.”
We love our customers and are proud to be a small part of what keeps them running. Starting today, we’ll be spending National Small Business week and beyond highlighting our customers’ businesses and stories on our Instagram account. Follow along to meet incredible small business owners and learn about the exciting work they do. We hope you’ll join us in honoring small businesses all year long.
If you’re a Pie customer and would like to be part of a future small business feature, send us a message at photos[at]pieinsurance.com.
