One of the great things about running a business is that it allows you to give back to your community in so many different ways. This means that you not only get to generate a profit for yourself, but you can help out those around you and allow them to share in your success. If you’re running your own business, you may be wondering how you can use it to give back to your community.
Below are just a few methods that you can try:
Hire Locally.
An easy way to give back to your community through your business is by hiring locally. No matter where your business is located, there are likely people in that area that could use a job. When hiring, you should make your preference for people who live nearby. This will help your business to have stronger ties to the community and you’ll have employees who all live close to their job. No one likes to commute far to work, so your employees will be happier landing a job in their hometown rather than somewhere an hour away.
You can hire locally even if your business is conducted entirely online. Local doesn’t have to mean within a 1-mile radius when you’re operating online – it can simply mean within your city, state or even country. For example, rather than outsourcing some of your services to workers in other countries, you can hire locally by getting people from the United States. There are many things you can outsource in your business, but try to focus on sending that work to people as near to you as possible.
Provide Decent Wages and Benefits.
Hiring locally is a good start, but you should also ensure that you are providing those employees with decent wages and benefits. While there is a minimum wage across the country, that doesn’t mean that’s how much you need to pay. Offering employees competitive salaries will not only make their lives easier, but it will make your business an attractive place to work.
When you provide decent wages and benefits to your employees, you may also set off a chain reaction in your area. For instance, other local businesses in your area may see what you are paying your employees and raise their wages as a result. Now you have the people in your area earning more money, which means they have more money to spend at your business. Of course, every business is different, so you may not be able to pay your employees as much as you’d like. You should still take the time to do the math and figure out what the maximum amount you can pay your employees is while still turning a profit.
Produce Your Goods Locally.
Depending on your type of business, you may have products that need to get made. It’s often cheaper to outsource this operation overseas, but this doesn’t allow you to support your community. Instead, you should look for ways to produce your goods locally. Customers love when their items come with a tag that says “Made in the USA”, whether it’s union made clothing, furniture or automobiles. This benefit may even come to outweigh any additional costs you incur from producing locally. So, look to see what production options are available near you and focus on producing your goods as close to home as you can.
Support Local Organizations.
A great way to give back to your community through your business is by supporting local organizations. For instance, there may be some children’s sports leagues that could use some funding. By contributing to these organizations, you not only get to support great local causes, but you get to improve your brand’s reputation. Neighbors who see your business’s name on youth baseball uniforms are much more likely to become customers.
Host or Sponsor Charity Events.
Along similar lines, you can also get your business involved with different charities. If there’s a cause you care about in your local area, see if they could use some financial assistance. If you’re unable to provide financial help, see if there are other ways you can contribute. For example, maybe the charity is looking for a place to host their next event, and you could offer them your office space after hours. Another option is to provide a stack of discount cards to the charity that they can give out at their next event. There are several ways that your business can assist local charities – contact an organization that interests you and offer your help.
