4 Ways to Support Small Businesses (that Are Totally Free)
Updated December 2025
Hand-painted Ornaments from my 2024 Pastel Paradise Collection
Shopping small is one of the best ways to support our favorite creators. But what if you don’t have the budget to patronize your favorite small businesses? With the high rate of inflation, many of us are facing increased demands on our financial resources. If you’re like the majority of Americans, you don’t have unlimited funds. While I encourage you to shop small whenever your budget permits, it’s not always possible for us to shop at local businesses for all of our needs.
Below are 4 meaningful, free ways to show love to all your favorite small businesses both during the holiday season and every season of the year:
1. Tell your friends and family about them.
Is a small business hosting a candle-making workshop you think your aunt would love? Text her the link. Repost your fave creator’s content to your Instagram story. Small businesses rely on word of mouth and social media.
2. If you do nothing else on this list, start leaving reviews and writing testimonials.
Some people hesitate to shop at a small business because they don’t know anyone who has shopped there. On Amazon, almost every item has dozens of reviews. Small business owners are lucky if they get one review per item. If you purchased from a small business and loved what you got, your review or testimonial can make the difference between that small business making future sales (or not). If the deadline passes before you can write a review, write an email to the business owner about how much you like their product and let them know they can use it as a testimonial. Your words as a customer are priceless.
3. Pin your favorite photos from their blog or website to your Pinterest.
A lot of people use Pinterest like a search engine. We often hop on that site when we’re looking for ideas for the next party we’re hosting, outfit inspiration, or travel planning ideas. Unlike Instagram, where content ages rapidly, the great thing about Pinterest is that pins age like fine wine – you could pin a blog from your favorite small business owner in June 2022, and someone could happily stumble upon that pin six years later and become a new fan. Posting on Pinterest enables people outside of your circle of family and friends to discover small businesses that you like.
4. Comment on their blog and interact with their social media posts.
If you read a blog that you found helpful, leave a comment below (hint, hint 😉). Hit reply and send an email in response to their newsletters that make you laugh, and make your voice heard in their client feedback surveys. Engaging with a small business owner whenever they reach out affirms that what they do matters and is valued – and encourages them to make more of the content and products that you love.
If they have social media, engage by sending them a DM, responding to a story, or commenting on their photos – interacting with content by small business owners instructs the social media algorithm to push their posts out to more users. That helps more people to find the beautiful things this business owner creates.
Bonus Tip: Subscribe to their mailing list.
This bonus tip is just for the bold! If you want to stay in the loop with your favorite creatives, sign up for their mailing list to stay connected. Social media algorithms are unpredictable, and oftentimes, your favorite business owner’s content may not rise to the top of your feed. If you want to know what they’re up to and remain connected, sign up for their newsletter. Many small businesses these days even give out digital freebies or discount codes for signing up to their list. For example, I have a Freebie Library with free sewing patterns and my original art prints. You can click here to subscribe to my list and get access to the Freebie Library, and click here to access the library once you’ve already subscribed and have the library passcode.
You can support small businesses at any budget, even a budget of $0, with the tips above. Thank you for supporting small!
