Small Business Saturday encourages local shopping across Oklahoma

ALL RIGHT, OKLAHOMA. WE’RE LOOKING AHEAD TO THIS WEEKEND. IT COULD BE THE BUSIEST SHOPPING WEEKEND OF THE ENTIRE YEAR. NOT REALLY A BETTER TIME TO SUPPORT LOCALLY OWNED BUSINESSES. FERNANDA PEDRAZA SCHMIDT IS JOINING US RIGHT NOW WITH THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION IN THE REGION HERE IN OKLAHOMA. THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. WE APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING US. DAYS AFTER THANKSGIVING, BLACK FRIDAY, THIS WEEKEND, MORE SPECIFICALLY SATURDAY, SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY, RIGHT. I MEAN, THAT GOES BACK TO THE MISSION FOR YOU GUYS AT THE ADMINISTRATION. TELL US ABOUT SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY, WHAT IT IS AND WHY PEOPLE SHOULD GO OUT AND DO IT. YEAH. SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY IS A TIME THAT WE GET TO REALLY HIGHLIGHT SMALL BUSINESSES AND MAKE SURE TO LET THE COMMUNITY KNOW TO DON’T FORGET ABOUT SMALL BUSINESSES, SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY. THEY DO SO MUCH FOR THE THEY PROVIDE CUSTOMER SERVICE. THEY HAVE UNIQUE GIFTS. WE CAN ALWAYS GO AND SHOP DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON AS THE HIGHEST SEASON FOR THEM, SO THAT REALLY HELPS CREATE THAT PUSH TO SHOP SMALL SUPPORT COMMUNITIES. WHEN YOU’RE HAVING YOUR FAMILY OVER, GO OUT TO THE SMALL EATERIES, THE LOCAL EATERIES AND SUPPORT THEM AS WELL. WE ALWAYS HEAR THAT. SHOP LOCAL. WOULD YOU SPEAK TO HOW BIG OF AN IMPACT THAT REALLY HAS THE DIFFERENCE OF YOUR DOLLAR? BY GOING TO A LOCAL BUSINESS, COMPARED TO SPENDING IT AT A BIG NAME STORE? I MEAN, HOW BIG OF AN IMPACT DOES THAT REALLY HAVE? AND I HAVE TO THINK IT TRICKLES BACK DOWN INTO OUR LOCAL ECONOMY, RIGHT? IT SURE DOES. SO OKLAHOMA, 99% OF SMALL BUSINESS OF BUSINESSES ARE SMALL BUSINESSES, AND THEY EMPLOY MORE THAN 50% OF THE WORKFORCE. SO WHEN YOU SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES, YOU’RE ALSO SUPPORTING YOUR COMMUNITY. THOSE THOSE FOLKS PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, THEY DO DONATIONS BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. THEY PROVIDE SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY. SO EVERY DOLLAR THAT YOU SPEND IS COMING RIGHT BACK TO YOU IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. YOU USE THAT WORD SUPPORT. I HAVE TO THINK THAT’S WHERE YOU GUYS COME IN, IN A SMALL WAY, TO THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION. IT’S A FEDERAL REACHING ADMINISTRATION, BUT YOU GUYS HAVE LIKE YOUR OWN LOCAL CHAPTER, RIGHT? OR LOCAL REGION VERSION OF IT. WHAT DO YOU GUYS DO SPECIFICALLY AND HOW DO YOU GUYS STEP UP TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES? SO THERE IS 66 OFFICES. THERE ARE 68 OFFICES OF THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, AND THEY ARE LOCATED ALL THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. SOME STATES MAY HAVE ONE OFFICE AND OTHER STATES MAY HAVE MULTIPLE, DEPENDING ON THE POPULATION. BUT HERE IN OKLAHOMA WE HAVE ONE OFFICE. IT’S OUR DISTRICT OFFICE, AND IT’S LOCATED RIGHT OVER BY THE MEMORIAL. AND WE SERVE AS THE ENTIRE STATE. STAKEHOLDERS LIKE OUR SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER, SCORE AS THE WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTERS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS OF THE STATE TO TRY AND AMPLIFY OUR MISSION, WHICH IS SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES BY PROVIDING COUNSELING, SERVICE, SUPPORT FOR FEDERAL CONTRACTING AND ACCESS TO CAPITAL. YEAH, OF COURSE WE’RE GETTING CLOSE TO THE HOLIDAYS, TO THIS SATURDAY, SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY. WE’LL SAY IT AGAIN GET OUT THERE AND SUPPORT. HAVE YOU HEARD FROM ANY BUSINESSES ON THINGS THEY MIGHT BE DOING, OFFERING SALES OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? DID YOU MENTION YOU WENT DOWN ON BROADWAY THERE AND TALKED TO SOME OF THE BUSINESS OWNERS BEFOREHAND? YES. SO WE TOOK A WALK DOWN BROADWAY EXTENSION, THE AUTOMOBILE ALLEY, AND WE WERE ABLE TO VISIT SOME OF THE LOCAL OWNERS THERE. THEY’RE SO EXCITED. THEY’LL BE HAVING SPECIALS. AND, YOU KNOW, THEIR THEIR STORES ARE ALL DECORATED. BRING YOUR FAMILY, BRING YOUR KIDS ONE OF THE SHOPS THERE, EVEN HAS A LITTLE SANTA’S STATION. SO KIDS CAN COME WRITE THEIR LETTER TO SANTA AND PUT IN THE MAIL AND TAKE SOME SOME OF THE FOOD BACK FOR THE THE REINDEER. YEAH, AND MAYBE MORE ON WHY THEY DESERVE THAT SUPPORT. WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER? I MEAN, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES? IT IS IT’S A DIFFICULT THING AND MAYBE WHY THEY DESERVE THAT, THAT EXTRA BIT OF SUPPORT AROUND THE HOLIDAYS. RIGHT. SO A LOT OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES ARE FAMILY OWNED. THEY ARE YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY HAS THEY’RE SUPPORTING THEIR CHILDREN WHERE EVERYTHING THAT THEY DO IS FOR SUPPORT OF THE FAMILY AND THE COMMUNITY EVERYWHERE THEY LIVE. AND SO THE DAY IN AND DAY OUT, WE DON’T KNOW WHAT THE DAY IS GOING TO BRING. AND SO JUST THE THE UPS AND DOWNS OF THAT AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY’RE PROVIDING WHAT THE COMMUNITY IS ASKING FOR, THE MARKET KEEPS CHANGING AND JUST STAYING ABREAST OF THE MARKET CHANGES AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE WHAT IS NEEDED FOR THE COMMUNITY AND FOR THEIR FAMILIES. MONEY THAT COMES RIGHT BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY. ANY ADVICE OR WAYS THAT PEOPLE CAN FIND SMALL BUSINESSES? YOU MENTIONED BROADWAY HAS GOT A TON OF THEM. THEY’RE DOWNTOWN. WHERE CAN PEOPLE GO TO TRY TO FIND THE BEST SMALL BUSINESSES? YOU KNOW, SO I WOULD SAY YOU CAN START RIGHT THERE WHERE YOU’RE AT. IF THERE IS A MAIN STREET, THERE’S THE MAIN STREET BUSINESSES OR THERE IS JUST IF YOU’RE IN A COMMUNITY LIKE MUSTANG, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE MAY NOT BE A MAIN STREET LIKE YUKON HAS, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE THE MOM AND POP SHOPS, THE LOCALLY OWNED, FAMILY OWNED, REACH OUT TO THEM, WALK IN. I KNOW SOMETIMES IT’S THE I’M NOT REALLY FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA. I’M NOT REALLY FAMILIAR WITH. THE OWNERS. GO OUT THERE AND MEET THEM. THEY’RE SUPER NICE PEOPLE. THEY PROVIDE THAT CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT YOU DON’T NECESSARILY MIGHT GET OTHERWISE. ABSOLUTELY. SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY A GREAT CHANCE TO GET OUT AND SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES. GOOD TIME TO DO IT RIGHT BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS.