5 Sweet Ways to Celebrate Small Business Week (May 4–10)

Small Business Week is a great time to celebrate what makes your candy shop special. Whether you’re known for handmade caramels, chocolate-dipped everything or seasonal treats, this week is your chance to connect with your community, attract new customers and grow your business.

Here are a few practical ways to make the most of the week:

Offer Special Treats and Limited-Time Deals
Highlight new or seasonal items just for Small Business Week. Limited-time offers—like gift bundles, “buy one, get one” deals, or free samples with purchase—can help draw attention and bring in both new and returning customers.

Above is a preview of RCI’s member-exclusive collection of graphics for small businesses.

Build Hype with Social Media
Social media is a great tool to build excitement for the week. Share “behind-the-scenes” posts on Instagram showing how your candy is made or give previews of special treats. Engage your followers with sneak peeks, announcements and even live updates. RCI Members: Click here to login and download a collection of five social media graphics to help promote your small business.

Not an RCI Member? Now is a great time to join. As a member, you’ll get tools like these, plus access to valuable resources, networking opportunities, and industry support designed specifically for candy businesses. Click here to learn more and apply for membership with RCI.

Tell Your Story
Customers love to shop small when they feel a personal connection. Share what makes your shop unique—whether it’s your family recipe, your focus on local ingredients or your passion for handcrafted sweets. A quick behind-the-scenes video or a post introducing your team can go a long way.

Partner with Local Businesses
Team up with other small businesses in your area. You might offer a joint promotion, host a sidewalk sale or swap flyers and shout-outs on social media. Supporting each other helps the whole community thrive—and gives shoppers more reasons to visit.

Reach Out with a Thank-You Email
Send a short email to thank your customers and let them know what you’re offering during Small Business Week. Include store hours, any special deals and a message of appreciation for their continued support.

Small Business Week is more than a celebration—it’s a chance to build momentum for the year ahead. Use this time to highlight what makes your business special and take steps toward an even sweeter future.

Looking for more inspiration? Attend RCI’s Candy Convention!
Join us for RCI’s Annual Convention & Industry Expo June 16–19 in Northern Kentucky to gain industry insights, join engaging discussions and learn from top experts. New to RCI? First-time attendees can save $100 on a 1-Day Education Ticket with promo code RCIFIRST. Don’t miss this chance to learn from industry experts and grow your business—register today and save!

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Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tip #330: COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Guidance for Retail Confectioners

Small businesses are currently facing unprecedented operational challenges. Due to recent cancellations of major sporting events and festivals, school closures and more people working from home, there’s no doubt consumers are reluctant to leave their homes—let alone visit their favorite local businesses. Not only does COVID-19 (coronavirus) pose a threat to public health, it will have an unprecedented impact on small businesses and the economy.

What you can do now:
Keep reading as we review five steps you can take now, as business owners and operators, to protect your business, staff, customers and local communities based on recommendations by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other authoritative health and governmental agencies.

•  Educate yourself and your team.
•  Create a communication plan.
•  Protect your business.
•  Embrace new forms of commerce.
•  Stay connected with fellow retail confectioners.

Educate yourself and your staff: Guidance for Businesses and Employers from CDC

As a leader of your business, it is crucial to obtain information about COVID-19 (coronavirus) from authoritative health and governmental agencies, such as The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC offers the most up-to-date information on COVID-19. Click here to view guidance from the CDC for employers to help prevent workplace exposures to COVID-19. This guidance also provides planning considerations if there are more widespread, community outbreaks.

To prevent stigma and discrimination in the workplace, the CDC recommends using only the guidance provided on its COVID-19 web page to properly determine risk. Do not make determinations of risk based on race or country of origin, and be sure to maintain confidentiality of people with confirmed COVID-19. There is much more to learn about the transmissibility, severity and other features of COVID-19 and investigations are ongoing.

Open communication with employees is key to educate and train your team on how to best prevent exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace. See below for links to additional resources addressing common questions:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/2019-ncov-factsheet.pdf

https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/mcm-issues/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-frequently-asked-questions.

Create a communication plan

According to the Small Business Administration, “it’s critical to communicate openly with your customers about the status of your operations, what protective measures you’ve implemented, and how they (as customers) will be protected when they visit your business.”

The U.S. Chamber has compiled a Coronavirus Response Kit for businesses and workers across the country, encouraging American businesses to follow data-based guidance from the CDC and state and local officials. See examples of how RCI members are communicating their new and ongoing protocols in their businesses below.

Protect your business: Guidance from SBA

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is working directly with state governors to provide targeted, low-interest loans to small businesses and non-profits that have been severely impacted by COVID-19. The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program provides small businesses with working capital loans of up to $2 million that can provide vital economic support to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing.

Find more information on the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans at: SBA.gov/Disaster. To view a full list of other local and national resources available through the Small Business Administration, visit their website.

Embrace new ways of commerce.

By providing creative and safe alternatives for consumers to continue to do business with you, may help alleviate some of the financial strain caused by current health concerns, while also helping to reduce the risk of exposure to you and your staff by consumers. Remind patrons that stocking up on a few sweet treats from their favorite, local candy shop may be just what they need to provide comfort and a constant during this time of uncertainty.

Many businesses are encouraging patrons to place orders online for home delivery and offering new grab-and-go options so customers don’t even have to leave the comforts of their vehicle. While others are encouraging consumers to support local businesses by purchasing gift cards. See below for examples of creative ways RCI members are embracing new forms of commerce to ensure business as (sort-of) usual goes on.

Stay connected.

For over 100 years, RCI has been a community for retail confectioners and their suppliers to connect with each other and learn from shared knowledge and experiences. If you have questions about what fellow retail confectioners are doing, we encourage you to subscribe RCI’s online forum, List Serve, to post questions and reply to others’ questions. We invite you to also follow RCI’s Facebook page for industry and association updates. As always, feel free to direct your questions to RCI staff at info@retailconfectioners.org

Crave more? If you like what you read here, look for the "Subscribe now" box on the right to enter your email address and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's Tip of the Week blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices.

Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tip #244: Stand Out on Small Business Saturday

Photo source: American Express

Start preparing now for Small Business Saturday on November 25, 2017. Unlike Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which are typically held at the big box stores, this is a day to celebrate small business and encourage holiday shoppers to visit the brick and mortar businesses that serve their local community. According to American Express, 112 million shoppers spent a reported $15.4 billion at their local small businesses on Small Business Saturday in 2016.

Tips for a Successful Small Business Saturday

Create a Special Offer

Use this day as an opportunity to reach not only your current customers, but gain some new ones. Create a special offer that involves a discount for one-day only or free samples with purchase. Make your customers feel special by going above and beyond, enticing them to keep coming back throughout the holiday season. While you want customers to visit your brick and mortar store don’t forget your e-commerce customers. Create a special offer that could be redeemed online as well.

Use the Tools Provided by American Express

Since 2010, American Express has offered free marketing materials to businesses promoting the holiday.  The Shop Small® Studio offers tools and templates for small businesses to create customizable marketing materials for their retail shop, website and social media sites in less than two minutes. Visit americanexpress.com/ShopSmall to find event ideas, inspiration and signage templates available to help small businesses spread the word at no cost.

Get Social

Use all aspects of social media to engage consumers, but make it about more than just a special offer. Think of creative ways to engage with customers and friends the week leading up to Small Business Saturday. Offer a special discount for liking the Facebook page, a drawing if the store reaches a certain number of likes, or unique specials to those that check in while shopping at your store. Use Instagram to post new products or specials throughout the week. Tweet store discounts, new products and special store hours for the day.

Make it a Party

Customers will want to be a part of your Small Business Saturday event if you make it like a party. One idea is to create a countdown in your store leading up to November 25th. Offer small incentives to get customers in the door on the day of the event. Having samples, coupons and a party atmosphere will really get people excited to be a part of this shopping day.

Involve Entire Community

Involving your community is a great way for local businesses to promote each other, driving traffic to multiple stores. Many communities are taking advantage of Small Business Saturday by having their own community-wide promotion or special marketing efforts surrounding this day. Contact your CVB or Chamber of Commerce to see if your city/town has any shop local, shop small efforts to promote this day.

Make your business stand out in your community by preparing for Small Business Saturday now.

Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tip #214: Build a Support Network

As a small business owner, it is easy to find yourself feeling isolated and even depressed, especially during the holidays. In fact, this is a common sentiment amongst entrepreneurs. It can be comforting and beneficial to have a strong network of  like-minded individuals who understand your day-to-day challenges.

Every professional knows building a network is important. If your eyes are already starting to gloss over because a) you don’t have time, b) you don’t know where to start, c) you find networking to be intimidating, or d) all of the above, it’s time to perk up! We’ve identified 4 ways to build your network, plus, ways RCI can help!

1. Seek out a mentor

A great mentor can offer guidance and support through the wisdom that comes with experience. There’s a good chance with any challenge you may be facing, they’ve lived  it and can share what they’ve learned from both their mistakes and successes. Look for experienced leaders that you admire and respect through your local community or your industry.

RCI’s People to People Network is a great resource for identifying members within the same industry, who have voluntarily offered to share their knowledge with other RCI members. Within the People to People Network we have identified potential mentors, as well as their areas of expertise, including industry subjects such as tempering, equipment, formulations, facility design and more, as well as broader business topics like marketing, accounting, ecommerce, succession planning, etc. Sign in at retailconfectioners.org and find the People to People Network under the Member Resources tab.

2. Attend social events

Of course, seeing what your local Chamber of Commerce or other local professional organizations have on the calendar is an option. If you’re looking for a group with more specialized interests, check out Meetup.com to find like-minded individuals gathering near you.

Providing opportunities to connect with fellow confectioners and industry suppliers is one of the pillars of RCI. As an international association, you can expect RCI to host a number of events for members and non-members across the US and abroad each year, offering fun and engaging ways to build relationships and share ideas. Visit retailconfectioners.org/events or follow us on Facebook to keep up on the latest events.

3. Volunteer

As the saying goes, “you have to give to get.” You’d be surprised how quickly and effortlessly your network can grow when you volunteer.

Even if you’re already involved in a networking association, it can be awkward and intimidating to put yourself out there. By volunteering, making connections may come more naturally to you if you’re working with others on a specific task or project.

4. Share your advice and experience

Even the busiest of us can manage to make time to post to their favorite social network now and then. A few minutes is all you need to join the conversation happening on RCI’s online forum, List Serve. Respond to inquiries and share your own quandaries in your pajamas, if you wish! Participate in troubleshooting topics ranging from chocolate production, marketing and business ownership and build your network in the process. Sign in at retailconfectioners.org and find List Serve under the Member Resources tab.

Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.