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This year, National Small Business Day falls on Saturday, May 10, 2025… and we’re celebrating! Small businesses truly make our economy go around. In fact, more than 99% of companies in the United States are small businesses. Where would we be without our local chain restaurants, construction companies, and hair salons—not to mention the countless other enterprises we interact with every day?
If you’re a small business owner looking to make an impact on Small Business Day (and beyond), this article can help. Keep reading to learn more about what makes these companies so special, how creativity and drive are key factors in success, and what the best strategies are for making your job easier.
It’s time to show the world what entrepreneurs like you are made of!
It’s rare that a new company starts off as anything but a small business. There are so many Cinderella stories of tiny enterprises coming together in garages, attics, and classrooms before taking their industry by storm. This smallness is just a part of the lifecycle of businesses everywhere—and honestly, it’s beautiful. So celebrating National Small Business Day is one way of honoring these critical enterprises.
By definition, a small business is an organization with fewer than 500 employees. These organizations come in all shapes, sizes, and industries—and here are some of the most popular settings we’re seeing today:
The dynamic landscape of small businesses reflects changes in culture, consumerism, and customer expectations. Certainly, entrepreneurs are some of the first to adapt to current trends and preferences, as they seek to create and capitalize on opportunities when they spot them.
No matter what industry you’re in, running a small business isn’t all sticky notes and dream boards. It’s a lot of hard work, late nights, and tough decisions.
As a small business owner, you’ve likely already heard the less-than-fun fact that about 20% of new enterprises fail within the first year, and 50% within the first five years. But here’s another take on these statistics:
When you maintain a positive perspective, these numbers don’t look too shabby! To keep things rolling, here are a few more fun facts about the entrepreneur life—brought to you on National Small Business Day:
The small business owner experience can be a little crazy sometimes—but in the end, it’s just one way of living the dream. Making it work requires creativity, drive, and faith… which these people have in abundance.
There are tons of tips and tricks for running a small business out there, and it can be challenging to choose which will work best for your operations. But if you’re looking for a little guidance, you’re in the right place. We work with small businesses all the time—not just on National Small Business Day—and we have plenty of resources for you to peruse.
But first, let’s take a look at the most vital part of your small business: your customers. A fantastic product or a groundbreaking solution means nothing if your prospects can’t make sense of your shopping experience.
If you want to improve your customer experience (CX) and pitch to your audience more effectively, there are three key strategies that top businesses use to great success—and you can too.
The easiest way to learn how your customers feel about your company is to simply ask them… with a well-planned customer survey. You might even consider having a special survey just for National Small Business Day!
Raw sales data, conversion rates, and marketing metrics can tell you a lot about the state of your customer experience. However, getting candid, authentic feedback from customers is a great way to nail down exactly what it is they’re enjoying about your business—or what issues they might see that you don’t know about.
Additionally, a carefully-structured customer survey can provide you with great quotes to use as testimonials in marketing, ideas for improving your offerings, and a better sense of how well your customer experience is working. They’re simple, effective, and a good source of CX data.
There’s no way to overstate the value of getting a professional, objective evaluation of your CX. That’s what mystery shopping (or CX evaluation) is all about.
Skilled evaluators can take a close look at every customer-facing aspect of your business and provide data-driven insight to help you make strategic decisions. They’ll point out ways that you and your team are killing it—in a good way—and also spotlight areas that might need improvement. Quality mystery shoppers can even suggest the best ways to make changes that look and feel like your brand, take advantage of your current business model, and differentiate you from your competition.
On National Small Business Day, it’s important to note that mystery shopping isn’t just for big corporations. Companies of any size can benefit from professional evaluations—including yours!
The vast majority of shoppers check reviews online before they even consider purchasing from or shopping at a new business. So if you’re not keeping up with the digital buzz about your business, you could be driving away potential customers—and not even know it.
Having an online reputation management program means keeping track of comments, reviews, and ratings that people post about your business. Consumers rely on these data points to make a decision about whether to pursue a purchase—and that isn’t a problem. In fact, it’s a massive opportunity. By responding to comments, generating more reviews, and driving your average rating higher, you’re actually doing a lot to attract new business. As a bonus, you’re also improving your business’s overall reputation, which can have a snowball effect on your bottom line.
Here’s the best advice we can give on National Small Business Day: you can find help for all these strategies in one place—CustomerOptix!
Our CX On Demand program offers a comprehensive suite of customer experience tools that will take you to the next level of success… and make that small business owner life a little easier.
These services are built with small businesses in mind. You’ll find powerful, industry-leading tools that are flexible, affordable, and scalable. Learn more and start elevating your small business success today.
National Small Business Day is a great reminder of how important your work truly is. But your impact doesn’t stop there. Every day, when you show up, solve problems, and serve your community, you’re building something meaningful. That deserves to be recognized far beyond a single day on the calendar.
Whether you’re just getting started or have been in the game for years, remember that success in small business comes down to connection, creativity, and consistency. With the right strategies—and the right tools—you can keep growing, learning, and wowing your customers at every turn.
So here’s to small business owners everywhere. May this year be your most impactful yet!
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