Ep. 99 Savvy Shopkeeper’s Special Goal for 2022
Usually, I publish a new podcast episode and show notes each Thursday. But with Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Small Business Saturday, I didn’t want to interrupt your day with family and friends or take time away from a busy shopping weekend for retailers.
Instead, we’re publishing this on Cyber Monday. I hope this is a great day for all of the retailers in the Savvy Shopkeeper community, too. And I genuinely hope you had an INCREDIBLE retail weekend, with lots of #shopsmall love from your customers.
Savvy Shopkeeper’s Goal for 2022
Savvy Shopkeeper is hosting a post-Black-Friday sale this year. And it’s tied to a unique goal I have for our community in 2022.
I have a goal. My team has a goal. And it’s a big one.
We want the Savvy Support Fund to send four shopkeepers to the 2022 Savvy Shopkeeper Retreat….for FREE.
All expenses paid, including a retreat ticket, travel, and accommodations.
How the Savvy Support Fund Came to Be
In case you didn’t know, the Savvy Support Fund was established in 2018 to support education efforts for shopkeepers.
I personally come from a marginalized background. I’m a minority and a woman. My Mom was a single parent. We grew up poor and on welfare. In short, we struggled.
My Mom, though, is also an incredible woman. Even though life was hard financially, my Mom was loving, kept a beautiful home, and raised us (me and my siblings) to be hardworking and giving human beings.
But I know what it’s like to want MORE. I know what it’s like to live in scarcity and how challenging it can be to go from that mindset to an abundant mindset. I often wanted the same opportunities as others I saw around me but struggled to get there because life often felt so scarce.
Well, the mindset challenges are there in our shopkeeping journeys, too. I never want the Savvy Support Fund to substitute for mindset work.
But I do want the Savvy Support Fund to give some shopkeepers the opportunity to attend future retreats. The 2021 retreat was life and business-changing for attendees, and I want to give that gift to other shopkeepers who might not be able to afford it.
How is the Savvy Support Fund Funded?
From day one, I’ve funded it with my own contributions. I give 5% of all membership subscription revenue from the Shopkeepers Lab and Master Shopkeepers to the Savvy Support Fund.
Community Donations
The Savvy Support Fund is also supported by many in our community with donations.
For instance, Elisa, a Master Shopkeepers member, generously donated her time and talent at the 2021 retreat. She took professional headshots for those attending. She didn’t ask for payment, but she did surprise me by asking attendees to donate to the Savvy Support Fund. This generated $570 in donations!
Savvy Shopkeeper Online Shop Sales
The Savvy Support Fund also grows when people buy from the Savvy Shopkeeper Online Shop.
The online shop is special. One of my core values is to shop small, promote the #shopsmall movement, and personally support small business owners.
Each product I list in the Savvy Shopkeeper Online Shop is an item that I’ve purchased from OTHER shopkeepers, artists, small business owners, and makers—and they’re often from our own communities!
Supporting Savvy Shopkeepers with Scholarships, Conference Tickets, and Utility Grants
All of the money in the Savvy Support Fund goes towards supporting educational opportunities for shopkeepers.
We’ve sent several shopkeepers to business conferences. And when the pandemic hit, we were able to give eight $200 utility grants to brick-and-mortar store owners so they could pay their bills during mandated closures.
This year, we sponsored two scholarships to the 2021 Savvy Shopkeeper Retreat.
The Post-Black-Friday Sale
If you buy something from the Savvy Shopkeeper Online Shop between Monday, November 29, 2021, and Sunday, December 5, 2021, at midnight EST, you’ll get:
- 22% off all items in the online shop (we’re celebrating the new year early!)
- FREE shipping in the continental US
- And for every $25 you spend, I’ll donate $5 to the Savvy Support Fund
There are lots of fun, handmade, carefully selected items in the Savvy Shopkeeper Online Shop. Each item has the name of the small business I’ve ordered or commissioned the item from!
There are stickers that say “Small Biz, Big Heart,” apparel with our “Be Savvy and Boss Up” slogan, Savvy Shopkeeper totes, etched tumblers, jewelry, notebooks, and more!
You can shop the post-Black-Friday sale and help contribute to Savvy Shopkeeper’s goal for 2022 by visiting savvyshopkeeper.com/shop. If you’d rather donate directly to the fund, you can do that at savvyshopkeeper.com/savvy-support-fund.
Whether you have a biz bestie that would appreciate some small business swag, want to show your appreciation for the podcast and the Savvy Shopkeeper community, or you’ve been blessed this past year and want to spread the love, I hope you’ll support the Savvy Support Fund by shopping during the post-Black-Friday sale.
*Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links or referral codes, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase after clicking through the link or using the code. I make recommendations because I genuinely believe they are useful to shopkeepers. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you achieve your goals.
Resources
- Donate to the Savvy Support Fund
- Shop the post-Black-Friday sale in the Savvy Shopkeeper Online Shop for 22% off, free continental US shipping, and a $5 donation to the Savvy Support Fund for every $25 spent
- Join the Shopkeepers Lab
- Get on the waitlist for Master Shopkeepers
Timestamps
- [02:31] Savvy Shopkeeper’s Goal for 2022
- [03:26] How the Savvy Support Fund Came to Be
- [05:36] How is the Savvy Support Fund Funded?
- [09:04] Supporting Savvy Shopkeepers with Scholarships, Conference Tickets, and Utility Grants
- [09:54] The Post-Black-Friday Sale
