6 Ways to Support an Entrepreneur (Without Spending a Dime)

Ever since my announcement that I am going part-time in my day job to pursue my photography business more seriously, I’ve received such an influx of support. I’m so thankful for all the comments, likes, and messages throughout the process. I even had some people message me saying, “It’s too bad I’m already married, I would have hired you for my wedding!” It dawned on me that people don’t know how to support small business owners besides buying their product or services. In reality, there are tons of small, easy ways you can support an entrepreneur without spending money! To educate and assist, here are six ways to support the entrepreneurs and small biz owners in your life:

1. Like or Follow their Social Media Pages

This takes a mere 3 seconds to complete, but it honestly makes an entrepreneurs day! Find the business’s Facebook page and hit the “Like” button. Search for their Instagram to hit “Follow.” Find their Pinterest and follow their boards (yes, Pinterest is also HUGE for business). While these numbers seem trivial, it can totally help the business look more legitimate to a prospective customer. As much as we all pretend like the followers don’t matter, they totally make us feel more desired. Hint, hint… here are mine:

Instagram: @rachgraff
Facebook: Rachel Graff Photography
Pinterest: @rachgraff

2. Engage with their Social Media Posts

After following their pages, actually “like” and comment on the posts made by the business owner. Your actions greatly increase the engagement metrics on posts, which helps these posts actually get seen by followers and friends. Instagram and Facebook have algorithms that affect what you see in your News Feed, and they are set up to fight against business pages’ posts. A little comment can go a LONG way!

3. Share their Posts or Work

See a social media theme, here? Simply sharing their posts on Facebook or retweeting them suddenly opens the entrepreneur’s content up to all of your contacts and increases their reach! If you can’t share a post, tag them in your own or talk about them on an Instagram story! The options are endless.

4. Leave a Review

If you have engaged with the business in any way, leaving a positive review on their Facebook or Google pages can make a huge impact! I don’t know about you, but I read ALL the reviews before purchasing something online, and I can’t be the only one! People want to hear about your experience

5. Refer a Friend

I get about 90% of my clients through personal connections and word-of-mouth referrals. With that in mind, sing the praises of the entrepreneurs you know and love! Even if you don’t need their services/products at the moment, you likely know someone who does – so tell them! Many entrepreneurs even offer referral benefits.

6. Tell Us “No Thanks”

Whenever someone inquires to me about photos, I immediately get giddy about the prospect of working with them. It’s not about the potential income, but about the relationship I would get to create by capturing their biggest moments! I have to admit, I get personally attached. That’s why it’s so important to tell us if you have decided not to purchase or if you have gone with another vendor. We won’t be offended, I promise! In fact, we will be happy you found someone or something you’re excited about! But we just like to know. So follow up on inquiries and don’t ghost us. It only makes the breakup worse.