I know we’ve all had them, that moment when something happens in your life that makes you say "Hmmm" or makes you more aware of something that you otherwise would have dismissed. My most recent ones were as a result of being introduced to Tammy Ferris by a friend of mine and her father-in-law Michael. They have recently created a new company, FounderShare. Foundershare is focused on the concept of helping local businesses take back Main Street and to get more people in a community to choose local. So why was this a "Hmmm" moment? Because it made me more aware of how important small businesses are in our community and as a result, I now find myself frequenting them more often.

1. I recently purchased a gas grill. I did my research at all the local stores, on-line and the big box stores and decided because of FounderShare to purchase locally at Beman Hardware here in Granby CT. It was a little more expensive but they delivered it the next day, assembled, and 3 days later I received a hand written note from the owner thanking me for my purchase and to pop in any time if I had any questions. Guess where I am going to now when I need to buy other items like paint?
2. We had a farm day in my local town and all the local farmers markets were open and selling their produce; garlic, sweet corn, fruits etc. At Clarks Farms I purchased some peaches. When I got them home I washed a couple and ate them. I have NEVER in my life enjoyed such delicious peaches, never! Guess now where I go to buy more peaches as well as their cheeses and jams!
3. Another local store, The Sweet Beet, specializes in gluten free and organic foods and even though I am not that strict with my diet, I love the juices they also sell. My wife tells me that the sweets are the best she has  tasted! They also recently won an award from the Humane Society of America for serving great plant based foods. We want them to succeed and we like them personally -- so guess what I now buy from there other than juices? Breads, sweets, soups and a bunch of great foods.

So the real question that I am asking myself is "Why wouldn’t we all buy local?" It seems counter intuitive to me that we don’t.

So that is my "Hmmm" moment! Has anyone else out there had similar experiences? I am sure you have so please share them. 

John Myers is an independent business consultant and owner of Carroll Consulting LLC, The Sales Resource for business owners. If you would like to learn more about how I might be able to help you grow your business, please contact me via LinkedIn and if you like this post please comment and click on the follow button above. And if you would like more information about how FounderShare is looking to help small business owners, check out their website at www.foundershare.com.