Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday is a sales gimmick dreamt up by American Express in 2010. The sales event takes place between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Pundits love the event because it is ready made for social punditry. One can use Small Business Saturday to talk about how the small businesses that once formed the foundation of our communities are being squeezed out.

I find the event amusing for several reasons. First the event was created by American Express, a company which fits the very definition of big business. The second thing I find amusing is that American Express decided to put its sales date on a Saturday.

In many small businesses, the boss takes the weekend off and many mom and pop shops are closed on Saturday. This is especially true for holiday weekends where the owners to the small business would prefer to spend the weekend with family.

BTW, I tried creating a dozen small business since 2000. I have a 100% fail rate. It is hard to start a small business in a town where one is considered a pariah. Community Color is a collection of geo-domains I decided to try and develop. The site is ad driven. In 18 years, I've actually failed to sell a single ad ... but where would our society be if people let little things like that get them down.

Anyway, the site is my little contribution to small business because it gives free listings to all the local businesses I find. I join the affiliate programs of the big businesses. In the first few years, I was able to pay my hosting costs. For the last several years, income has been lower than hosting fees.