Bring it Home
I just fired Staples and I have to admit, it felt pretty good.
The funny thing is, Staples was doing a good job. Our business, PSA Insurance & Financial Services, had all the pens, pads, folders, and sticky notes we ever needed; and we never had a problem with price or delivery.
So why did I give them the boot?
It’s simple really. I am feeling a little territorial these days. Make that A LOT territorial. Staples is based in Massachusetts and proudly calls itself “the world’s largest office products company.”
Well guess what? I am not interested in doing business with the world’s biggest anything these days; I want to do business with the best local companies. That’s why I am telling everyone to “Bring it Home.”
It is frustrating to feel powerless in the face of a struggling economy, now officially a recession, brought about by bottomless greed from the largest and supposedly smartest companies. Over the years, it seems, we’ve been fooled into thinking “bigger is better.” If you are like me, you are tired of feeling powerless. The good news is that we DO have the ability to impact our own local economy through the choices we make. We decide whether we do business online, with a satellite office of a national company, or alternatively, with a locally-owned, locally-operated business where the dollars stay right here in our community.
If you want to have an active role in helping pull our local economy out of the ditch, do business locally. We moved our office supplies account to Rudolph’s Office Supply, which is based in White Marsh. Rudolph’s can get PSA the same products at competitive prices. Plus, I get the added benefit of a personal relationship with the owners, Bonnie and Paul Rudolph, and the feel-good of knowing that we are putting money back into our local economy.
I am bringing it home in as many aspects of my business and personal spending as possible. I am also encouraging PSA’s 185 employees to do the same; as well as our business partners. Let’s face it, people are spending less these days. Therefore it’s even more important to make sure the dollars we are spending are spent locally. A major benefit of doing business with locally-owned, locally-operated companies is the fact they are headquartered here, and as a result, ALL of their employees are based here in town -- a big difference from out-of-town businesses with a small Baltimore presence. These local company employees are our friends, family members and neighbors, and they need our support.
Even if it costs a little more, spending locally is something we can control during these tumultuous times. Just think of the impact if everyone stopped for a moment before making a purchase and thought, “is there a local option for what I’m about to buy?”
Bringing business home and supporting our Baltimore business community just makes sense right now. Let’s do everything we can to support local companies, local jobs and the local economy. I am telling everyone who will listen: Bring it Home.
Chip Lewis is Managing Director of PSA Insurance and Financial Services located in Hunt Valley, Md.
