How to Market Your Small Business In Hard Times

Dear Reader, 

If you’re a woman growing a small business and trying to figure out how to sell your work while living through a world in crisis, this article is for you. 

Twenty five years ago, a student asked Octavia Butler what the answer was to all the problems she writes about in her books (a writer famous for her Sci-fi books that explore and warn of the inevitable socioeconomic and political collapse from neglected societal problems). 

“There is no single answer that will solve all of our future problems. There’s no magic bullet. Instead there are thousands of answers--at least. You can be one of them if you choose to be”. 

--Octavia Butler

In the midst of a global crisis, and violence, being a business owner and selling your services and products can feel confusing, uncomfortable and strange. We’ve all seen the meme with Hugh Jackman smiling in a selfie against a fire that reads, “what it’s like to be a business owner right now”.   

But I believe that this rhetoric creates more helplessness and does more disservice than good, for everyone.  

Your Small Business is your offering to the world

In a world where the bad guys are no longer hiding their intentions and humanity is left to fight and fend for themselves…

Your Small Business, Your Skills, Your Craft is your offering to the world.

Last year I left a 12+ year career where I was helping large corporate organizations with their growth initiatives. But I felt like I was selling my soul in service of the bad guys.

So I redesigned my life. I started my Personal Brand Photography & Video business.

Now I help Women and Femmes plan and create brand media that helps them sell themselves to their dream clients and customers.

I decided to stop selling my soul and create work that inspires the world towards a matriarchy.

And my story is just one that’s part of a large population of women doing the same.

TWO 2025 Statistics Tell a Strong Story

• First, nearly half a million women in the US left the workforce last year. 

• And, secondly, almost 50% of small businesses were started by women (a percentage spike from the years prior).

Over the past year I’ve connected with so many women who run their own small business, freelance, and vendors--making money outside of the “workforce”. And many of them have also recently left careers from “working for the man”.

Finding Your Role in Dismantling Unjust Systems and Creating a New World As a Business Owner

In a recent interview Saul William, (an artists who’s dedicated his life to creating awareness around societal injustices) agrees with Octavia’s advice. He hopes that people become inspired “to dismantle unjust systems by using their roles as individuals in society. So if you're a nurse, you can speak up as a nurse against what you see happening to other nurses. If you are a teacher, if you are - any position that you have in society can be, in a sense, weaponized against fascism.”

Your Dream Clients are Looking For you and care about your values

Women couldn’t legally own their own business in the United States until 1988 (that’s not even forty years ago).

Even you believing in your own vision and making space for yourself is a powerful stance against the bad guys.

People are tired of giving their money to large organizations that uphold unjust systems. Your consumers are looking for you!

91% of consumers are shopping small and local regularly. 

Consumer Boycotts have started to make big impacts on large corporations. 

• This past year Starbucks had its largest stock decline since 1992, up to 40%. Afterwards, consumer started boycott in support of their union workers. 

• Target’s decision to remove their Diversity and Inclusion initiatives resulted in loss of consumers and $12 billion in investor losses and $20B+ loss over time. 

• Spotify Immigration Enforcement Ads after their consumers opposed them. Resulted in criticism from consumers and artists. Many consumers are leaving the app and artists are removing their music. 

Examples of how Small Businesses Are Finding Their Role in Hard Times

Rejecting unjust systems isn’t new. One of my favorite examples in history of people exiling themselves from their oppressor is the story of the  American Maroons. They were a group of Africans who started to escape slavery and exiled themselves to forests in the late 1700’s. They created their own societies and governments. Start thinking about your small business as your offering to a new world that wants to exile itself from the oppressor.  

Ask your people to reflect you back. If it’s hard for you to articulate your offerings to the world and how it fits, talk it out. Your people can help you. These conversations will generate ideas around how you can better express yourself and your Personal Brand to your clients, and it might even generate new ideas for you. 

Here are a few local examples to start helping you reframe your offering for this context. 

• Service

  • Naranji JReams Small Brand Photo & Video taking a decade+ career and knowledge designing growth initiatives for large companies and redirecting it to Small Brands and services run by Women and Femmes. Helping them grow against the odds, against a system that is actively attacking our rights, our voice, our safety. 

• Local Shop

  • DYM Books and Boba, Pasadena. “D” in DYM stands for “Diversify, Delight, Decolonize your mind. A local store hosting regular creative community events, creates a safe and approachable way to “introduce diversity and change what normal looks like”. 

• Products

  • HashtagFourTwoFour: providing positive experiences and cultivating community through Soy Candles and events. Owned by two queer women. They sell their candles at local events and markets. They also host a monthly park meet up for anyone to show up and unwind and be in community. Tea, snacks, and laughs are always provided. Sometimes they bless their guests with a sound bath. 

Recap: Pep Talk from one Business Owner to another, Based in Data & Strategy

So the next time you see that meme pop up of Hugh Jackman trying to make you feel overwhelmed and apprehensive. Remember a few things

1. Women have only been legally allowed to own their own business in the United States since 1988. They fought to keep these rights from us. Even you believing in your own vision is a powerful stance against the bad guys.

2. Your business is your offering to the world. Don’t shy away from speaking out, and don’t shy away from speaking on your values and what you are offering to the world. 

3. Your dream clients and customers are looking for you. They want a new world too. And your offering, even just by being a small business owner, is creating an offering by a real human not an unjust system.

AND if you want to talk it through I’m here for free planning consultations. Happy to have a chat offer ideas, and process your role and offering for this new world <3.

xoxo,

Saira (Naranji JReams)