Respected author and “shop local” maven launches Certified Locally Owned.
/EINPresswire.com/
The revolution to revitalize local communities starts now!
Redondo Beach, California-----March 13, 2013-----Southern California native Heidi Butzine is on a mission to inspire others to change the way they shop forever. While shop local campaigns have gained an increased awareness and popularity in the past few years, Ms. Butzine believes that there’s still a need to help people understand that “shop local” is much more than a creative marketing concept. These observations led the best-selling author to create a national platform to help people find local independent businesses in their communities.
Ms. Butzine was inspired to create Certified Locally Owned while writing her recent book, Shop Local: A Practical Pain-Free Guide to Shopping With Purpose. This exploration led her to some discoveries that she knew would inspire others.
Certified Locally Owned is a business certification for independent businesses and part of a bigger mission that aims to facilitate a needed economic and quality-based consumer movement that can help a community on many levels. Many people would agree that it feels good to buy from a certified business.
Aside from the character that locally owned businesses provide to our neighborhoods, they ignite commerce, pride and tourism. Locally owned businesses are good for the community. Their proprietors are highly vested in the quality of life and important issues that shape our cities and towns.
Ms. Butzine goes on to explain that beyond the charm of a locally owned business there is a practical, economic aspect. Money spent in the community at a locally owned business stays in the community as opposed to being sent off to corporate headquarters elsewhere. Shopping local has a multiplying effect because money spent locally is also reinvested locally. Multiple studies show locally-owned independent restaurants return twice as much per dollar of revenue to our local economy than chain restaurants. And independent retailers return more than three times as much money per dollar of sales than chain competitors.
“It’s all about balance. I’m not telling people to not shop at the big chains or online, but to balance out those choices and think about what local places or service providers could provide what they need first,” states Heidi emphatically.
One of Ms. Butzine’s favorite quotes is from Margaret Mead who said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
“Do I believe that the Shop Local Movement can change the world? Here’s what I believe: our economy is not going to fix itself so it’s up to every one of us to step up and start locally by supporting our neighbors and local businesses first whenever we can,” states Ms. Butzine emphatically. “All it takes is a simple shift.”
When queried whether or not she believes that this is an idealistic point of view, Ms. Butzine states: “if expecting quality and feeling good about where my money goes is considered idealistic, I can live with that. My conclusion based on my research is that I’m not alone.”
About Heidi Butzine
Heidi Butzine is a best-selling author, entrepreneur, wine aficionado and shop local maven. Her most recent book, Shop Local: A Practical Pain-Free Guide to Shopping with Purpose, is part of her personal mission to get more people to support local businesses everywhere and strengthen the communities where they work and live.
She runs several of her own businesses and works with organizations based around her passion for writing and travel, her love of wine and her desire to help small businesses and entrepreneurs succeed. She is the founder of ShopLocal.us and Certified Locally Owned™ and creator of Wineopolis® Citizen's Guide wine travel book series.
About Certified Locally Owned
Certified Locally Owned makes it easier for people to shop local based on a proud distinction and certification of locally owned and independent businesses across the U.S. The Certified Locally Owned™ program was created to help local shoppers easily recognize locally owned or independent businesses based on our certification.
For more information, contact: Mike Mena at 310-316-0612 or mike@ileanainternational.com.
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The revolution to revitalize local communities starts now!
Redondo Beach, California-----March 13, 2013-----Southern California native Heidi Butzine is on a mission to inspire others to change the way they shop forever. While shop local campaigns have gained an increased awareness and popularity in the past few years, Ms. Butzine believes that there’s still a need to help people understand that “shop local” is much more than a creative marketing concept. These observations led the best-selling author to create a national platform to help people find local independent businesses in their communities.
Ms. Butzine was inspired to create Certified Locally Owned while writing her recent book, Shop Local: A Practical Pain-Free Guide to Shopping With Purpose. This exploration led her to some discoveries that she knew would inspire others.
Certified Locally Owned is a business certification for independent businesses and part of a bigger mission that aims to facilitate a needed economic and quality-based consumer movement that can help a community on many levels. Many people would agree that it feels good to buy from a certified business.
Aside from the character that locally owned businesses provide to our neighborhoods, they ignite commerce, pride and tourism. Locally owned businesses are good for the community. Their proprietors are highly vested in the quality of life and important issues that shape our cities and towns.
Ms. Butzine goes on to explain that beyond the charm of a locally owned business there is a practical, economic aspect. Money spent in the community at a locally owned business stays in the community as opposed to being sent off to corporate headquarters elsewhere. Shopping local has a multiplying effect because money spent locally is also reinvested locally. Multiple studies show locally-owned independent restaurants return twice as much per dollar of revenue to our local economy than chain restaurants. And independent retailers return more than three times as much money per dollar of sales than chain competitors.
“It’s all about balance. I’m not telling people to not shop at the big chains or online, but to balance out those choices and think about what local places or service providers could provide what they need first,” states Heidi emphatically.
One of Ms. Butzine’s favorite quotes is from Margaret Mead who said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
“Do I believe that the Shop Local Movement can change the world? Here’s what I believe: our economy is not going to fix itself so it’s up to every one of us to step up and start locally by supporting our neighbors and local businesses first whenever we can,” states Ms. Butzine emphatically. “All it takes is a simple shift.”
When queried whether or not she believes that this is an idealistic point of view, Ms. Butzine states: “if expecting quality and feeling good about where my money goes is considered idealistic, I can live with that. My conclusion based on my research is that I’m not alone.”
About Heidi Butzine
Heidi Butzine is a best-selling author, entrepreneur, wine aficionado and shop local maven. Her most recent book, Shop Local: A Practical Pain-Free Guide to Shopping with Purpose, is part of her personal mission to get more people to support local businesses everywhere and strengthen the communities where they work and live.
She runs several of her own businesses and works with organizations based around her passion for writing and travel, her love of wine and her desire to help small businesses and entrepreneurs succeed. She is the founder of ShopLocal.us and Certified Locally Owned™ and creator of Wineopolis® Citizen's Guide wine travel book series.
About Certified Locally Owned
Certified Locally Owned makes it easier for people to shop local based on a proud distinction and certification of locally owned and independent businesses across the U.S. The Certified Locally Owned™ program was created to help local shoppers easily recognize locally owned or independent businesses based on our certification.
For more information, contact: Mike Mena at 310-316-0612 or mike@ileanainternational.com.
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