National Be Heard Day is a holiday that falls on March 7th annually and is designed to encourage small business owners to make their presence known to politicians and the general public. Too many small businesses fail to get recognized as being part of the wider community, and this day is designed to rectify that problem. It’s also a day on which the general public can show their support for the small businesses that can be found locally in their neighborhoods. Additionally, it’s a day when communities can showcase some of their local small businesses that might otherwise go unnoticed.

The History of National Be Heard Day

This holiday was first created in 2004 by Shannon Cherry. Shannon was a marketing and business strategist who knew that small businesses often have a hard time competing with larger companies that have huge marketing budgets, so she invented a holiday that would help small businesses level the playing field—if only for a day.

Facts About Small Businesses

During the course of our research, we’ve come across some interesting facts about small businesses. Facts that we’d like to share with everyone reading this right now. Let’s take a few moments and look over some of these facts so we can all get a better appreciation of small businesses and what they contribute to the community.

• Small businesses outnumber corporations in the U.S. by over 1,100 to 1.
• Over two-thirds of all small businesses are operated and owned by a single person.
• Almost 60% of the workforce in the U.S. is employed by small businesses.
• Small businesses pay over 44% of the entire U.S. payroll.
• Only half of small businesses will survive the 5-year mark.
• A third of all small businesses rely on credit for their financing.
• It costs six times as much to open a small business in India as it does in the U.S.

Observing National Be Heard Day

Depending on whether you’re a small business, a community that has a variety of different small businesses within your borders, or a consumer, it is going to determine how you’re going to observe this holiday.

If you’re a consumer, then you are going to want to make sure that you shop at your favorite small business, that you tell other people about a small business you like to frequent, and that you give small businesses positive reviews.

If you’re a small business, then you can use this holiday to find your voice. You can take a good look at how you market your business, you can study social media trends, and you can interact with your customers to see which of your advertising methods work and which ones don’t.

If you’re a community leader or advocate, then you can help small businesses in your area generate more business by highlighting their businesses, or you can provide seminars on how small businesses can better use social media to their advantage.

Of course, no matter how you observe this holiday, you can always use the hashtag #NationalBeHeardDay to bring attention to it or to bring attention to small businesses that might otherwise slip under the radar.