With Amazon just a click away and giant Walmart locations on what feels like every corner, it’s easy to fall into the big retail trap. Yet now more than ever, it’s important to support small businesses—and as we’ll share in the small business quotes below, it can be incredibly powerful.
In the last six years, the number of small businesses in the United States has grown by 4 million, up to a total of nearly 35 million in 2025. These companies are small yet mighty, making up 43.5% of the country’s GDP and employing almost half of our workforce.
Beyond their role as economic powerhouses, small businesses offer a wealth of other benefits as well. From an entrepreneurial perspective, they give people the opportunity to pursue their passions and turn ambitions into a reality. Looking at the consumer perspective, they bring creative new products and services to market. From a local perspective, they help to strengthen communities through both revenue and relationship building.
Shopping small is a win, and this collection of positive small business quotes helps us to see their value from all angles. These sayings and phrases remind us of the impact of small businesses, give business owners and employees encouragement and can even help persuade customers to buy local.
Small Business Quotes to Motivate Owners
To all the small business owners and entrepreneurs out there: we commend you as superheroes of the retail world. You wear many hats and attempt to be everywhere at once to fulfill your dream, but also serve your community. It’s a job that can be wildly rewarding, but one that also requires a great deal of dedication and perseverance.
Whenever you find yourself having doubts or wanting to quit, remember your “why”—the very reason you started this journey in the first place. Stay focused and realistic. Celebrate your wins and learn from your failures. Above all else, don’t give up. Oftentimes, the greatest successes follow the most difficult challenges.
The work you’re doing matters, and these encouraging quotes for small business owners can provide some motivation to keep going.
- “Anyone who runs a business that’s sustainable and profitable, whether it’s big or small, should be proud.” —Jason Fried, Rework
- “Effective innovations start small. They are not grandiose. They try to do one specific thing.” —Peter Drucker, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- “The capacity to make ideas happen is a combination of the forces of organization, community, and leadership.” —Scott Belsky, Making Ideas Happen
- “Start today, not tomorrow. If anything, you should have started yesterday.” —Emil Motycka
- “Leaders make sure people not only see the vision, they live and breathe it.” —Jack Welch, Winning
- “I knew that if I failed I wouldn’t regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not trying.” —Jeff Bezos
- “I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it.” —Estee Lauder
- “Something I had to learn as a woman in business, to ask for help, and to not be afraid of criticism.” —Jessica Alba
- “Tell your story, refusing to let others define you. Use authentic experiences to inspire. Stick to your values, they are your foundation. Hold people accountable but give them the tools to succeed. Make the tough choices; it’s how you execute that counts. Be decisive in times of crisis. Be nimble. Find truth in trials and lessons in mistakes. Be responsible for what you see, hear, and do. Believe.” —Howard Schultz, Onward
Related: Tips and Resources to Scale Your Small Business
Small Business Owner Quotes to Inspire Employees
Just as it can take a village to raise a child, it can take a village to get a small business off the ground. Countless people will typically contribute to the process, with some of the most important players being your own employees. These are the people who will interact with your customers, embody your brand and help you grow your business. As such, it’s important to treat them with respect and give them the tools they need to succeed in their role.
The following ‘hustle’ small business quotes offer advice and encouragement to employees. Use them in your next team meeting or tape them up in the break room to inspire and uplift your team.
- “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” —Bill Gates, Business @ The Speed of Thought
- “Great things in business are never done by one person, they are done by a team of people.” —Steve Jobs
- “The simple act of paying positive attention to people has a great deal to do with productivity.” —Thomas Peters, In Search of Excellence
- “Make a customer not a sale.” —Katherine Barchetti
- “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” —Helen Reimensnyder Martin, Those Fitzenbergers
- “The work you put in when no one is watching will matter far more than the work you do when the cameras are rolling.” —Leslie Odom Jr., Failing Up
Related: 55 Determination Quotes to Power Your Passion and Push You Further
‘Support Small Business:’ Quotes On Its Value and Impact
According to data from the Small Business Administration (SBA), small businesses made up 99.9% of all firms in the United States in 2023. Not only that, but small businesses accounted for 62.7% of net new job creation between 1995 and 2023.
Owning a small business is the definition of the American dream. These companies have also become vital to our country’s economy, providing us with jobs, innovation and community support. We recognize the value of small businesses during events like Small Business Saturday (the weekend after Thanksgiving), Small Business Month (in May) and National Women’s Small Business Month (in October). However, these quotes remind us how important it is to support them all year long.
- “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the cornerstone of our communities.” —Barack Obama
- “Most new jobs won’t come from our biggest employers. They will come from our smallest. We’ve got to do everything we can to make entrepreneurial dreams a reality.” —Ross Perot
- “Small business is the American economy.” —Kevin O’Leary
- “Behind every small business, there’s a story worth knowing. All the corner shops in our towns and cities, the restaurants, cleaners, gyms, hair salons, hardware stores—these didn’t come out of nowhere. A lot of heart goes into each one.” —Paul Ryan
- “It’s not government that creates jobs; it’s small business.” —Karen Mills
- “Small businesses represent a fundamental American promise that if you work hard, if you just get a chance, there’s nothing that can’t be done.” —Joe Biden
- “Our small businesses are the largest source of job creation in our country.” —Linda McMahon
Shopping small comes with numerous benefits for the business owner and local community, but for the shopper as well. Smaller-scale companies offer personalized services and locally made products with a unique flair. This makes for an experience that’s more intimate and thoughtful than one from a larger corporation.
These original SUCCESS® quotes let consumers know what they can gain—and the impact they can make—by utilizing services and buying products from small businesses. Pair them with a promotion post on social media or even use them on your local brand website to communicate this important message to the public.
- “Support your community. Shop local.”
- “Small businesses make the world go round. Show them some love.”
- “Shopping small allows you to not only buy but discover.”
- “Support a small business, support a dream.”
- “Shopping small is about more than just products. It’s about community and connection.”
- “Skip the big box. Invest in your own neighborhood and the familiar faces you see every day.”
- “Small businesses–where every customer is valued and every sale counts.”
- “A world of handmade goods and one-of-a-kind wonders awaits. Choose small.”
- “Choose small businesses for the story. Stay for the service and quality.”
- “Bigger isn’t always better. Turn to small businesses when you want a more personal touch.”
The Importance of Customer Quotes for Small Businesses
The saying “the customer is always right” might feel cliche, but many feel it’s also accurate. Customers are typically the important piece of a business. It’s important to keep their wants, needs and opinions in mind.
The following quotes will help you to keep customer satisfaction at the forefront of your small business. They might also provide you with some strategy inspiration you can use to build customer loyalty.
- “Every company’s greatest assets are its customers, because without customers there is no company. It’s that simple.” —Michael LeBoeuf, How to Win Customers and Keep Them For Life
- “Every purchase you make is a vote for the world you want to live in.” —Steve Russell
- “It’s easier to stay connected to customers and give them that one-on-one experience when you are small. The customers are the lifeblood of your company so you do everything in your power to keep them.” —John Rampton
- “The customer is our boss.” —Sam Walton, Sam Walton, Made in America
- “Customer service is the new marketing. It is the way that businesses are differentiating, and companies that can provide faster, more empathetic customer care reap loyalty and churn reduction rewards that can have geometric impacts on profitability.” —Jay Baer
- “The only productive solution is to find a lock and then fashion a key. It’s easier to make products and services for the customers you seek to serve than it is to find customers for your products and services.” —Seth Godin, This Is Marketing
- “Quality in a product or service is not what the supplier puts in. It is what the customer gets out and is willing to pay for.” —Peter Drucker, Innovation & Entrepreneurship
‘Thank You for Supporting My Small Business:’ Quotes for Customer Appreciation
The final piece of the small business puzzle is showing gratitude towards your customers. To say thanks, consider using these appreciation messages on your social media pages, in your store or even as part of your packaging and brand materials. Short notes like these can go a long way in helping you to secure repeat business, create new business through word of mouth and form a positive brand image. Use these original sayings, written by the SUCCESS® team, to share how much you appreciate your customers.
- “Thank you for shopping small and supporting our entire community.”
- “We celebrate each order and value every person who walks through our door. Thank you for stopping in!”
- “Every order helps to fuel our dream. We truly appreciate the role you play in our journey.”
- “When you shop local, you support real people with a passion. Thanks for believing in us!”
- “We are forever grateful for your business and hope to see you again soon!”
- “Thanks for choosing us. It’s been a pleasure to serve you!”
- “We hope we’ve brightened your day just as you’ve brightened ours! Thanks for your order.”
- “Your support is never taken for granted. We couldn’t do it without you.”
- “Your purchase today made a difference. We can’t thank you enough!”
- “Thank you for being a valued customer at our small business.”
Use Small Business Quotes for Inspiration
Whether you’re an owner, employee or customer, these quotes help us all to see the power of small businesses. These companies are more than just storefronts or services. They’re a creative representation of our communities, the execution of real dreams and fuel for our economy on a local and national scale.
Choosing to build a small business from the ground up is a brave decision. Choosing to support one is also a conscious choice. Both are worth the time and effort. Let these sayings serve as a reminder to shop local, support the doers and dreamers and celebrate the opportunity and originality small businesses represent.
Photo by Amnaj Khetsamtip/Shutterstock.
