The Business of Indie - Saving the Economy

In the last 15 years, the U.S. Small Business Administration has reported that small businesses have generated 64% of net new jobs.

Sixty-Four percent. That's huge.

But there are more figures we can look at to show how much the small and independent business is set to boost our economy. For example, beginning this July, 32% of companies with less than 500 employees plan to add job openings and a quarter of companies with 50 or fewer employees plan to begin hiring help through the rest of the year.

There's the other side of the coin, too: new small businesses cropping up from the minds of 'intellectual capital' are serving as the primary or secondary source of income for a growing number of entrepreneurs.

"Historically, it has been the small business sector that has created the most jobs at the end of an economic downturn, allowing the overall job market to bounce back faster," said Brent Rasmussen, President of CareerBuilder North America.

So, not only are new jobs being added but new businesses with newer, fresher visions are in the perfect position to set themselves apart as a quality provider of goods or services that may ensure even more success as the economy improves.

What is Indie Anyway?

What is the Indie design movement? Fair question. To put it most simply, indie refers to independent designers, artists, crafters, and others who make a delectable smorgasbord of unbelievable products -- from scratch.

That's the simple answer. Indie has come to mean so much more than "independent". Indie has come to symbolize ideas about originality, fresh concepts, culture, and so much more. For those who consider themselves to be part of the indie design movement, it also means doing business (or operating business) in ways that aren't associated with big-box corporations. It means supporting artisans who earn their living project-by-project, rather than settling for mass-produced items forged in factories.

Why does Indie Matter?

Sometime in the not-so-distant past, we industrialized creatures of habit came to think of "handcrafted" as being synonymous with "inferior". Who knows why, when we've thrived upon the love sewn into hand-seamed clothing and wooden toys for generations. We continue to treasure the d©cor, quilts, and other handcrafts our mothers and grandmothers labored for months on.

Whatever the reason behind this thinking, it's been a slow process to turn it back around. We're finally starting to see that something crafted by hand '" while costing more initially because of the labor involved '" pays dividends in quality. Handmade products contain fine details that simply can't be replicated by machine. And we're guaranteed that the items we're enjoying weren't created in a sweatshop somewhere halfway around the world.

The real reason Indie Design matters, though, is the individuals behind the work. Consider how much knowledge has disappeared over time for no reason other than that people stopped sharing the "how to". Centuries later, we puzzle over the intricate works created by some culture long ago, and wish we knew how the artists created such masterpieces.

Our arts and crafts are part of our culture, and if we allow them to be lost, we lose something very special. Just by being involved, you're helping preserve our unique cultures.

Why You Matter Within Indie

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, indie businesses employ over half of all private sector employees - and account for more than half of all non-farming private gross domestic product. In other words, your indie business (whether you own, work for, or buy from) is helping 50% of all private employees keep a job.

Take some real time to consider the 'Stay Local, Buy Local' concept, and how you fit within its realm. The more we can help our individual communities and, in return, our neighbors, the more we all contribute to the betterment of a bad situation.