Company Announcement - South Africans across the country are encouraged to show their support for small businesses through the new Shop Small Business and Small Business Friday movement – an initiative by the National Small Business Chamber with Nedbank as the title sponsor.

Shop Small Business and the Small Business Friday movement is calling on the nation to get behind the job creators, nations builders, entrepreneurs, and the hardworking men and women who make up the backbone of the economy by owning or working in a small business. The movement aims to encourage and inspire South Africans to make a big impact by supporting small businesses all year round, elevating on Fridays, and peaking on Small Business Friday – falling on the first Friday of spring each year.

The movement, now in its fourth year is expanding and ramping up efforts in 2015 with a brand new call to Shop Small Business ahead of Small Business Friday on 4 September. “This is the day when the 365 day, 24/7 Shop Small Business movement peaks,” explains Mike Anderson, CEO and Founder of the NSBC. “It’s a one-day high action drive to get even more South Africans to support, visit and spend at a small business. You can't buy happiness, but you can buy from a small business and that's almost the same. When you shop at small businesses, you impact the owner, the employees, their families, the community, and South Africa as a whole.”

Small businesses play a pivotal role in the socio-economic development of our country. “Not only do they currently contribute to over 35 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product, but according to Small Enterprise Development Agency they also employ over half the number of people who work in the private sector,” says Tracy Afonso, Head of Small Business Banking at Nedbank. “Therefore, it is in this spirit that Nedbank, as a bank for small businesses has supported Small Business Friday since its inception in 2012.”

By getting involved in the Shop Small Business and Small Business Friday movement, South Africans will be able to lend their much needed support to small businesses so they can grow, employ more, reduce unemployment, and nurture the country’s entrepreneurial spirit. “Friday 4 September marks Small Business Friday, but it’s about so much more than just one day. Through Shop Small Business we’re aiming to bring about permanent change so small businesses can thrive all year round with the backing of all South Africans,” says Anderson.

In the run up to Small Business Friday, business owners and individuals can visit www.smallbusinessfriday.co.za to learn more about the movement, how to get involved, as well as how to promote their own small businesses. South Africans can also share their stories of the small businesses they enjoy supporting the most, and stay up to date with all the Shop Small Business and Small Business Friday happenings via the Small Business Friday Facebook page and on Twitter via @smallbizfriday using the hash tag #SmallBusinessFriday.