OC Chamber promoting Small Businesses

Year round, the Oconee County Chamber of Commerce celebrates and promotes small businesses in the Upstate of South Carolina; however, this week extra emphasis is being given to these backbones of the economy. This is National Small Business Week, explains Oconee Chamber executive director Jillian Lusk. “This week is designated as National Small Business Week. Most people do not realize how much impact small business make, across the entire country, 99.7% of the American economy is made up of small businesses.” A small business is defined as having fewer than 500 employees. In Oconee County, the majority of businesses are much smaller, continues Lusk. “We have over 1,500 businesses and 70% of those have less than ten employees. So we really have a culture for fostering small businesses here and it is so important that we as consumers and as business professionals support our local small businesses.” Small business give back to the local community, concludes Lusk. “Every $100 that you spend, $68 goes back to your local economy at a small local business compared to about $45 for bigger retail store.” Learn more about small businesses in Oconee County by visiting www.oconeechambersc.com.