One for the Small Businesses: the ugly truth of cost increases

Feb 10 , 2022

One for the Small Businesses: the ugly truth of cost increases

When I find things hard, I write. I find the unbelievable satisfaction in hearing the keys type, or my pen hit the page. My brain manages to sort some sort of sense of the madness rolling around in it. This one has been on the tip of my tongue for a few months to be honest, but it is today that I heard a news headline which pushed me to write this. I can’t remember the exact percentage it stated, but it was high:

‘Small businesses have no choice but to increase prices’

 Times are tough for everyone at the moment. Cash is tight. Everything in the world seems to be going up and do wages? No. Over the last couple of months, I have seen the cost of sweet prices increase by 20%, packaging double, turnaround time increased, courier fuel charges surge. Not to mention the £200 energy bill I pay every 4 weeks on top of a heavy rent payment. What gives? As a business you have the choice of increasing prices or not. No business owner wants to increase prices unless they see an improved service etc. however, there is no justification to increase prices apart from the fact, profit is lower and how will the business survive? How will I pay the rent/bills? How will I pay my staff? How will I survive a dark winter? These are some SERIOUS questions that small businesses will be asking themselves right now.

I don’t write this out of sympathy one bit, everyone is struggling right now. I write it out of awareness for the small businesses just trying to survive. Yeah perhaps we are more expensive, but just remember if you can shop local & small. Do. Every order and every person who steps that foot into SL, keeps us going. 

To all the small business owners out there who are fighting this each day, keep going. & just to anyone who is generally struggling right now, things will get better. Days will get lighter. If you need some real motivation: Adele – Hold On or Andra Day -Rise Up. Belters. Enough to motivate anyone, even if this goes against my indie coolness (if you know, you know) – you’ve got this!

 

Amy x


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