There have been what feels like a million stories passed along through this page.....your words and inspiration, telling it like it is, joyful news, happy updates, celebrations and tales of success, all blended together with harsh reality and the bitter side of life when doors have been closed and someone has had to say goodbye to what may have been the biggest part of their lives. There's really no way to list the immense range of topics and conversations we've had here (!!), and some of you who have been around for a long time - maybe since the beginning when I had no idea what I was doing but felt a desperate need to say SOMETHING about the people and places who've brought such joy and value to their communities - may have seen this small effort evolve over the years.
The material and blog posts and admittedly odd images didn't come easily. This page has been a challenge in so many ways as I've struggled to improve my writing, post reminders about holidays, create better graphics and messages, attempt to put out blog posts with sincere thoughts I believed mattered... today, all I can hope is that what's been said DID reach someone and perhaps, even made a small difference.
Where I was ten years ago is planets and galaxies away from where I am now.....there have been so many changes and shifts in my life I can barely wrap my head around the last decade. In 2012 I thought I was a fairy princess living a dream. Many of the things I'd hoped for were coming true, and after a rough start in life I felt I was on top of the world - but there were so many things I'd begun to notice about how people viewed small business, often ignoring what was right in front of them and falling into the lure of the big box stores - I thought something needed to be said, and somehow the idea entered my mind that I was the one to say them.
Now, looking back, I almost wish I'd waited a few years to start doing something like this. I'd grown up in a very strange environment, and in 2012 hadn't yet realized a learning disability and somewhat fractured brain were a part of my world; after all, when you've always been a certain way, you tend not to see things as easily. I struggled a lot with writing and my thoughts were kind of like a bunch of monkeys that had raided a candy store; all over the place and not easy to corral, but I plunged ahead anyway. A few years later, I finally found an odd but brilliant doctor who "got" me and understood part of the problem, and after another couple of years, a new medical provider found the solution I never knew I needed. (If anyone was around ten years ago you'd probably noticed I couldn't always connect the dots or make my point well about a particular topic, however my passion for American entrepreneurs fueled and kept encouraging me to keep trying to bring some kind of perspective to the public; consumers; society.
I had the passion but not always the means to harness what could have been said, and in a way I blame myself for why this page was never taken seriously by "the big guys" who ran organizations devoted to indie business growth and movements. I felt I was shunned by others who had a staff of writers or an organized group of individuals to generate professional content, and after a few years I simply gave up trying to connect with them; chalking the cold shoulder up to my lack of communication skills. It used to bother me nothing I wrote made it anywhere, however I didn't have a very well defined mission and still struggled with writing. Funny thing was, about five years ago I started noticing my content turning up.....a LOT. Images I'd made appeared on other pages, my quotes were being replicated, and folks were actually repeating words I'd said. Woo hoo, I thought to myself; I've made it! 😄 Being noticed, however, had never been my sole goal, so I just kept on working to improve my images and messages which I hoped might serve to open minds or encourage folks to look past what everyone else was doing, i.e., following the herd to walmart or Amazon. When some of my material began getting shared more (thank you!!), I convinced myself there was indeed a place for the kind of content I was cooking up.
By then, however, everything in my life had changed. I fought hard to keep it from happening; failed to navigate the process with grace and poise, and went through each day kicking and screaming. Out of darkness eventually comes light (that's one I repeated to myself A LOT), and around 2019 there was an ending of sorts to an incredibly difficult journey.....and the beginning of a new chapter.
Since then, I've read, researched, and asked a lot of questions of readers, owners and followers. I'm immensely thankful for each and every one of you for your feedback, comments and suggestions, which I've attempted to integrate into better messages and graphics. I don't know if they are reaching the audience who needs to hear what I'm saying, but the material is out there. I juggle a lot of hats these days, work, running a few nonprofits, and a house full of rescued animals, but I still believe feel there is a need for small businesses to have a much louder voice, and i hope to in some way, fill a need in the future. Thank you for letting me be a small part of your lives, businesses and stories. I love you all and am so grateful to have such wonderful people to connect with, learn from, and celebrate. THANK YOU.
Sincerely,
A.B. from the little page with the long name
Go Independent, Shop Small (Anywhere, USA)
aka "livelocalusa", launched January 25th, 2012
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