The gradual reopening of businesses across the country has been grasped as the opportunity to launch a new campaign designed to help small businesses recover more quickly by getting big businesses to support them.
The #bigforsmall campaign aims to encourage big businesses to empower their employees to shop and spend at small businesses that are trying to get back on their feet after months of lockdown and reduced patronage.
The campaign is organised by Breathe HR and its parent company ELMO Software. Breathe HR are giving its employees $20 per person per day to spend at small businesses near the company’s offices in Sydney and Melbourne, and the employees of ELMO Software will also receive cash to spend supporting small businesses near its offices.
Other big businesses are being encouraged to think of other ways they can participate, such as longer lunch breaks or provide suggestions to employees like visiting a local hairdresser or nail salon. A dedicated campaign page has been created to give organisations more information about how they can launch their own #bigforsmall initiative.
ELMO Software CEO and Co-founder Danny Lessem said getting small businesses back on their feet was key to the success of the Australian economy.
“Small businesses are vital to the Australian economy,” Lessem said. “They’ve been through an incredibly tough time during these lockdowns and need all of us to do our bit to help them get back to normal. Small businesses are major employers and contributors to economic output.
“Without them the economy is demonstrably worse off. The driver behind this campaign is to harness the power of bigger businesses’ workforces for good by empowering employees to spend at small businesses.
“Deciding to reopen is a tricky decision for a lot of small operators who may be worried about sales volumes and patronage,” Lessem added. “Small businesses need to know that the broader business community and Australian workers are ready to support them with patronage so they can reopen with confidence. I encourage all business leaders to think about how their organisation can support the small businesses around them and get on board the #bigforsmall campaign.”
