November 27, 2024

Shop Small, Support Women, Make an Impact: Your Guide to Small Business Saturday

Share the goods.

Let’s talk about putting your money where your values are. This Small Business Saturday, we’re hitting the streets of Grand Rapids with Congresswoman Hillary Scholten to shine a spotlight on some kickass women-owned businesses. And before you ask – yes, this is a big deal.

Despite making up half the population, women only own about 20% of all employer firms. Let that sink in for a minute. It’s 2024, and we’re still dealing with these kinds of numbers. But here’s the good news – women-owned businesses are growing twice as fast as those owned by men, and minority women business owners are leading that charge with a 14% growth rate.

This Saturday, we’re visiting some of Grand Rapids’ finest:

- New Design Floral, where Geniene is redefining what a family-owned floral business can be

- Basic Bee Boutique, where Renise Warners has been bringing unique style to GR since 2020

- Dime & Regal, where Samantha McIntosh is creating more than just jewelry – she’s building a community of women artists

- Sable Candle Co., where Courtney is lighting up our lives with conscious creation

This isn’t just about shopping. These women are economic powerhouses. Women-owned businesses employ over 10.1 million people and generate $1.8 trillion in receipts. That’s not pocket change, folks.

Yet…we’re still fighting for equal access to capital, resources, and opportunities. Sure, the SBA’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership helped over 88,000 businesses last year and supported more than 86,000 jobs. But we need more. More support, more investment, more recognition.

So here’s our challenge to you this Small Business Saturday:

1. Find women-owned businesses in your community (trust me, they’re there)

1. Spend your dollars with intention

1. Share their stories on social media

1. Come back after Saturday – these businesses need our support year-round

And for all you female entrepreneurs out there grinding every day – we see you. We support you. And we’re not shutting up about the importance of shopping women-owned businesses until those statistics look a whole lot different.

Remember: every dollar you spend is a vote for the kind of world you want to live in. Make it count.

Now if you’ll excuse me, we need to go make room on our credit cards for Saturday. These women entrepreneurs aren’t going to support themselves.

Recent Musings

Kim Bode smiles while posing for a camera inside of the 8THIRTYFOUR Learning Hub.

Be the Salesperson of ‘You’

people talking and laughing at an event at the 8THIRTYFOUR learning hub on a green and orange background

We got uncomfortable and you liked it.

Surviving the Skills Crisis

Something on Your Mind?

A little rain didn’t slow @bodespeaks down.

Kim was in Washington, D.C., this past week for #AUSA2026 - three days where Army leaders, industry partners, and the defense community come together for innovation, insight, and connection.

We can’t wait to hear some of her takeaways. Stay tuned for more soon.

@ausaorg #DefenseIndustry #Leadership #AUSA

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A little rain didn’t slow @bodespeaks down.

Kim was in Washington, D.C., this past week for #AUSA2026 - three days where Army leaders, industry partners, and the defense community come together for innovation, insight, and connection.

We can’t wait to hear some of her takeaways. Stay tuned for more soon.

@ausaorg #DefenseIndustry #Leadership #AUSA

Who made all these rules anyway?

Don’t wear color. Don’t share your ideas. Don’t put yourself out there. Don’t talk about your family.

We’re told to follow them, but @bodespeaks says question every single one. Then uncover your big hairy audacious goal, throw out the rulebook, and build a personal brand that actually works for you.

Thank you to Aggie and Cristy for having Kim on the @badass_women_in_business Podcast and, well... for being total badasses.

Listen to the full episode in bio.

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We had some fun in the office this week and asked some of the 8THIRTYFOUR team what “square up” means.

Surprisingly, the Gen Z of the group got it, but one of our Gen X’s did not (not saying any names…)

How do you “square up”?

#trending #fyp #squareup #agencylife

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We had some fun in the office this week and asked some of the 8THIRTYFOUR team what “square up” means.

Surprisingly, the Gen Z of the group got it, but one of our Gen X’s did not (not saying any names…)

How do you “square up”?

#trending #fyp #squareup #agencylife

The 834 Learning Hub is where we throw fun shindigs, where cool people come to work, where Big Deal Energy gathers, and where we push you to get uncomfortable.

It’s not your typical event or coworking space - and we like it that way. The lighting, colors, wallpaper, layout, and yes, the dogs, are all very intentional.

If you need a spot to host your offsite team training, leadership quarterly, photo shoot (dogs can be included), or you just need a space to network or cowork - reach out.

We got the goods:
- A sweet sound system
- State-of-the-art digital whiteboard
- A really big T.V. Like it’s big.
- Your own private entrance
- Free parking
- A dog (or two) if you ask nicely

Drop us a line at hello@8thirtyfour.com or click the link in bio to rent the Hub today.

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The 834 Learning Hub is where we throw fun shindigs, where cool people come to work, where Big Deal Energy gathers, and where we push you to get uncomfortable.

It’s not your typical event or coworking space - and we like it that way. The lighting, colors, wallpaper, layout, and yes, the dogs, are all very intentional.

If you need a spot to host your offsite team training, leadership quarterly, photo shoot (dogs can be included), or you just need a space to network or cowork - reach out.

We got the goods:
- A sweet sound system
- State-of-the-art digital whiteboard
- A really big T.V. Like it’s big.
- Your own private entrance
- Free parking
- A dog (or two) if you ask nicely

Drop us a line at hello@8thirtyfour.com or click the link in bio to rent the Hub today.

We love Dr. Karen May’s mission.

What if we taught our daughters AND our sons about women’s health, hormones, and pregnancy? Not as a whispered “talk” or a one-time awkward conversation. Just normal dinner-table stuff.

The girls deserve to know what’s coming (perimenopause shouldn’t be a surprise party nobody wanted). And the boys? They’ll be partners, dads, coworkers, and bosses to women going through all of it.

Thank you, Dr. May, for sharing your best practices to keep the women’s health conversation going at our Uncomfortable Conversations | The Pause event.

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We love Dr. Karen May’s mission.

What if we taught our daughters AND our sons about women’s health, hormones, and pregnancy? Not as a whispered “talk” or a one-time awkward conversation. Just normal dinner-table stuff.

The girls deserve to know what’s coming (perimenopause shouldn’t be a surprise party nobody wanted). And the boys? They’ll be partners, dads, coworkers, and bosses to women going through all of it.

Thank you, Dr. May, for sharing your best practices to keep the women’s health conversation going at our Uncomfortable Conversations | The Pause event.

Showing up to an interview with an iced coffee? Not the move… unless it’s for @bodespeaks

#icedcoffee #agency #PR #trending #grandrapids

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