Launching on Small Business Saturday, Business Impact NW is partnering with Intentionalist, an online guide to purposeful spending at diverse local businesses
The two organizations are both passionate about supporting local small businesses owned by people and families from marginalized communities: women, people of color, veterans, immigrants, refugees, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Business Impact NW offers loans and technical assistance to small business owners. Intentionalist’s online directory of these small businesses connects consumers to their communities through mindfully engaging with the local economy.
As President & CEO Joe Sky-Tucker, puts it, “Our goal at Business Impact NW is to be a resource for small businesses – all of them”
Where Business Impact NW helps to create and uplift jobs in economically marginalized businesses through microfinancing and business training, counseling, and classes, Intentionalist further champions people in those jobs by helping those businesses continue to grow.
Laura Clise, Founder and CEO of Intentionalist, shares the same pride for those businesses that Business Impact NW does. From her passion about intentional and responsible spending she created a one-stop site to drive customers to underserved businesses. Joe adds, “If other organizations are doing something, we see it not as competition but as more help for those businesses. Intentionalist focuses on building up historically disenfranchised businesses and is able to drive customers to them. We want to help build those same businesses to be strong, but have less of the ability to drive customers to them.”
The partnership between these two organizations that value community diversity and connection includes sharing their business directories. They enlarge the online guide from which consumers can learn where to “spend like it matters,” as Intentionalist’s slogan advocates.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @businessimpactnw to stay up to date on how to engage with the launch of this partnership on Small Business Saturday 2019. Submit a photo as you document where you shop on November 30th. Business Impact NW and Intentionalist will soon be sharing a comprehensive list of participating businesses.
In the meantime, visit www.intentionalist.com to learn more about the partnership from their perspective.
About the author
Katrina Herzog
Katrina Herzog has spent the majority of her professional life working in childcare, youth education, and social services. She is a documentary photographer and recently received a Master of Social Work at University of Washington.