The Support ATX: Small Business Passport program is a collaborative initiative created to encourage holiday shoppers to choose small, local businesses over big box retailers. As the holiday season approaches, this program aims to strengthen the local economy by inspiring shoppers to explore and support small businesses throughout Austin. Designed to foster community engagement, the program highlights the unique offerings of our local businesses and rewards customers for their commitment to supporting Austin’s vibrant small business community during this critical time of year.
How It Works: Participants in the Small Business Passport program will receive a stack of custom-designed passport booklets. Each time a customer makes a purchase at one of the participating small businesses, they will receive a unique sticker in their passport. The program will feature a variety of businesses across Austin, each offering a distinct sticker to encourage customers to explore different shops. The program will run from 11/1/24–12/31/24.
Rewarding Loyalty: Once a customer has collected stickers from 5 of the participating businesses, they will be eligible to receive special offers and discounts when they visit participating businesses in January 2025. This reward is our way of saying thank you for supporting local enterprises and helping to keep Austin’s small business community thriving.
Program Benefits:
- For Customers: The passport provides a fun and engaging way to discover new local businesses while earning rewards for their loyalty.
- For Businesses: By joining the Small Business Passport program, you will benefit from increased foot traffic, greater brand visibility, and the opportunity to attract new, loyal customers.
- For the Community: This initiative fosters a stronger sense of community, encourages local shopping, and supports the economic sustainability of Austin’s small businesses.
Call to Action: We invite you to join us in this exciting initiative. By participating in the Small Business Passport program, you will not only increase your customer base but also contribute to a collaborative effort to keep Austin’s small business community vibrant and resilient. Let’s work together to make this program a success, offering an unforgettable experience to both locals and visitors alike.
Investment in the Community: To ensure the Small Business Passport program runs smoothly and achieves its goal of promoting local businesses, each participating business is asked to contribute a one-time fee of $300. This contribution will go towards the production of high-quality passports and 500 custom stickers unique to your shop.
What the Contribution Covers:
- Passport Printing: Professionally designed and printed passports that will be distributed to customers. These passports will serve as a tangible reminder of their journey through Austin’s small business community.
- Custom Stickers: Each business will receive a supply of custom-designed stickers featuring their logo or a unique design that represents their brand. These stickers will be placed onto passports to denote the customer has made a purchase at each business.
- Marketing Materials: The contribution will also help cover the cost of promotional materials and efforts to market the Small Business Passport program city-wide, driving more customers to your door.
Why This Matters: The $300 contribution is not just a fee—it’s an investment in a collaborative effort to boost the visibility and success of Austin’s small businesses. By pooling resources, we can create a unified, high-impact program that highlights the diversity and uniqueness of our local businesses, making it a must-experience for both residents and visitors.
A Shared Commitment: We believe that this small contribution will pay significant dividends in the form of increased customer engagement, foot traffic, and loyalty. Your participation and investment will directly contribute to the success of the program and, by extension, to the ongoing vitality of Austin’s small business community.
Next Steps:
- Sign Up: Interested businesses can sign up and pay their fee by October 20 to be included in the program.
- Promote the Program: Spread the word to your customers about the Small Business Passport and encourage them to participate.
- Prepare for January 2025: Develop a special offer for those who complete their passports, redeemable starting in January 2025. Expiration dates are unique to each business. We will collect the information for your offer during the sign-up process.
The Small Business Passport program is more than just a loyalty program—it’s a celebration of what makes Austin’s small businesses special. By participating, you will join a community of local entrepreneurs dedicated to supporting each other and providing unique, memorable experiences for our customers. We look forward to working together to make this initiative a success for everyone involved.