Have you heard the saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’? It is a concept that believes children need the influence, nurture and support from a wider group of people beyond their immediate family. When it is said today, more often than not it is because someone is lamenting the loss of that ‘village’ concept.

In today’s society, most of us live in large communities, extended families are distant and we live a more individualistic lifestyle than in previous decades and centuries. Most of us do not experience that ‘village’ lifestyle where we are intimately involved in each others lives. There are some who are wondering how we can reclaim some of the benefits of that lifestyle.

Many local businesses seem to have been going through a similar thought process. There is a definite focus amongst many locally owned and operated businesses to highlight and promote the fact that they are local, and use that as a positive point of difference to large corporations.

The flip side of this though, is that for these businesses to succeed, the local community has to embrace the idea of supporting local business. Anecdotally, I have been encouraged by the shift I have seen over the past few years. My own business has seen a dramatic rise in local clients, who are keen to support local business.

Supporting local business helps your community economically, generates more local jobs, reduces environmental impact. It also has many benefits for the buyer, such as often knowing the source of your product (or the person who has created it), better service and increased community interaction.

So let’s claim the ‘village’ concept for our local businesses. In order for a local businesses to thrive, it takes a village to raise it: so support local business and encourage those around you to do the same.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender