PIERRE (SD) – The South Dakota Retailers Association (SDRA) and Junior Achievement (JA) of South Dakota encourage you to shop Mom & Pop businesses on Small Business Saturday, November 27, and support organizations that teach entrepreneurial skills on Giving Tuesday, November 30.
SDRA and JA support current and future entrepreneurs and celebrate the skills that make them successful.
“The Saturday after Thanksgiving is a great time to support small businesses within our communities,” said SDRA Executive Director Nathan Sanderson. “This year, we encourage you to also consider the entrepreneurial and financial literacy skills our store owners need to run a thriving business.”
Small business owners possess perseverance, adaptability, and courage. JA works to develop these enterprising skills in students by bringing experienced community members into classrooms to teach children these practical, worthwhile skills.
“Entrepreneurship drives innovation, creates jobs, and builds communities, but these survey results raise some concerns about what business creation will look like in the future,” said JA of South Dakota President Kayla Eitreim. “It’s important that we encourage young people to consider business ownership as a worthwhile career option for the future. That’s why encouraging entrepreneurial mindsets is a key focus for Junior Achievement’s educational experiences.”
In South Dakota, many shop owners have taken skills learned in JA and brought them directly into their own businesses.
“Junior Achievement helps students make a connection between what they are learning in school and success in life including careers. If you want an opportunity to influence and inspire your future workforce and community members, you will find JA extremely rewarding,” said Joel Vockrodt of Office Peeps.
“Finance, accounting, and basic money management are useful skills for life and work,” says Nancy Savage, owner of Child’s Play Toys. “If we can help inspire youngsters to be business owners, they will give back to the communities that supported them.”
As you make your way to Main Street this weekend, consider looking at local by remembering to Shop Mom & Pop on Small Business Saturday and contribute to organizations that instill bedrock entrepreneurial skills in South Dakota’s future community leaders.
