Having my own side business, I can personally confirm that I do a little dance when family or friends buy something from me, but that doesn’t mean that’s the only time I do a happy dance. I also do when I see them give my company some love!

Maybe you’re on a budget, or maybe you aren’t into what your friend is selling, but there are still ways to support them and make them do a little happy dance.

With the number of people who have a side business at an all time high, I thought I’d offer some ways for you to support your friend’s business without spending a cent!

Follow their Business Account(s)

The easiest thing you can do is click the little “Follow” or “Like” button on their social accounts and follow their blog! Chances are they’re trying to grow their reach and each follow counts.

Their site will likely have social icons for each account they have on it, so check it out. Maybe you didn’t know they had a Pinterest page, but love their style and will like their pins!

Like / Comment on their Posts

In a world where companies use number of likes and comments on posts to determine if they want to partner with a brand, every “like” counts to your small business friends.

The constant with Facebook and Instagram’s always changing algorithms is engagement with posts, so when you see their post in your feed, give it a like. If you really like it, comment on it and say it!

Share Posts that Strike a Chord with You

If there’s a post that you really like or you think your friends might like, share it! Add it to your stories, share it on Facebook, retweet it. You never know who you is in your network that might be interested, so by sharing the post or event, you’re expanding the reach and your friend’s business network.

Example: A friend of mine is hosting a sweetgrass basket class in a few weeks. I took a similar class a few months ago, so won’t attend, but others asked me about my experience and expressed interest in attending one, so I shared it so others would know about it and could sign up!

Tag Them when You’re with Them

One of my biggest pet peeves is when I see something cute or an interesting account on a social channel and it’s not tagged so I can’t connect with the account or follow them.

Next time you’re at happy hour, see their products in a store, or use something of theirs and are posting about it – tag them! Similar to my last point, this helps easily connect them to anyone in your network that’s interested in what you post.

Promote Them in Conversation

If someone mentions looking for XYZ and your friend does that, tell them and share their information!

I love when I get a custom request or order that mentions “X told me about you” because they think highly enough about me or my items to share it with someone else!

Represent Them!

If you have a chance to wear or use something of theirs when out, do it (and take a pic 😉 )! I love when I get a pic of my can cooler in Greece or champagne glasses at a wedding, plus it gives me content to share and show my love for my customers.

If you’re going somewhere and think you could take a cool picture of something of theirs while you’re there – ask if you could borrow it! When I’m away from Charleston, I just love wearing jewelry or clothes from friends and proudly say who made it when asked.

Hopefully this list will give you some ideas on how to support your friends! From personal experience, I really do get excited anytime I see a friend share a post of mine, send a picture of a CK item “out in the wild” or have someone reach out to me because of a friend.

If you don’t already, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Etsy & Pinterest!