Dollars & Cents: Subculture Perks

Folks like me, who write for pay, are a part of an ever-growing community of professionals within the subclutures of the indie biz community. We work for ourselves. We network and do business with others inside the community as often as possible before doing business outside of it.

To succeed doesn’t require expensive advertising. Advertising within the community itself, providing quality service and products people like and want, and working with integrity are the trademarks of success. Past the financial benefits, it gets personal. The businesses look out for one another and their customers. 

Within this community, the scope narrows with more communities defined by cultures, religions, hobbies, food and medicine preferences, nationalities, etcetera. Their members, both buyers and sellers, have learned the importance of promoting each other and trading within these circles that make up a part of a much larger, global circle.

The differences within each sub-community are appreciated and respected personally and professionally. Sometimes the clients shop within multiple circles of these communities, and sometimes not. 

Freedom to choose who to buy from and whom to provide service to is a large part of the heartbeat of the free market system. 

---

foto via Alicia Phillips of On Story Street

Dual Devotion

This is a buyer-seller environment where devoted customers are the norm. I know of a woman who drives 30 miles to buy a couple bars of soap from her favorite organic soap business. She learned of the business by word-of-mouth and has been a solid client since first using their products.

The devotion comes from the sellers too. A superior aspect of the indie biz community is the businesses get to know their customers and strive to provide them products and services they enjoy.

An example could be a baker. If they’ve got a dedicated client who loves gooseberry tarts (pun intended), they’re likely to keep at least a few on hand when they know the client is due to shop. The client understands the baker appreciates their business. Neither are just another face in the crowd.

Adding another perk to this scenario, let’s pretend the baker only uses organic ingredients, and they don’t own their own gooseberry bushes. Within their indie biz circle is a farmer who produces organic goods, free of pesticides and chemical growth enhancement agents and also has ... ta-dahhhh! gooseberry bushes!

The farmer sells to the baker. The baker sells to the tart lover (pun intended). Everyone benefits and no one had to drive to the mall. 

Something’s missing

A few things I miss since moving back to the rivers’ land in southern Indiana, are the variety of vendors encountered on a regular basis in other places I’ve lived. The food vendors selling goods from their mobile RV kitchens were amazing. They were so loved that people would drive long distances to get to them, even knowing they’d likely have to wait in a long line, to be served.

Never know, maybe one of these days we'll have one of those in Posey County. If we do, I bet the first one is likely to be Denise Rapp of New Harmony. Wishful thinking can get us places! 

Competition is regarded as healthy there, often with multiple businesses providing the same or similar goods. The nice aspect was having the choice of whom to purchase from based on either the goods, or the business owner. Sometimes it was based on both.

Another thing is the horchata. No one here makes or sells horchata. I can make it myself but on the rare occasions that I visit a restaurant here, I’d be super-happy to see horchata on the menu. A vendor with vegan tamales would be good too. Just sayin'...

A guy who knows a guy...

YOU are what makes advertising in the indie biz community inexpensive, and sometimes free. Whether it’s a chef, land-scaper, photographer, locktician (for the dread-heads), physician, massage or reflexology therapist ... whatever, telling your kith and kin about the business and why you love it is often how the community is able to reach out and gain new clients. 

This is often the same way I learn of businesses to promote here on flashPress. People tell me about them, or write to me about them, or leave me a Skype-message about them. If they’re local I do my best to visit them and interview them in person. If they aren’t, there’s the internet. Not all but many of these businesses have a website, which allows me to direct new customers to their business for online shopping, or even basic information on location and hours in event they live close enough to shop their business in person.

Not saying paid advertising isn't something to invest in. It is. It doesn't have to be expensive to provide benefits to the advertiser, the business it's advertising and the community who views the ad. I'm only wanting to point out that community subculture chatter is another great way of advertising and I hope you, as a consumer, get in the habit of it if you're not already. 

Make it a point. Good things can come of it. 

Finish Line!

The benefits of being a part of this wonderful subculture are nearly countless.  If you’ve not yet taken the dive and plunged into getting familiar with the indie biz community in your own area, and the global one as well (via the internet), I urge you to do so. You’re likely to be amazed at the incredible artistry, diversity, quality products and services you’ll encounter for a fraction of the cost of shopping through large corps. 

So, before you purchase that next bar of soap, or jar of jelly, a dread bead, or a painting for your wall, consider the indie biz community. You’ll meet people who love producing exactly what you’re looking for and will sincerely appreciate your business.

It makes dollars and sense (again, pun intended!)

That's it for this one!

God bless you, thanks for the read and please don't forget to thank a veteran at your next opportunity!

femmeflashpoint