October is small business month. What can you do to celebrate? Take a moment to reflect on the enormous contribution that the thousands of individuals who operate small businesses make to British Columbia.

I could detail their impressive economic track record – providing over half the private sector jobs and one-third of our gross domestic product – but these numbers alone don’t tell the full story. Small businesses are the heart of our communities.

Consider how bleak life would be without our favorite restaurants, pubs, greengrocers, boutiques and bakeries. How many small businesses do you frequent without even thinking about it? Last Saturday, my small business encounters included a morning stop for coffee at my favorite cafe, picking up my dry cleaning, buying ballet shoes with my daughter and dropping off my car at the local service station.

The list of small business owners you rely on is likely a lot longer than you think. Who fixes your roof? Unclogs your drain? Styles your hair? Takes care of your teeth? Chances are good it is a small business owner. And we have not even touched on small businesses that manufacture the goods that other businesses need.

What makes small business encounters so satisfying is that they are personal.

When a small business owner asks you whether you enjoyed your meal or are happy with the service, he or she really cares.

Since most small businesses (83 per cent) have fewer than five employees, it’s not surprising that this personal connection extends to staff too. In these harder economic times, this provides a stabilizing influence on our economy as small business owners typically go to great lengths, including dramatic reductions in their own pay, to avoid lay-offs.

The connection to community runs very deep. On a recent CFIB survey, 95 per cent of small and medium-sized businesses indicate they give to community causes in some way including financial donations, in-kind donations, and donations of employee time and money. The comments from the survey reveal how proud many owners are that they are not cutting back on charitable giving even in these tough times. Those that were forced to cut back expressed a desire to return to normal giving levels as soon as possible.

Small business owners deserve a lot of respect for providing the jobs that support families, making our communities vibrant, and giving generously. Unfortunately, they don’t always get it – particularly from government. Regulations and taxes are levied on small business as if each business had legions of employees and the deep pockets of a global conglomerate.

What small business owners do is not easy. Starting and running a business takes courage. The buck stops with you, literally. Yet business owners persist despite a gamete of frustrating challenges from punitive municipal property taxes to rude auditors.

So what concrete things can you do to celebrate small business month? Next time you find yourself buying bread from your local baker or talking to the owner of your favorite restaurant, take a moment to show your appreciation. And the next time you hear about a policy that is bad for business, like high local property taxes, pay attention. If a policy is bad for small business, it is likely bad for your community as well.

• Laura Jones is Vice-President of Western Canada for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (laura.jones@cfib.ca).