Konica Minolta Recognizes Small Business Saturday

November 20, 2018

The numbers tell it all. According to the SBA Office of Advocacy, small to mid-size businesses (SMBs) make up 99.9 percent of U.S. employer firms. They supply 61.8 percent of net new private-sector jobs. And what’s really impressive is these small businesses employ almost 50 percent of the private-sector workforce and account for 47.8 percent of the private GDP.

With these remarkable statistics in mind, it’s time to once again recognize a special day dedicated to small businesses everywhere. I’m talking about Small Business Saturday (SBS) originally created as an American Express initiative to serve as a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and is celebrated this year on November 24.

First observed in 2010, the concept of supporting local community, brick and mortar retailers, caught on quickly, and has since become a national movement. In fact, in 2011, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution in support of the day and officials in all 50 states continue to participate in its annual recognition.

For many of us, the small businesses, shops, boutiques and restaurants define the neighborhoods in which we live. These enterprises are attuned to their customer preferences, often providing a level of service that has evaporated with some large commercial retailers. Supporting these businesses, not only during the holiday season, but year-round, helps maintain a strong spirit of ‘downtown dynamism’ for generations to come.

Konica Minolta is also passionate in our support of small businesses. In fact, almost 60 percent of our clients are small to mid-sized businesses. We are acutely tuned in to their ever-evolving needs. We strive not only to meet their most vital challenges in today’s technology-driven marketplace, but we continue to develop innovative solutions and services to prepare them for whatever the future brings.

For example, Konica Minolta’s print management services enable small business owners to identify and control printing costs without having to manage the print environment themselves. Our intelligent printers and scanners boast faster speeds and the latest technology to significantly increase efficiency and productivity. And our recently launched Workplace Hub (Hub) will help empower small businesses with its centralized and scalable IT ecosystem to orchestrate their physical and digital resources.

Like many things in life, a small act can set the stage for larger returns. So, be sure to shop your local businesses this Saturday and let them know you truly appreciate what they do for your community!

Stacey Sujeebun
Marketing Communications Director - North America and Global Research and Development

Stacey Sujeebun is the Marketing Communications Director at Konica Minolta for North America and Global Research and Development. On joining the business almost 10 years ago, she was faced with the challenge of repositioning the organisation’s reputation to rival that of well-established IT companies, through brand extension. Following a lengthy transformative brand development programme, the Workplace Hub category was unveiled to the world’s press at the ‘Spotlight’ event in Berlin in March 2017. The brand and activation went on to win 13 awards globally. Stacey is responsible for consolidating Konica Minolta’s IT Services reputation by harnessing the organisation’s IT division, All Covered, with the goal of paving the way for Konica Minolta’s future IoT / AI business – currently under exploration by Research and Development. She has been named as a “2019 Young Influencer” within the Imaging Industry by The Cannata Report, NJBIZ’s ‘2020 40 Under 40,’ and as a ‘2021 Woman Influencer’ by The Cannata Report. Before joining Konica Minolta, Stacey worked as a consultant within brand communication and media agencies in London, providing advice on rebranding, repositioning and stakeholder engagement initiatives. She is also a CIM qualified marketing professional, with an MSc in Social Anthropology from University College London (UCL).