Profit Lines Issue 12 2018

Issue 12













































Maximize Your




INDEPENDENCE







Start Your Own



Buy Local



Movement

A Deeper Connection with Customers


At Do it Best, we know that independent businesses
like yours are a community’s real strength. They
create jobs, generate revenue, and foster a vibrant
culture. That’s why we partner with Independent
We Stand. Their work is all about connecting locally
owned businesses with consumers who understand
and appreciate the value that local operators bring to
their community.
Independent We Stand seeks to celebrate small
business successes by tapping into the buy local movement so it is more accessible to store owners. With our
support of Independent We Stand, you can take advantage of these great resources.



Locals Only Search Engine & Mobile App

Consumers are searching online and on mobile devices for local goods and services. At least
four in every five consumers use the Internet to find local businesses. What’s more, 50 percent
of consumers who conducted a local search on their smartphone visited a store within a day.
Through Independent We Stand, you receive a listing in their Locals Only search engine and
mobile app, complete with contact info, a website link, and a logo. This listing helps put your
business where local-minded consumers will find it, whether they’re searching on a computer,
tablet or smartphone. For help editing your listing, email [email protected] or call
888.787.8497.


Downloadable Marketing Materials LOG IN AND THINK LOCAL

Creating social media posts and gathering marketing assets might As a Do it Best member, accessing the
seem daunting and time consuming. Independent We Stand offers great resources offered by Independent
seasonal and professionally designed marketing We Stand is free and easier than ever.
materials that provide you with a free and easy way Visit IndependentWeStand.org and look for
to promote the localness Business Member Login in the upper right
of your business. As more hand corner of the screen. Your username
and more consumers look is your store number and your password
for ways to support small is your zip code. If you signed up on your
businesses, using buy local own and are having trouble remembering
promotional resources your password, you can call the Dealer
throughout your store can Activation Helpline at 888.787.8497.
help customers get to know
you and your business better.
To explore the available flyers,
social media graphics and more.





On the cover: On Independent We Stand’s recent Great American River Road Trip, they made a stop at Holmes Building
Materials and sat down with John and Matthew Holmes to learn about their independent spirit and success.

Retail. Rental. Commercial Sales.


Get Inspired by the Shop Small Spirit of Samantha Post


Samantha Post, marketing and human resources manager at T & M Hardware & Rental, saw there was untapped
potential for a shop local movement in Bellevue, PA. She wanted to help preserve the integrity of the charming
town while pushing it forward to be a place that people want to live
and shop. Looking to take Bellevue’s Small Business Saturday to an
entirely new level, Samantha quickly got involved.

She chairs the Bellevue Initiative for Growth and Revitalization’s
Small Business Saturday (SBS) planning committee, and last year
they greeted shoppers and visitors to Bellevue’s downtown shopping
district with a welcome station. At the station, Samantha and fellow
committee members provided shoppers with tote bags, refreshments
and treats, as well as a
detailed guide to each of the participating small businesses in the “I am honored to be recognized for
downtown shopping district. my efforts and to receive the first-
ever Spirit of Independents award.
Thanks to the efforts and planning of Samantha and the committee, the I am humbled by the thought of
town’s SBS events are doing better than ever before. And Samantha’s having other independents follow my
hard work and dedication to local movements like SBS earned her lead and ignite the movement to turn
Independent We Stand and The North American Retail Hardware shopping local into a way of life, not
just a feel-good cause reserved for
Association’s first-ever Spirit of Independents Award, presented at the the Saturday after Thanksgiving.”
State of Independents conference on December 6.






















Samantha stands with Co-Founder of
Independent We Stand Bill Brunelle
and Hardware Retailing Publisher
Dan Tratensek to accept her award.




Start your own shop local movement by visiting

independentwestand.org.

Check out stories published in industry trade publications
MEMBERS IN THE NEWS highlighting the growth, innovation, success, and giving

spirit of fellow member-owned stores.




PaulB Petersburg Do it Best Limeberry Lumber
®
The team at PaulB knows how Hardware & Home Center
to sell power to the pros.
These highly effective hand made Area high school students grow
price signs drive sales. their marketing know-how.

































Kibler Lumber McCabe Lumber

See how Kibler connects with This Ohio yard wows with its
community fundraisers. spectacular showroom.

Beisswenger Hardware Jebens Hardware Hillsboro Hardware
Learn how this store stands out Eye-catching seasonal displays These window displays are
from the competition. draw customers in. turning heads in Nashville.
























































HIGHLIGHTING THE BEST

All of these industry publications provide free subscriptions
to their print editions and access to their digital issues.
If you’re not currently a subscriber, use these helpful links.

Find, Friend & Follow us on

Get Schooled in Home Décor


If you sell—or are interested in selling—flooring and kitchen cabinets,
then don’t miss the Do it Best Home Décor School of Design. During
this 4-day, hands-on seminar, you’ll learn from industry experts
about products and
trends in home décor,
gain invaluable product
knowledge and learn from
your fellow attendees.
Watch this informative
video to learn more.

Join the Home Décor team
and your fellow members
at Do it Best world
headquarters in
Fort Wayne, Indiana
February 11 - 14, 2019.
View a sample school
agenda in preparation for class.

See what other participants
experienced.






















February 11-14, 2019








SAVE THE DATE 2019 Do it Best Spring Market Indianapolis • May 17-20
SM