We have nine employees at LMi.net. Each of us strives to use the services of our customers. It just makes sense for all of us to help and support each other. For instance, we go to the Meal Ticket every Friday for lunch. When we have a pizza day, we buy from either Gioia Pizzeria or the Cheeseboard.  When we needed new gutters, we had our customer Gutter Works do the work. When we needed contractor work done, we used our customer DBC Builders. Our accountant, 2+2=5 Accounting Services, is also our customer. We buy guitars from Subway Guitars. We get them worked on by John Mellow.

Why do I mention this? It is vitally important that each of us considers the ramifications of where we spend our money. By supporting LMi.net, you are supporting a wide swath of other small businesses, in that the employees of LMi.net also buy locally. Each time that we spend a dollar locally, our community is enhanced. The money stays in the area so that libraries can be built, so our schools can be improved, so that we can have parks. Each time that you support a giant corporation, most of your money is shipped out of state and is used to fatten the wallets of executives. In addition, these large corporations use out-sourced technical support in Bangladesh and India which worsens the US’s unemployment problems.

Whenever one of our customers leaves us to use one of the Big Guys, we make a point to never utilize their services any more. We used to buy cakes and pies from a local bakery, we used to buy breakfast and lunches from a local deli, and we used to use a local veterinarian right up the street, but no more. The owners of those businesses decided to send their dollars out of state, so we have also made a choice. We have chosen to support businesses that keep their dollars local. We have chosen to support our customers as they support us.

We’re all in this together. You should be too. Or not, it’s your choice.

Update: Brian is going to lunch at the New Amsterdam Coffee Shop on University. He is a fan of their Big Salad!