Small Businesses Need Mississippi Reps. to Support Access to Digital Tools
America’s small businesses are hurting right now. Many business owners struggle to keep their doors open because of labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, high gas prices, shipping costs, and rising inflation.
What has been helping small businesses stay afloat is affordable, and often free, online tools and services offered by American technology companies like Amazon, Apple, Meta and Google. These companies supply entrepreneurs with marketing and design services, financing and payment tools, and innovative ways to contact customers. In our increasingly digital world, these resources are a lifeline for small businesses.
According to a recent report citing the economic impact of Google in Mississippi for 2022, there was an impact of "$328 million of economic activity for thousands of Mississippi businesses, publishers, nonprofits, creators and developers." American tech companies have helped almost 150,000 small businesses and provided nearly $1 million in free advertising. The economic impact of these essential services benefits consumers, business owners, and the Mississippi economy overall. (Please see the link featuring several Mississippi businesses below.)
I utilize these resources in my business as well.
Last session, anti-tech legislation threatened to dismantle the most prominent American technology companies, which would raise the prices of their products and services – or even eliminate them altogether – further hurting consumers and small businesses in this harsh economic environment.
As we celebrate small businesses, we need our Mississippi congressmembers to put our small business community first and reject any proposals targeting the destruction of technology companies and the economic aid they provide. Mississippi’s economy, and our hardworking entrepreneurs, depend on it.
https://economicimpact.google/state/ms/#bloombridge
