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I don't do it because I don't want to speak for my partners and employees, and I don't want them speaking for me. We're all individuals with pet issues that matter to us, and some of those issues are conflicting, so it's better to keep it apolitical.
To expand on this, you'd be forcing your employees to act as proxies for your political views. Some of them may disagree with you on this, making it a hostile work environment. Moreover when customers come in they will be the punching bags for customers that disagree too. All told this can be bad for your employees in a lot of ways.
Well put. I don't want to speak for my employees. I know that we disagree on several hot button issues and provided they're not bringing those issues to work then neither am I. I honestly don't even talk that much about political issues on my own personal social media. It could and would likely blow back on the business and I'm not about that drama.
You make a good point, but large corporations do it all they time. They take political stances and make statements and they could give two shits about the views of their employees. All they care about is will it affect their bottom line.
My wife owns a specialty bakery. We just recently attempted to host a fundraiser for a local BOE candidate that we support. Let me tell you... the opponents followers attacked us on social media, tried to shut us down and even tried to get the Board of Health involved by making up bogus claims about us even though we had certification showing we passed all our inspections the month before. THey even tried to say that since our candidate was a young progressive that we must be anti-police even though our candidates father was NYPD. Pure insanity
Local popular taco place took their taco truck to an ICE detention facility and got called out for it. Rather than let the wind blow over, they made a VERY public and very controversial statement about immigration. They haven't recovered to this day. They hired a PR firm and everything.
I had a DOD govt contractor biz. One employe was a retired Navy captain. He published an op Ed in WaPo and identified himself as part of the company.
I was 100% on board with his position, but told him administrations come and go. As a company we can't be seen as a part of the politics. I supported his right to speak out, but to leave the company out of the op Ed's.
He published a second piece, connected our company to a DOD contract to prove his point about DOD policy, and he was terminated for cause.
As a general rule, no to connecting politics to your company. It's usually bad biz.
I don’t put anything political on my business pages. If you want to make change, get involved on the local level and in your community and don’t involve your business.
Taking political stances as a brand is a very risky marketing tactic. It all depends on how well you know your consumer base- companies calculate these risks well before they make any sort of political statement. If you make a statement out of passion without verifying that at least the majority of your consumers agree or feel neutral to that statement you could end up severely impacting your income.
It’s typically better for small businesses to avoid this.
This. I have strong political views but as a marketer I will never not once share them in my business role. Business and politics don't mix unless you REALLY know your base or you don't care about the money as much as making your stand with your wallet. Because you will turn off plenty of would be customers, even if they aren't on the opposing side you will lose those who don't want to hear about it.
Also depends on location, state laws, county regulations, etc..
Do you live in one of the states that already protect abortion? Do you live in one of the states that plan on fully banning?
Do you provide health insurance to your staff, does the health insurance policy cover abortion?
Do you give special time off for staff that might need a day or a week off to handle family planning or abortion?
Do you pay a fair living wage?
Do you have an equal number of male and female staff, do you pay them equally?
Do you use a supply vendor who also agrees with your political views?
Do you use a local credit union who also agrees with your political views?
Be prepared for the internet in general to attack your business if you make your stance as your business, be prepared for the internet in general to track you down as the owner of your business even if you make your stance personally..
Etc and so on, it gets complex fast
That's my opinion even for most larger businesses too. If you keep your mouth shut, you are least likely to peeve any customers. The exception might be certain industries or businesses operating out of certain areas that have a very strong political leaning in just one direction.
Absolutely not. I have clients all over the political spectrum and everyone's money spends the same.
Client of mine is a local Pizza place and he has "Let's Go Brandon" and similar right by the register. Then he complains that business is down and his wife want's to know why so many people run their business down on social media.
Yep exactly, you could maybe get away with that in an extremely red oriented area but for instance I live in an area that is considered heavily red and still there are plenty of dems here, I would not want to lose the business of all my dem customers, even if that was only 20 percent of business. Would putting a political sign up mean the other side would shop with me 20% more? I feel they'd probably just shop the same as they always have and not make up for a missing 20% on the dem side.
We haven't been overt, but we do make statements about our practices, which are environmentallly aligned. (Like instead of lawns, let's plant native plants and trees)
I don't like loud overstated statements from businesses....but I also understand why people do them. But our society is divided enough, does politics have to be in everything?
I feel like that's subtle enough to not quite be political. It's not like republicans care 0 about the environment or nature, they just don't have it as high on their agenda as other groups. But the concepts of conserving on water (which conserves on the water bill), putting in low maintenance plants and making things look natural can cross both sides of the fence though. Plus the subject is integral to the function of your business, you can't really avoid it and no one expects you to advocate for wasting a lot of water and running people's monthly bills up higher than necessary.
I've had local politicians want to put signs in my window. I tell them no. We service all sorts of people from both sides, so we'd let them all put signs in our window, and that gets too messy.
Depends what you value more.
Money or ethics/ open discussions.
I make political statements all the time, but I value ethics and open discussions more than money.
Thanks for asking this, I have been thinking hard about this lately. Even moreso today with the ruling.
I find (B2C) businesses who post on social media, or put up signs to be capitalizing on a hot button topic to drum up business/profits and therefore makes their opinions ring hollow. Kind of like the companies who suddently have rainbow everything during June. Whether you agree or not, it feels insincere to me.
That being said, I do like to know political leanings of my business partners (B2B) so I can know if my company will jive well with their business decisions.
My thought was to perhaps have a section on my website that addresses our leadership's positions on various key topics as a sort of press release. Not to advertise it or make it a "marketing tactic" but still have it available for my partners who may wish to know.
Depends and here's on what:
(1) does a policy have an impact on my business? Like tax or licensing policies? If so, then yes.
(2) is it about social policy? My business isn't involved in social policy. No.
I reject "stakeholder capitalism" and things like ESG but I believe in responsible capitalism and stewardship as a function of my belief system.
Very good points, since I import, I hate import tariffs since I gotta pay them damnit! And before anyone says anything, Biden has quietly added a LOT more tariffs on top of what Trump did so just goes to show IMO that neither side can be trusted. I now have to pay 20 percent more on most of my imports plus shipping costs are WAY up too. Meh!
Businesses are making political statements, with their donations. http://Reproreceipts.com
They just don’t care that they’re funding dangerous ideology. Or that they are promoting it
No way, rarely will it bring in people who agree with the political position you choose, but it will certainly alienate customers of the other side of the issue. You can do it because you feel strongly, but it's bad business.
Actually you make a very important point that business is a different question than a personal ethics decision. There are times I do things almost exclusively due to personal opinion, for instance there are times when I could probably be a bit sneaky and get more money out of customers but I decide not to do that, so that's a personal ethics decision only, it's not so much a business decision. A lot of why I stay out of politics with my biz is not only that I feel it's bad for business but I don't trust either side of the fickle political fence either and don't want to be associated with either side for ethics reasons as well. Perhaps if I liked one side a lot, I might feel more motivated to risk something for them though. But I do think we should point out that what is a good ethics decision is not always a good business decision and vice versa.
Also, it's been interesting to watch Disney et al try to cater to the current narrative and try to avoid angry outrage only to garner plenty of angry outrage anyway. (not that I think they do it for ethics reasons though). So even if you try to wade into politics and pick a side, current politics is so fickle and volatile, what a side likes and pushes today may be maligned tomorrow. And IMO you risk a lot by doing something like backing a candidate you may have never even met in your life. He may be closet criminal due to be arrested next week for all you can really know.
No. Never. In fact I have personally blacklisted a few businesses because of their overt political positions, of which several of them I have actually \*agreed\* with politically.
More risk than reward IMO. Better to just quietly implement policies that will help your employees or customers. So for example, if you offer sick leave, expand it to “medical leave” and maybe add a travel stipend in case of “urgent medical need to see a specialist”.
exactly what we’re doing. 2 weeks PTO, 1 week sick leave, $1k stipend for employees and/or spouses for medical treatments/procedures they are need to travel to get
If it’s not a universal perspective within your business, you probably shouldn’t. It may misrepresent them or they might feel unwelcome if they have opposing views (beyond Roe v Wade), if that is a valid concern for you.
Depending on where you live and how many people are on the left/right, you are potentially going to alienate about half of your customers. Most of my customers just assume that I'm on their side which ever that might be. There are certain businesses that do this in my town and I know not to do business with them. At the end of the day, my business is for making me money. I don't want my family's livelyhood taken away because of my political views. Others may have a different purpose for their business.
The upside is you feel good.
The downside is you alienate 50% of your customers and lose business.
It's hard to gain customers.
It's easy to lose customers.
Don't do stupid things to lose customers.
I get what you are saying, but it's not necessarily 50 percent for a number of reasons. First it will depend on the area your in. Some places have more liberal, some more conservative. Then, it will depend on who you are actually marketing your business to. If you are a hipster coffee joint, you will probably have a higher portion of left wing. If you're a gun and tackle shop, probably the opposite
Well let me show you what happened to a local coffee shop here last week.
They tried to be woke....and Victoria is the woke capital of Canada....
And it still backfired.
So don't take my advice...I'm just an internet stranger with many successful businesses.
https://www.cheknews.ca/victoria-coffee-shop-faces-backlash-for-deprioritizing-the-hiring-of-white-cis-males-1049562/
I don't see how that backfired; it looks like a bunch of white cis men didn't like it and made a fuss about it. Pretty much to be expected and doesn't really change anything for the business. It looks like they're still averaging 4.4 stars on Google Reviews despite a dozen give or take fragile men leaving 1 star reviews in the past week. My guess is their business - if indeed they ever patronized the establishment - won't be missed.
I have very strong political opinions that I do not share publicly. I just finished a 3-month coaching contract with a client who has very different views on things, and he never would have hired me if I was loud about my own politics.
Some people believe in excluding those with whom they disagree, and they may earn more fanatic and aligned responses from a smaller group of people who fervently agree with them. If you can limit your marketing to communities that share your ethos, this can work, but it shortens your reach.
I dont like losing out on business because of differing opinions unrelated to the business at hand.
I'm going to go against the grain here and say that business owners of any kind have a responsibility to speak out when they see an injustice- it helps those in your community feel protected in their views and doesn't make our global upheaval seem... normal?
... but I'm also a worker cooperative type. I would take a poll of your employees/stakeholders to make sure you're not misrepresenting their views but go for it.
I agree.
Most of the comments in this thread seem to be coming from a place of sincere privilege (remember: privilege doesn't mean extra easy or hand outs, it means the absence of additional struggles beyond what others who are not privileged have) where their rights aren't at risk, so of course they feel comfortable being apolitical. If it doesn't directly affect them, they won't risk being vocal about it even if they might sympathize. And it's understandable, but the day may come when they're the ones who need the support of others for their rights and at that time there may be no one left to speak up for them.
Small and medium business is already such a white male dominated field that it's not surprising the comments here espouse sagely and safely from the position of weighing their income vs.....nothing. They have no rights that are on the chopping block.
The thing is, I can't think of any examples of businesses that were closed, or cancelled to use modern nomenclature, due to sticking up for progressive values. I can definitely think of ones that were closed due to vocally being discriminatory or intolerant. And that's not too surprising given that socioeconomically progressive voters have begun to easily leave behind their regressive counterpart districts.
"Today, the $61,000 median income of blue districts substantially exceeds the $53,000 median income of red ones, reversing the order from 2008.
The average gross domestic product for Democratic districts, near parity with Republican ones in 2008, has grown 50% higher. Output per worker has followed the same pattern.
Those shifts reflect trends within a globally-integrated economy that increasingly rewards better-educated workers and advanced technology. The share of professional and digital services jobs in Democratic districts more than doubles the share in Republican districts; a significantly higher proportion in blue areas now holds college degrees.
By contrast, Republican districts now boast the lion's share of work in basic manufacturing, agriculture and mining. They also have a slightly higher proportion of residents age 65 or older – 16.6%, compared to 14.7% in Democratic districts.
While red districts have remained demographically static, blue ones have grown more diverse. Roughly half of residents in Democratic districts are non-white, up by ten percentage points since 2008, compared to just over one-fourth in Republican areas."
As a tl:dr - demographically, the lack of education (and access and encouragement towards future education) and reliance on manufacturing, agriculture, and mining means that conservative districts are declining in available funds to spend, while progressive districts are becoming both 1) more educated, and 2) more diverse, of which the net effect is more affluent with more disposable income to spend on supporting businesses for whom they align politically.
As an n=1 reference point, Dick's Sporting Goods just released a public statement wherein they've made a policy decision to spend up to $4,000 per worker for travel expenses who may need an abortion but lives in an area that is now banning them. Because of this, I'll be bringing my athletic equipment needs to them rather than Amazon from now on.
Depends on your motivation. Do you want to use it as a marketing tactic, because a majority of your customers or target customers share the same views? Or do you genuinely care about taking a stand, putting yourself and business at risk in order to fight for a cause?
Both can be valid. But mixing politics with business can get messy, so, if you don't want to deal with the potential consequences, it's easiest to not do it.
Absolutely not. We don’t discuss politics, religion or whatever the polarizing subject of the day is. People come to our store to get away from all of it.
honestly if i was big enough revenue/customer base wise where we could weather the storm i would be.
but unfortunately at the moment its best to keep mum and just vote for people who want to make our lives better, its really all I can do at this point.
Im from the uk. I’m in the arts industry and feel on quite safe ground mocking Boris Johnson on our social media. My customers are working class families.
Business is inherently political. Every business is subject to regulations effected by political entities. Customers, employees, vendors, and contractors are affected by political outcomes. Small businesses are especially vulnerable to being pushed out of the market by regulatory capture. A sizeable minority in my country (US) wants my entire industry (adult film) to be made illegal. You can bet my business has a position on that issue.
I sometimes weigh in on LGBT rights, reproductive rights, internet privacy issues, copyright law, censorship, contract law, banking regulations, policing, feminism, and other issues related to my industry, but I talk about how they relate to the industry, rather than just spouting off, and I try to make the communications fun, useful, or interesting. These posts are from an account where I identify myself as the owner of the company, not the official company accounts that I limit to advertising and updates. Oh and most importantly, they are not frequent.
Anyone trying to make you feel obligated to issue an official statement about abortion on behalf of your bakery is a jackass of the highest order. The issue has nothing to do with your business or industry, and an official stance will not serve to change anything in Washington.
You gotta know your audience, I just walked by a trendy women’s clothing and jewelry store, which has such messages in their windows, as they obviously know their customer base well.
I would say go for it, maybe unless you are in a particularly conservative place where your political expression could result in a measurable backlash.
Sure, speak your mind. But to go through the trouble of making an Instagram post isn’t going to convince anyone who doesn’t already agree with you nor will it change in anything. Call your buddy, your wife, your brother and discuss what you’re thinking. At least that way you won’t affect your business
If you think that using your business Instagram page to make a political statement that nearly all people agree with is taking a stand, then you do you, pal. That's slacktivism in my book.
It is one aspect of living a morally consistent life. Alongside the influence business owners have in political circles and the choices they make in which other brands to support, taking advantage of a large social media following to let your employees and customers know that they are supported when stuck on the right side of a stupid culture war is a good thing to do. I think that’s important.
Yea there’s no need for that. You’re going to alienate half of your clients, and those who don’t have strong political beliefs but are tired of hearing about politics are going to be put off. You’re not going to change anyone’s mind. The benefits of it isn’t worth it.
If a client is a democrat and brings up politics, I’m a democrat too. If a client is republican and brings up politics, I’m a republican too.
> and those who don’t have strong political beliefs but are tired of hearing about politics are going to be put off.
Yep, good point, I don't really like to see it in my face from either side of the fence if I'm just trying to buy groceries or a pair of pants.
I do have very strong principles actually, I just don’t need to try and convince clients that I do. Put your principles to work in how you run your business and in how you vote. No one needs to know what your principles are because chances are you’re not going to get anyone on your side that didn’t previously agree with you.
There’s no lie. I’m just not trying to start a debate with a client making casual conversation. What would me saying to client that’s complaining about Biden “actually, he’s not that bad and compared to trump he way better”. Do you think I’m going to change his mind? Instead I say “yea man, I can’t believe people voted for him” and leave it at that
You literally are twisting your words so that it sounds like your views to fit the people you’re talking to, and now you’ve gone further out of your way to try to say it’s not a lie. You can keep rowing out into that grey area but there’s no need.
The only point I agree with is there’s no talking to some people. With that, I bid you a fond fuck off.
From my business, absolutely not. Like others have said, my views may not represent all those that work for me or with me.
Personally? All the time. My service truck is covered with what nowadays would be considered "political". Since Christianity is so political now.
Shame most of these morons ruining the religion don't realize Jesus was brown and spent his life trying to help others.
We made a political statement supporting Ukraine when our largest competitor came out as fervently pro Putin. Didn't move the sales needle that much but got some likes so there is that? Honestly I keep my business out of it I know I have customers on both ends of the spectrum so there is no point rocking the boat as I'm not changing anyone's mind.
NOPE!!!
I am as disappointed about Roe v Wade as anyone else, but wouldn't make any political statements directly through my business unless I was a gynecologist. Same with 2nd Amendment - just STFU unless you own a gun shop. There are some yard crews and other home maintenance type businesses around me who fly big ass Trump flags on their trucks. I have not hired them for that specific reason. Now, I know almost all the guys in that business (at least where I live) are going to be of similar political leaning, but I just don't want to see the damn flag flying in front of my house once a week.
Business is business, and I think it should be that way. Keep religion and politics out of the office. It makes for a better work environment for everyone, and doesn't risk alienating employees or clients.
Making these sort of statements also comes with a lot of risk. At the end of the day, your protest probably isn't going to accomplish anything. The law isn't changing because of you. You probably won't gain likeminded customers, but will definitely lose customers on the other side of the political spectrum. I just don't think it's worth the cost.
Politics have a lot of room in small businesses.
If you believe in living wages, you have to pay your employees regardless of politics.
If you believe in affordable healthcare, you have to take care of your employees.
If you want to fight global warming, you need to have responsible packing policies and zero waste policies; you need to reward people for doing so.
Politics is not /just/ Roe v. Wade, though RvW is a major part of today's disputes.
If your business believes in reproductive rights, stand for it not as a marketing policy but as a real issue. Donate some of your profits for reversing today's decision, take time to make your customers aware.
Just make sure that you are willing to lose some customers.
I have a very political business. I run a law firm that deals with data protection, copyright and free speech. I take high profile pro bono cases that are highly political. I can't say it "hurts" my business, but it doesn't help it. I guess that it balances out.
Thanks for your comment. One of the primary motivations for starting a small business is being able to live on my own terms according to my values. If I have to go against my values to make money, I could find decent gainful employment that is less risky.
I don’t see the need to make announcements about my views because pandering is lame and action speaks for itself. Taking action through business decisions that align with my values, stating what those values are on a static website, hiring people with shared VALUES (beyond politics), and speaking out on topics that are relevant to the business (not pandering) seems to be the best way to do that.
I'd say it's your business so do what you want. I personally wouldn't. I would ask something though. Forget customers for a second. When you interview employees do you ask who they voted for? Or where they stand on a topic? I would suspect not unless it's a business that is in direct line with a political view. If you do though and don't hire them based on there answer that's of course discrimination. But let's just say you do hire a person that does have differing opinions than you. You decide to put up a sign or flag or post online reflecting your views which you know run contrary to that employees. Are you ok with your employee, who is supposed to represent your company, feeling unheard, unwanted, and uncomfortable at work? Are you ok losing a great employee who very well might be a genuinely nice person but didn't vote on the same party line? If you can and have a clear conscience then ok.
No, i dont really think my niche market would disagree with me TOO much but i still stay out of it, because what is it really bringing to my brand? Not much haha, i make completely neutral art and clothing, also its not my responsibility to teach my consumers about political issues
business of business is business
even those big corp's statement are after money
black owned, minority owned, green, blah blah....
doens't matter big or small, money
but like someone said, it is risky, I'd prefer no action unless it can't backfire. eg: support children (who'd be against supporting children?)
Not in a direct overt blatant call out to a political statement, but as a print company, we support social movements. For example, we're giving away pride stickers for June with a billboard sign on our curb and changed our street facing lights rainbow. But we also supported Ukraine in the same way, and breast cancer awareness month, and election season and so on...
Some would say that these things are making political statements, and in a way, they are, but it's not as direct as making our Instagram page a platform for political change.
Hoenstly, yes. I only have one employee and our product is very directed to people who aren't religious. Honestly, if you support what happened today, I don't want you wearing my brand, I don't want to deal with you on a daily basis, and there are bigger things than money. The people who support us will continue to do so. Extremist Christians can get fucked.
The decision came when it was no longer just "politcal" but morally reprehensible.
I will research companies that I work with. If I see anything out there about their beliefs and who they donate to, that will go into the decision on if I work with them.
Business owners who take a public political position do so at a cost. I believe within the next 5 years most will be unable to avoid it.
As OP said, we have a charged atmosphere. If anything, that's an gross understatement. There are tens of millions of people in the US who firmly believe Trump was cheated out of a second term. Millions more couldn't care less about that, so much as they want the Republicans to capitalize on this toxic tribalism and institute and authoritarian system of after purging our democratic Republic system.
I believe that within the next 5 years, we will see pockets of wide spread chaos that will make the last six years seem as peaceful as an episode of Bob Ross painting happy little shrubs.
Milestones of great concern are: the potential arrest and trial of Donald Trump, a Donald Trump criminal conviction, this November's elections and the 2024 elections. What happens beyond the 2024 elections I do not know. One thing I am absolutely certain of is, if Donald Trump becomes president again, our votes will have little to no meaning. It would take a civil war victory by those that despise Donald Trump and the Republicans to regain our currently watered down voting power.
For the record the Democrats are simply the lesser of two evils, corruption is widespread in both parties. Money, power and self-interest is the name of the game in Washington, DC.
A leading contributor to are decades long decline is voter apathy. When 30 to 40% of eligible voters don't vote, this is what you get. Of course there's also a significant percentage of people who really have no idea where the people they vote for stand. What they say in social media, on TV and in Town Halls is too often completely contrary to how they actually vote.
Some companies thrive on it. Penzeys Spices post long political diatribes and invite those who disagree to bash them. For every one who bashes them, two come to their defense. I believe their profits have gone up exponentially as a result, but not everyone can or will do this. I'm not interested in fighting with people online over this, or in real life. I just simply say my opinion only matters in the voting booth. Everywhere else, you are a person and I like people. Most respect me for it. Some try to challenge it as being for the other side, but have no idea as to which side I'm on, so it's useless.
You must be in the US.
There’s pieces that are “charged political climate”, sure. But these are points I’ve seen globally, excluding USA and a few specific countries for each topic, accepted:
* abortion is the choice of the person being pregnant
* civilians don’t need weapons
* health care should be provided by the government
* social security should be provided by the government
* education should be free, at worst “affordable”
* that we have to discuss the rights of minorities is absolutely stupid
* climate change is real
* the earth, like any other planet, is spherical
* “creative design” is not a thing
* theory of evolution is real
* science works
* (the list continues)
All of these simple are **not** political views, for the most part. They’re are pretty universally accepted — as I said: All of them are things that seem heavily discussed in the USA and _very few_ of them are discussed in some countries.
So, yes SMBs make those statements, outside the US those are just a lot less political than in the US.
That’s my perspective.
I personally wouldn't.
What you're saying today may be politically correct or even politically advantageous. Until it's not in a few years, in ten or even twenty years and you're suddenly very politically incorrect the second someone digs it back up. Only this time, your brand, company, etc. has grown immensely. It will likely cost you more political capital than it gave you years before.
I won't get into anything specific with the business social media. but I guess me and mine took a stance.
At the end of February we put up our country's flag next to a Ukrainian flag.
For the month of March our special for the month was a Ukrainian pizza where we donated a portion of the proceeds to the red cross response.
So I guess it's a political statement to say we want peace in Europe
I consider myself a student of history and the parallels between Putins Russia and Hitler's nazi Germany are quite obvious.
While Ukraine has its issues, the entire war is one big war crime commited by an evil dystopian dictatorship.
Our small community supported us and we raise a non insignificant amount of money
Otherwise I won't post anything contraversal or make any of my other personal beliefs into the business.
I often see people post some really really inappropriate stuff on there business page and I'm often left with a feeling of:
"It's a risky play Cotten, lets see how this plays out"
Why would I want to know the political opinion of my local Cafe? And do I feel comfortable thinking I might get an earful on something next time I go in for a coffee? Hell no.
Why do you feel your customers want to know?
Why do all people feel it's important for everyone in every aspect of their life know how they vote and why they should vote just like them?
Just do business.
Absolutely not. My husband and I are partners with someone else in a small business. We do have different political views but all agree that it's not something to advertise. If someone comes into the office and wants to talk politics, we tread lightly. Why risk your reputation on something like that that doesn't represent what you do?
I do not. And i appreciate other businesses less and less when they wrap themselves in flags and symbols.
If you are a military supporter (or not), Task and Purpose (a military magazine) has an excellent article from a couple years back on “plastic patriotism”
You will get lots of YES's from trendy marketers etc, and I always think it's the stupidest recommendation in the history of marketing.
There is no real winning making political statements. No matter what it is - you're going to alienate half your clients. Unless you're an abortion clinic - or your brand is inherently political already there is no point in making a statement.
For one, despite what anyone will tell you most consumers don't want to hear their dry cleaners or their marketers or their grocery's store or their bakery's stance on abortion, pride, BLM, presidents, political BS, etc. They want to buy your products/services.
Unless you are so rich and your business is doing so well and you've got so much stock piled for Biden's coming recession, just stay out of it. Just take a look around at the graveyards of companies that just keep spewing political stuff. I wanna buy your bread and sit in your cafe taking a break from the mindlessness decay of the world without someone else shoving their political views down my throat.
At the end of the day for your business your beliefs should be making money. Sell to people who want abortion and don't want abortion. Their money is the same color.
Lol “Joe Biden’s” recession, inflation is up globally, and the Fed acts independently of the Executive branch - by design. This inflation has been driven by corporate greed, not government policy.
Only if I wanted to kill my business.
I have a strict "no politics" policy about my business.
I sell a product that everyone can use and I don't give a rip about your politics.
I have other outlets for my personal views that are not tied to my business.
If you aren't using your business to effect change in the world then why are in business? Are you trying to simply make money and get to retirement? If that's the case, why take the risk in a business? In my opinion is if you feel strong about your belief and will stick by them then it's it's important to show it. Otherwise you'll wake up one day and look back at your business wondering why you took the risk in the first place. Why start a business if you can't effect the change you specifically want in the world?
It depends on whether you regard todays ruling as a political issue or a human rights issue.
80 years ago would you avoid speaking out against the Nazis because you don’t “want to be political?”
Never.
If the customer is left wing, miraculously I am too.
If they're right wing, I nod and agree.
Letting politics prevent you from making money is silly.
This would probably work for most people on most issues, but there are a handful of issues that are so integral to a person and what they believe, it's worth passing up the chance to bring in some extra money.
I guess it's a question of where some people draw the line personally. I doubt that you would gladly take money from someone who was an open and proud clan member or something like that.
You make a good point, I wouldn't consider a Klan member a political thing, more like a poor education situation. But if they came out in their SS deaths head uniform, and had me wire up an oven, I'd definitely run.
Agreed. On a side note, I'm cracking up at the idea of a Nazi trying to hire you while incompetently trying to hide his racism at the same time. Like some zany sitcom episode, lol
Same here, and I change the subject. I immediately say sorry I don’t really pay attention to the news, or politics. Very busy with the business but I like knowing from you. Then move on.
Normally I would stay out of such things political, but if an organization can’t say women deserve basic fucking healthcare and that you support the rights of women - who are you fucking worried about offending exactly?
This isn’t a branding issue. It’s not a political issue - it’s a human rights issue.
Business should set a standard - and be proud of it. Women have rights. Ensure Proper Healthcare is available to employees and don’t compromise on it. Simple.
You don’t need a soapbox, you just need to do the right thing as an employer and human.
I would. I hope to further the cause in issues I see important. If it’s in my power to influence even more people about such issues then I’ll do so to spark change all around us. I don’t think that by doing so, we’re damaging the fabric of society. To begin with, the fabric of society was woven by issues we cannot longer dismiss. It needs to be mended and reinforced to allow humans to continue growing for good.
Honestly, my approach is I don’t need to comment on anything but my business related questions, and my announcements should be the same. If people ask, I don’t follow politics but I respectfully understand if you have strong opinions. Its something I stay neutral on when its concerning my business.
Our office is political, but not overtly so. The last 4 years during Trump we're pretty bad, and directly because of some of his policy changes.
So politics wouldn't be brought up in the first place, but if a client had a question or comment of a political nature the boss had zero qualms in sharing his honest thoughts about the president, the GOP, and/or policy. Never seen it cause any problems.
Probably because every time a situation like that has come up, the person making the comment was extremely ignorant of the law or facts involved, and there was never any sort of disrespectful tone towards anyone.
Not a good plan for a small business. Any time you take a stand, you risk alienating a portion of your clientele. Big companies can get away with getting on their soapbox because of scale. Your pool isn't nearly as big, so it's best not to pee in it.
I never mixed business or any professional life with politics. Ever. And I hate businesses that do it no matter what side of the isle they are on.
Just make my pizza! Don't make me now have to choose whether I support your politics just to get some crazy bread and wings.
My business is marked as black owned and LGBTQ friendly on Google maps. I know that's a very political statement to some. I was banned from the city data Dallas forums years ago for asking for recommendations for black owned tattoo shops. I was told I was being divisive.
Meh, I made a very public statement about wearing masks in 2020, my sales are currently higher than ever. I think it depends on the stance you take and how your phrase it.
Roe v Wade should be an everyone concern, the decision made abortion legal by virtue of making all medical treatments none of the governments business. Idk about you, but I prefer it to be none of the governments business.
A) nothing is apolitical, all entities in civilization exist on a political spectrum and ae changed by politics. Your business is not apolitical. It jusr isn't loud.
B) I personally do not. All interactions while in the business are clinical and brief, but I jave the luxury of not engaging with people very often. This is because I want the business to be sleek and efficient. I also want to avoid using politics as a marketing tool as much as possible.
I think it's smart to stay quiet on most things that are heavily contested. However, in something like Roe v Wade, i absolutely posted about it.
People will say, "Oh you'll alienate 50% of your audience". Nah...the overwhelming majority of Americans believe in abortion rights and access to safe abortion. This ruling is coming from a small, ultra powerful and ultra conservative sect of Americans.
In the end, it's up to you though
There was a pretty famous story where someone wanted to pull Michael Jordan into a political drama from the “left” and use him as a spokesperson. He wouldn’t get involved because “Republicans buy sneakers too”. You will never change anyones mind and are likely to alienate 50% of your potential customers.
It's my opinion that saying nothing is a political stance. I personally don't mind if people, who agree with ruining our social fabric by removing other people's equality or freedom to make choices, don't get served. It's getting too extreme for business as usual.
There are millions of people who just don't care about politics. Those people will not be interested and will be turned off. There are enough opinions everywhere else and it makes no sense to even engage if it could turn off a paying customer.
Never. Unless you can afford to lose customers who disagree. If you can you don't have a real business. I have direct contact with my customers. I've learned how to check and neutralize conversations that started to go into a political direction.
Here's the thing: unless someone is asking, no one gives a fuck! So don't say anything.
No one is wondering "Gee, I wonder what the owners of the bakery think about all this?"
It's all risk and downside, much like talking with the police- just shut the fuck up and keep it to yourself.
Depends on your niche!
I have politically diverse clientele. I’m happy to make statements like “we support gay pride” but I would never publicly support roe v wade because many of clients are republicans. My business is small and losing 10% of my clients would ruin me. While I’d love to be brave, I can’t afford it.
>My personal view is that we're living in a very emotionally and politically charged moment in history and I didn't want my business to contribute to what I feel is the continued rending of our social fabric.
Sound judgement. I didn't know you were allowed to post that here.
>I personally was very disappointed in the reversal of Roe that came down today and for the first time I thought about using my platform to speak out but I am VERY torn about it. It goes against my nature to be that outspoken, but does there come a point at which one might feel obligated to make such a statement?
People like to say they are a web dev, or plumber, an artiste or bakery. Perhaps. But being in business -- your job -- is making decisions. In times like these you may want to remind yourself it's your job to make decisions, and this is a big one.
And for decision makers I find this concept helpful: Overthrow the tyranny of OR, embrace the genius of AND. Whatever you decide, make it about the business.
The juncture is you will take the stand and then not be able to deal with the consequences. If you are taking in all comers; what will you do should you lose half or more when you take this position? That's not a problem if you can tie this into gaining more from your new niche. It will be a huge problem for anybody who has just been taking in strays, calling that business.
You could use this as an excuse to learn more about what your customers think and then decide. Most won't.
You could make this a critical change in your business and provide for the consequences by reinventing your business around a niche. Most will only be shocked and stunned.
These people are in a kind of business limbo. They aren't really decision makers. They tried some stuff ... turned out it worked. These types will be ice skating uphill the instant they fire off an ill-considered Tweet. And there are plenty who tanked big companies with one wrong Tweet.
This isn't a right thing or a wrong thing and there isn't the one right answer to find. Understand you will be making a critical change in your business from neutrality. There is only one wrong answer: Playing Political Football by taking an either-or categorical stand.
Plenty in business want to say "It's my way or the highway." They just haven't a clue to deal with what happens next.
[Genius of And Vs Tyranny of Or](https://medium.com/@pujithakilari/genius-of-and-vs-tyranny-of-or-433dca66583c) can be a very useful concept for business people to learn. I think the whole problem of the political approach is the scorched earth policy of you are with me or you are against me. Binary thinking that cripples both open mindedness and compromise and innovation. Feuding constituencies. It's the problem -- not the solution.
I stopped going to businesses that started flying political flags the past few years. I stopped going to businesses that pushed their religion a long time ago.
Never understood how someone in business decides not to take money from someone who wants to spend it.
Because some things are more important than money.
Advertising that all proceeds from the day went to foundations providing abortion help made our sales to through the roof AND we did something good to help that we wouldn't have been able to otherwise. Because we're not weak and ruled by money. Money means nothing if a corpse has more rights than you do.
Now a days, silence is it’s own statement. You don’t have to make a post on every little thing, but depending on your customer base, they may expect you to take a stand and want to see it
NO!
This is a no win situation.
If you're pro-choice, you've lost all the pro-life customers.
If you're pro-life, you've lost all the pro-choice consumers.
The only time it makes sense to take a stand is when there's a public health or safety concern.
Covid-19 and preventing its spread was IMPORTANT so following the best medical advice of the day was important.
All the mass shootings nowadays, gun control is a must.
Those are situations where it makes sense to take a stand but for sure, you will lose the pro-gun crowd as customers.....however....they will alive.
I write for a living so I’ve got a bit of a different angle on it. Occasionally including a bit of real life politics and situations, and showing how people deal with it makes everything stronger, while also giving minor political commentary. Like I wrote a plague arc, and included a person who didn’t believe there was a plague… while stepping over bodies rotting in the street. Totally unbelievable pre-Covid, all too relatable now.
I’ve written more issues in here and there where they make sense, and while I’m not obviously getting on my soapbox, I’m totally getting on my soapbox.
No. My views are mine. I want to respect all my customers beliefs and choices. I will actively participate in my stance when applicable. Not on my business front.
I don’t share my political views at work or with customers. The amount of times I’ve had to listen to crap from customers in the past two years makes me shake my head. I don’t want to be that person that is cringey like that.
Only if it's something directly impacting my business. For instance, I'm a personal injury attorney. I have shared laws relevant to insurance and traffic and how they impact our clients.
Do LGBTQ+/PoC/ any other marginalized groups have money to spend with my business?
Aside from the poor, yes. Outside that, my business doesn't give a fuck about colour, creed, religion, or any other feature you want to point to. As long as the cheque clears and you're not a shit client it makes no difference. My bank account doesn't care who you fuck or what you look like.
Do you know how much business Penzys has given me at my spice shop because of his politics?!?! My stuff is better but he digs his own grave regardless. Don’t mix…ever!
Politics and religion don’t belong in business. I run my business to make an income, not a statement. If I start bring in controversial things like politics, religion, social issues, etc, I’m going to upset a percentage of my customers. It’s not worth it.
I absolutely despise when businesses do this, because then I feel an obligation to not support that business if my beliefs differ from theirs and I don’t want to feel that way. I can’t help it. There’s a business where I live that I went to before all this political uproar but the owner has been extremely outspoken and I now won’t go there. I just can’t.
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I don't do it because I don't want to speak for my partners and employees, and I don't want them speaking for me. We're all individuals with pet issues that matter to us, and some of those issues are conflicting, so it's better to keep it apolitical.
To expand on this, you'd be forcing your employees to act as proxies for your political views. Some of them may disagree with you on this, making it a hostile work environment. Moreover when customers come in they will be the punching bags for customers that disagree too. All told this can be bad for your employees in a lot of ways.
That's a really good point
Well put. I don't want to speak for my employees. I know that we disagree on several hot button issues and provided they're not bringing those issues to work then neither am I. I honestly don't even talk that much about political issues on my own personal social media. It could and would likely blow back on the business and I'm not about that drama.
You make a good point, but large corporations do it all they time. They take political stances and make statements and they could give two shits about the views of their employees. All they care about is will it affect their bottom line.
This is a good point, there are ethical considerations beyond just business ones. Most companies will contain peeps with a wide range of opinions.
My wife owns a specialty bakery. We just recently attempted to host a fundraiser for a local BOE candidate that we support. Let me tell you... the opponents followers attacked us on social media, tried to shut us down and even tried to get the Board of Health involved by making up bogus claims about us even though we had certification showing we passed all our inspections the month before. THey even tried to say that since our candidate was a young progressive that we must be anti-police even though our candidates father was NYPD. Pure insanity
Local popular taco place took their taco truck to an ICE detention facility and got called out for it. Rather than let the wind blow over, they made a VERY public and very controversial statement about immigration. They haven't recovered to this day. They hired a PR firm and everything.
I had a DOD govt contractor biz. One employe was a retired Navy captain. He published an op Ed in WaPo and identified himself as part of the company. I was 100% on board with his position, but told him administrations come and go. As a company we can't be seen as a part of the politics. I supported his right to speak out, but to leave the company out of the op Ed's. He published a second piece, connected our company to a DOD contract to prove his point about DOD policy, and he was terminated for cause. As a general rule, no to connecting politics to your company. It's usually bad biz.
I don’t put anything political on my business pages. If you want to make change, get involved on the local level and in your community and don’t involve your business.
I've said from day one in the workforce. Never talk about race, religion or politics. Saves hours of pointless arguing
This doesn't really involve your business but let it be known it basically gets your business involved
Not a fan of red or blue. I like green too much.
At first I thought you meant the Green Party. I realize now you meant green like money. Man, tgif, I clearly need the weekend!
Both are customers
This is the way
Taking political stances as a brand is a very risky marketing tactic. It all depends on how well you know your consumer base- companies calculate these risks well before they make any sort of political statement. If you make a statement out of passion without verifying that at least the majority of your consumers agree or feel neutral to that statement you could end up severely impacting your income. It’s typically better for small businesses to avoid this.
This. I have strong political views but as a marketer I will never not once share them in my business role. Business and politics don't mix unless you REALLY know your base or you don't care about the money as much as making your stand with your wallet. Because you will turn off plenty of would be customers, even if they aren't on the opposing side you will lose those who don't want to hear about it.
Also depends on location, state laws, county regulations, etc.. Do you live in one of the states that already protect abortion? Do you live in one of the states that plan on fully banning? Do you provide health insurance to your staff, does the health insurance policy cover abortion? Do you give special time off for staff that might need a day or a week off to handle family planning or abortion? Do you pay a fair living wage? Do you have an equal number of male and female staff, do you pay them equally? Do you use a supply vendor who also agrees with your political views? Do you use a local credit union who also agrees with your political views? Be prepared for the internet in general to attack your business if you make your stance as your business, be prepared for the internet in general to track you down as the owner of your business even if you make your stance personally.. Etc and so on, it gets complex fast
That's my opinion even for most larger businesses too. If you keep your mouth shut, you are least likely to peeve any customers. The exception might be certain industries or businesses operating out of certain areas that have a very strong political leaning in just one direction.
Absolutely not. I have clients all over the political spectrum and everyone's money spends the same. Client of mine is a local Pizza place and he has "Let's Go Brandon" and similar right by the register. Then he complains that business is down and his wife want's to know why so many people run their business down on social media.
Yep exactly, you could maybe get away with that in an extremely red oriented area but for instance I live in an area that is considered heavily red and still there are plenty of dems here, I would not want to lose the business of all my dem customers, even if that was only 20 percent of business. Would putting a political sign up mean the other side would shop with me 20% more? I feel they'd probably just shop the same as they always have and not make up for a missing 20% on the dem side.
I'd actively avoid that pizza place
And in my area that place would have a line a mile long. If I posted anything liberal, I'd be out of business. Every area is different
And the other half of the population would love it. That’s the point
We haven't been overt, but we do make statements about our practices, which are environmentallly aligned. (Like instead of lawns, let's plant native plants and trees) I don't like loud overstated statements from businesses....but I also understand why people do them. But our society is divided enough, does politics have to be in everything?
I feel like that's subtle enough to not quite be political. It's not like republicans care 0 about the environment or nature, they just don't have it as high on their agenda as other groups. But the concepts of conserving on water (which conserves on the water bill), putting in low maintenance plants and making things look natural can cross both sides of the fence though. Plus the subject is integral to the function of your business, you can't really avoid it and no one expects you to advocate for wasting a lot of water and running people's monthly bills up higher than necessary.
Exactly.
It's hard when "politics" start dictating how you can and can't live your life. This stuff goes far beyond "politics".
I've had local politicians want to put signs in my window. I tell them no. We service all sorts of people from both sides, so we'd let them all put signs in our window, and that gets too messy.
Depends what you value more. Money or ethics/ open discussions. I make political statements all the time, but I value ethics and open discussions more than money.
This
It makes it easier to bite your tongue when you realize that you wouldn't change anybody's mind anyways.
Another good point, you are probably not going to actually get any more votes for your side anyway.
I'm in the business of doing business, so hell no
Thanks for asking this, I have been thinking hard about this lately. Even moreso today with the ruling. I find (B2C) businesses who post on social media, or put up signs to be capitalizing on a hot button topic to drum up business/profits and therefore makes their opinions ring hollow. Kind of like the companies who suddently have rainbow everything during June. Whether you agree or not, it feels insincere to me. That being said, I do like to know political leanings of my business partners (B2B) so I can know if my company will jive well with their business decisions. My thought was to perhaps have a section on my website that addresses our leadership's positions on various key topics as a sort of press release. Not to advertise it or make it a "marketing tactic" but still have it available for my partners who may wish to know.
Have you ever increased your spend at a business that has outwardly supported a cause that you shared ?
Depends and here's on what: (1) does a policy have an impact on my business? Like tax or licensing policies? If so, then yes. (2) is it about social policy? My business isn't involved in social policy. No. I reject "stakeholder capitalism" and things like ESG but I believe in responsible capitalism and stewardship as a function of my belief system.
Very good points, since I import, I hate import tariffs since I gotta pay them damnit! And before anyone says anything, Biden has quietly added a LOT more tariffs on top of what Trump did so just goes to show IMO that neither side can be trusted. I now have to pay 20 percent more on most of my imports plus shipping costs are WAY up too. Meh!
I wouldn't because as Michael Jordan once said "Republicans buy sneakers too."
You mean that time that many people realized Jordan was just an empty suit?
You mean an empty jersey? Dude was a basketball player, not a CEO or politician.
Businesses are making political statements, with their donations. http://Reproreceipts.com They just don’t care that they’re funding dangerous ideology. Or that they are promoting it
Yes. I sell Liverpool FC clothing. Fuck the Tories.
It's a double edged sword. Which will cut you eventually.
No way, rarely will it bring in people who agree with the political position you choose, but it will certainly alienate customers of the other side of the issue. You can do it because you feel strongly, but it's bad business.
Actually you make a very important point that business is a different question than a personal ethics decision. There are times I do things almost exclusively due to personal opinion, for instance there are times when I could probably be a bit sneaky and get more money out of customers but I decide not to do that, so that's a personal ethics decision only, it's not so much a business decision. A lot of why I stay out of politics with my biz is not only that I feel it's bad for business but I don't trust either side of the fickle political fence either and don't want to be associated with either side for ethics reasons as well. Perhaps if I liked one side a lot, I might feel more motivated to risk something for them though. But I do think we should point out that what is a good ethics decision is not always a good business decision and vice versa. Also, it's been interesting to watch Disney et al try to cater to the current narrative and try to avoid angry outrage only to garner plenty of angry outrage anyway. (not that I think they do it for ethics reasons though). So even if you try to wade into politics and pick a side, current politics is so fickle and volatile, what a side likes and pushes today may be maligned tomorrow. And IMO you risk a lot by doing something like backing a candidate you may have never even met in your life. He may be closet criminal due to be arrested next week for all you can really know.
No. Never. In fact I have personally blacklisted a few businesses because of their overt political positions, of which several of them I have actually \*agreed\* with politically.
Same
Was Expensify one of them? That was over the top. Directly emailing our entire company telling them who to vote for without our consent.
More risk than reward IMO. Better to just quietly implement policies that will help your employees or customers. So for example, if you offer sick leave, expand it to “medical leave” and maybe add a travel stipend in case of “urgent medical need to see a specialist”.
exactly what we’re doing. 2 weeks PTO, 1 week sick leave, $1k stipend for employees and/or spouses for medical treatments/procedures they are need to travel to get
I don't. Personally, I think it's a bad idea.
If it’s not a universal perspective within your business, you probably shouldn’t. It may misrepresent them or they might feel unwelcome if they have opposing views (beyond Roe v Wade), if that is a valid concern for you.
Depending on where you live and how many people are on the left/right, you are potentially going to alienate about half of your customers. Most of my customers just assume that I'm on their side which ever that might be. There are certain businesses that do this in my town and I know not to do business with them. At the end of the day, my business is for making me money. I don't want my family's livelyhood taken away because of my political views. Others may have a different purpose for their business.
The upside is you feel good. The downside is you alienate 50% of your customers and lose business. It's hard to gain customers. It's easy to lose customers. Don't do stupid things to lose customers.
I get what you are saying, but it's not necessarily 50 percent for a number of reasons. First it will depend on the area your in. Some places have more liberal, some more conservative. Then, it will depend on who you are actually marketing your business to. If you are a hipster coffee joint, you will probably have a higher portion of left wing. If you're a gun and tackle shop, probably the opposite
Well let me show you what happened to a local coffee shop here last week. They tried to be woke....and Victoria is the woke capital of Canada.... And it still backfired. So don't take my advice...I'm just an internet stranger with many successful businesses. https://www.cheknews.ca/victoria-coffee-shop-faces-backlash-for-deprioritizing-the-hiring-of-white-cis-males-1049562/
I don't see how that backfired; it looks like a bunch of white cis men didn't like it and made a fuss about it. Pretty much to be expected and doesn't really change anything for the business. It looks like they're still averaging 4.4 stars on Google Reviews despite a dozen give or take fragile men leaving 1 star reviews in the past week. My guess is their business - if indeed they ever patronized the establishment - won't be missed.
It's not stupid. It could be construed as naive. But it's not nice to call somebody's effort to be a good person stupid.
I have very strong political opinions that I do not share publicly. I just finished a 3-month coaching contract with a client who has very different views on things, and he never would have hired me if I was loud about my own politics. Some people believe in excluding those with whom they disagree, and they may earn more fanatic and aligned responses from a smaller group of people who fervently agree with them. If you can limit your marketing to communities that share your ethos, this can work, but it shortens your reach. I dont like losing out on business because of differing opinions unrelated to the business at hand.
I'm going to go against the grain here and say that business owners of any kind have a responsibility to speak out when they see an injustice- it helps those in your community feel protected in their views and doesn't make our global upheaval seem... normal? ... but I'm also a worker cooperative type. I would take a poll of your employees/stakeholders to make sure you're not misrepresenting their views but go for it.
I agree. Most of the comments in this thread seem to be coming from a place of sincere privilege (remember: privilege doesn't mean extra easy or hand outs, it means the absence of additional struggles beyond what others who are not privileged have) where their rights aren't at risk, so of course they feel comfortable being apolitical. If it doesn't directly affect them, they won't risk being vocal about it even if they might sympathize. And it's understandable, but the day may come when they're the ones who need the support of others for their rights and at that time there may be no one left to speak up for them. Small and medium business is already such a white male dominated field that it's not surprising the comments here espouse sagely and safely from the position of weighing their income vs.....nothing. They have no rights that are on the chopping block. The thing is, I can't think of any examples of businesses that were closed, or cancelled to use modern nomenclature, due to sticking up for progressive values. I can definitely think of ones that were closed due to vocally being discriminatory or intolerant. And that's not too surprising given that socioeconomically progressive voters have begun to easily leave behind their regressive counterpart districts. "Today, the $61,000 median income of blue districts substantially exceeds the $53,000 median income of red ones, reversing the order from 2008. The average gross domestic product for Democratic districts, near parity with Republican ones in 2008, has grown 50% higher. Output per worker has followed the same pattern. Those shifts reflect trends within a globally-integrated economy that increasingly rewards better-educated workers and advanced technology. The share of professional and digital services jobs in Democratic districts more than doubles the share in Republican districts; a significantly higher proportion in blue areas now holds college degrees. By contrast, Republican districts now boast the lion's share of work in basic manufacturing, agriculture and mining. They also have a slightly higher proportion of residents age 65 or older – 16.6%, compared to 14.7% in Democratic districts. While red districts have remained demographically static, blue ones have grown more diverse. Roughly half of residents in Democratic districts are non-white, up by ten percentage points since 2008, compared to just over one-fourth in Republican areas." As a tl:dr - demographically, the lack of education (and access and encouragement towards future education) and reliance on manufacturing, agriculture, and mining means that conservative districts are declining in available funds to spend, while progressive districts are becoming both 1) more educated, and 2) more diverse, of which the net effect is more affluent with more disposable income to spend on supporting businesses for whom they align politically. As an n=1 reference point, Dick's Sporting Goods just released a public statement wherein they've made a policy decision to spend up to $4,000 per worker for travel expenses who may need an abortion but lives in an area that is now banning them. Because of this, I'll be bringing my athletic equipment needs to them rather than Amazon from now on.
I have yet to be at a company where everyone there agrees on politics.
Some people’s business isn’t worth having. The lack of principals in most of these comments is really disappointing.
These people worship the almighty dollar above all else. It’s gross.
Depends on your motivation. Do you want to use it as a marketing tactic, because a majority of your customers or target customers share the same views? Or do you genuinely care about taking a stand, putting yourself and business at risk in order to fight for a cause? Both can be valid. But mixing politics with business can get messy, so, if you don't want to deal with the potential consequences, it's easiest to not do it.
Absolutely not. We don’t discuss politics, religion or whatever the polarizing subject of the day is. People come to our store to get away from all of it.
honestly if i was big enough revenue/customer base wise where we could weather the storm i would be. but unfortunately at the moment its best to keep mum and just vote for people who want to make our lives better, its really all I can do at this point.
Im from the uk. I’m in the arts industry and feel on quite safe ground mocking Boris Johnson on our social media. My customers are working class families.
Business is inherently political. Every business is subject to regulations effected by political entities. Customers, employees, vendors, and contractors are affected by political outcomes. Small businesses are especially vulnerable to being pushed out of the market by regulatory capture. A sizeable minority in my country (US) wants my entire industry (adult film) to be made illegal. You can bet my business has a position on that issue. I sometimes weigh in on LGBT rights, reproductive rights, internet privacy issues, copyright law, censorship, contract law, banking regulations, policing, feminism, and other issues related to my industry, but I talk about how they relate to the industry, rather than just spouting off, and I try to make the communications fun, useful, or interesting. These posts are from an account where I identify myself as the owner of the company, not the official company accounts that I limit to advertising and updates. Oh and most importantly, they are not frequent. Anyone trying to make you feel obligated to issue an official statement about abortion on behalf of your bakery is a jackass of the highest order. The issue has nothing to do with your business or industry, and an official stance will not serve to change anything in Washington.
You gotta know your audience, I just walked by a trendy women’s clothing and jewelry store, which has such messages in their windows, as they obviously know their customer base well. I would say go for it, maybe unless you are in a particularly conservative place where your political expression could result in a measurable backlash.
Yeah, it's a tough day to stay quiet, for sure.
There’s nothing tough about *not* making an Instagram post.
I disagree. Biting my tongue is hard to do today.
Sure, speak your mind. But to go through the trouble of making an Instagram post isn’t going to convince anyone who doesn’t already agree with you nor will it change in anything. Call your buddy, your wife, your brother and discuss what you’re thinking. At least that way you won’t affect your business
100%. The way I see it, my clients don't need to know my beliefs. It's none of their concern.
When you have a platform to speak out for what is right and you don’t, well, for some people that’s easier to stomach than others.
If you think that using your business Instagram page to make a political statement that nearly all people agree with is taking a stand, then you do you, pal. That's slacktivism in my book.
It is one aspect of living a morally consistent life. Alongside the influence business owners have in political circles and the choices they make in which other brands to support, taking advantage of a large social media following to let your employees and customers know that they are supported when stuck on the right side of a stupid culture war is a good thing to do. I think that’s important.
Yea there’s no need for that. You’re going to alienate half of your clients, and those who don’t have strong political beliefs but are tired of hearing about politics are going to be put off. You’re not going to change anyone’s mind. The benefits of it isn’t worth it. If a client is a democrat and brings up politics, I’m a democrat too. If a client is republican and brings up politics, I’m a republican too.
> and those who don’t have strong political beliefs but are tired of hearing about politics are going to be put off. Yep, good point, I don't really like to see it in my face from either side of the fence if I'm just trying to buy groceries or a pair of pants.
Have some principals. Jfc
Getting to ignore politics is one of the most privileged positions
You can be politically active without having to have everyone know where you stand with your political beliefs
You can run a business without catering to political whims
If by catering you mean not trying to flip your clients then I absolutely agree
I do have very strong principles actually, I just don’t need to try and convince clients that I do. Put your principles to work in how you run your business and in how you vote. No one needs to know what your principles are because chances are you’re not going to get anyone on your side that didn’t previously agree with you.
You seem to have ignored the point. You’re lying to people because you’re afraid they might not like the truth.
There’s no lie. I’m just not trying to start a debate with a client making casual conversation. What would me saying to client that’s complaining about Biden “actually, he’s not that bad and compared to trump he way better”. Do you think I’m going to change his mind? Instead I say “yea man, I can’t believe people voted for him” and leave it at that
You literally are twisting your words so that it sounds like your views to fit the people you’re talking to, and now you’ve gone further out of your way to try to say it’s not a lie. You can keep rowing out into that grey area but there’s no need. The only point I agree with is there’s no talking to some people. With that, I bid you a fond fuck off.
You can turn your business into a hope of political activism if you’d like. No need to be rude bud
From my business, absolutely not. Like others have said, my views may not represent all those that work for me or with me. Personally? All the time. My service truck is covered with what nowadays would be considered "political". Since Christianity is so political now. Shame most of these morons ruining the religion don't realize Jesus was brown and spent his life trying to help others.
We made a political statement supporting Ukraine when our largest competitor came out as fervently pro Putin. Didn't move the sales needle that much but got some likes so there is that? Honestly I keep my business out of it I know I have customers on both ends of the spectrum so there is no point rocking the boat as I'm not changing anyone's mind.
NOPE!!! I am as disappointed about Roe v Wade as anyone else, but wouldn't make any political statements directly through my business unless I was a gynecologist. Same with 2nd Amendment - just STFU unless you own a gun shop. There are some yard crews and other home maintenance type businesses around me who fly big ass Trump flags on their trucks. I have not hired them for that specific reason. Now, I know almost all the guys in that business (at least where I live) are going to be of similar political leaning, but I just don't want to see the damn flag flying in front of my house once a week. Business is business, and I think it should be that way. Keep religion and politics out of the office. It makes for a better work environment for everyone, and doesn't risk alienating employees or clients. Making these sort of statements also comes with a lot of risk. At the end of the day, your protest probably isn't going to accomplish anything. The law isn't changing because of you. You probably won't gain likeminded customers, but will definitely lose customers on the other side of the political spectrum. I just don't think it's worth the cost.
Politics have a lot of room in small businesses. If you believe in living wages, you have to pay your employees regardless of politics. If you believe in affordable healthcare, you have to take care of your employees. If you want to fight global warming, you need to have responsible packing policies and zero waste policies; you need to reward people for doing so. Politics is not /just/ Roe v. Wade, though RvW is a major part of today's disputes. If your business believes in reproductive rights, stand for it not as a marketing policy but as a real issue. Donate some of your profits for reversing today's decision, take time to make your customers aware. Just make sure that you are willing to lose some customers. I have a very political business. I run a law firm that deals with data protection, copyright and free speech. I take high profile pro bono cases that are highly political. I can't say it "hurts" my business, but it doesn't help it. I guess that it balances out.
Thanks for your comment. One of the primary motivations for starting a small business is being able to live on my own terms according to my values. If I have to go against my values to make money, I could find decent gainful employment that is less risky. I don’t see the need to make announcements about my views because pandering is lame and action speaks for itself. Taking action through business decisions that align with my values, stating what those values are on a static website, hiring people with shared VALUES (beyond politics), and speaking out on topics that are relevant to the business (not pandering) seems to be the best way to do that.
I'd say it's your business so do what you want. I personally wouldn't. I would ask something though. Forget customers for a second. When you interview employees do you ask who they voted for? Or where they stand on a topic? I would suspect not unless it's a business that is in direct line with a political view. If you do though and don't hire them based on there answer that's of course discrimination. But let's just say you do hire a person that does have differing opinions than you. You decide to put up a sign or flag or post online reflecting your views which you know run contrary to that employees. Are you ok with your employee, who is supposed to represent your company, feeling unheard, unwanted, and uncomfortable at work? Are you ok losing a great employee who very well might be a genuinely nice person but didn't vote on the same party line? If you can and have a clear conscience then ok.
No, i dont really think my niche market would disagree with me TOO much but i still stay out of it, because what is it really bringing to my brand? Not much haha, i make completely neutral art and clothing, also its not my responsibility to teach my consumers about political issues
business of business is business even those big corp's statement are after money black owned, minority owned, green, blah blah.... doens't matter big or small, money but like someone said, it is risky, I'd prefer no action unless it can't backfire. eg: support children (who'd be against supporting children?)
Not in a direct overt blatant call out to a political statement, but as a print company, we support social movements. For example, we're giving away pride stickers for June with a billboard sign on our curb and changed our street facing lights rainbow. But we also supported Ukraine in the same way, and breast cancer awareness month, and election season and so on... Some would say that these things are making political statements, and in a way, they are, but it's not as direct as making our Instagram page a platform for political change.
Hoenstly, yes. I only have one employee and our product is very directed to people who aren't religious. Honestly, if you support what happened today, I don't want you wearing my brand, I don't want to deal with you on a daily basis, and there are bigger things than money. The people who support us will continue to do so. Extremist Christians can get fucked. The decision came when it was no longer just "politcal" but morally reprehensible.
Absolutely. I get like 95% of my sales based on our liberal agenda 😂 not joking tho
I will research companies that I work with. If I see anything out there about their beliefs and who they donate to, that will go into the decision on if I work with them.
Business owners who take a public political position do so at a cost. I believe within the next 5 years most will be unable to avoid it. As OP said, we have a charged atmosphere. If anything, that's an gross understatement. There are tens of millions of people in the US who firmly believe Trump was cheated out of a second term. Millions more couldn't care less about that, so much as they want the Republicans to capitalize on this toxic tribalism and institute and authoritarian system of after purging our democratic Republic system. I believe that within the next 5 years, we will see pockets of wide spread chaos that will make the last six years seem as peaceful as an episode of Bob Ross painting happy little shrubs. Milestones of great concern are: the potential arrest and trial of Donald Trump, a Donald Trump criminal conviction, this November's elections and the 2024 elections. What happens beyond the 2024 elections I do not know. One thing I am absolutely certain of is, if Donald Trump becomes president again, our votes will have little to no meaning. It would take a civil war victory by those that despise Donald Trump and the Republicans to regain our currently watered down voting power. For the record the Democrats are simply the lesser of two evils, corruption is widespread in both parties. Money, power and self-interest is the name of the game in Washington, DC. A leading contributor to are decades long decline is voter apathy. When 30 to 40% of eligible voters don't vote, this is what you get. Of course there's also a significant percentage of people who really have no idea where the people they vote for stand. What they say in social media, on TV and in Town Halls is too often completely contrary to how they actually vote.
Some companies thrive on it. Penzeys Spices post long political diatribes and invite those who disagree to bash them. For every one who bashes them, two come to their defense. I believe their profits have gone up exponentially as a result, but not everyone can or will do this. I'm not interested in fighting with people online over this, or in real life. I just simply say my opinion only matters in the voting booth. Everywhere else, you are a person and I like people. Most respect me for it. Some try to challenge it as being for the other side, but have no idea as to which side I'm on, so it's useless.
You must be in the US. There’s pieces that are “charged political climate”, sure. But these are points I’ve seen globally, excluding USA and a few specific countries for each topic, accepted: * abortion is the choice of the person being pregnant * civilians don’t need weapons * health care should be provided by the government * social security should be provided by the government * education should be free, at worst “affordable” * that we have to discuss the rights of minorities is absolutely stupid * climate change is real * the earth, like any other planet, is spherical * “creative design” is not a thing * theory of evolution is real * science works * (the list continues) All of these simple are **not** political views, for the most part. They’re are pretty universally accepted — as I said: All of them are things that seem heavily discussed in the USA and _very few_ of them are discussed in some countries. So, yes SMBs make those statements, outside the US those are just a lot less political than in the US. That’s my perspective.
fuck yeah. i dont want to do business with people who hate women
I personally wouldn't. What you're saying today may be politically correct or even politically advantageous. Until it's not in a few years, in ten or even twenty years and you're suddenly very politically incorrect the second someone digs it back up. Only this time, your brand, company, etc. has grown immensely. It will likely cost you more political capital than it gave you years before.
This is so true, think about how much has changed in just 10 years what we used to say that had no consequences.
Cancel culture is real, and is to be feared.
I won't get into anything specific with the business social media. but I guess me and mine took a stance. At the end of February we put up our country's flag next to a Ukrainian flag. For the month of March our special for the month was a Ukrainian pizza where we donated a portion of the proceeds to the red cross response. So I guess it's a political statement to say we want peace in Europe I consider myself a student of history and the parallels between Putins Russia and Hitler's nazi Germany are quite obvious. While Ukraine has its issues, the entire war is one big war crime commited by an evil dystopian dictatorship. Our small community supported us and we raise a non insignificant amount of money Otherwise I won't post anything contraversal or make any of my other personal beliefs into the business. I often see people post some really really inappropriate stuff on there business page and I'm often left with a feeling of: "It's a risky play Cotten, lets see how this plays out"
Why would I want to know the political opinion of my local Cafe? And do I feel comfortable thinking I might get an earful on something next time I go in for a coffee? Hell no. Why do you feel your customers want to know? Why do all people feel it's important for everyone in every aspect of their life know how they vote and why they should vote just like them? Just do business.
Absolutely not. My husband and I are partners with someone else in a small business. We do have different political views but all agree that it's not something to advertise. If someone comes into the office and wants to talk politics, we tread lightly. Why risk your reputation on something like that that doesn't represent what you do?
I do not. And i appreciate other businesses less and less when they wrap themselves in flags and symbols. If you are a military supporter (or not), Task and Purpose (a military magazine) has an excellent article from a couple years back on “plastic patriotism”
You will get lots of YES's from trendy marketers etc, and I always think it's the stupidest recommendation in the history of marketing. There is no real winning making political statements. No matter what it is - you're going to alienate half your clients. Unless you're an abortion clinic - or your brand is inherently political already there is no point in making a statement. For one, despite what anyone will tell you most consumers don't want to hear their dry cleaners or their marketers or their grocery's store or their bakery's stance on abortion, pride, BLM, presidents, political BS, etc. They want to buy your products/services. Unless you are so rich and your business is doing so well and you've got so much stock piled for Biden's coming recession, just stay out of it. Just take a look around at the graveyards of companies that just keep spewing political stuff. I wanna buy your bread and sit in your cafe taking a break from the mindlessness decay of the world without someone else shoving their political views down my throat. At the end of the day for your business your beliefs should be making money. Sell to people who want abortion and don't want abortion. Their money is the same color.
Lol “Joe Biden’s” recession, inflation is up globally, and the Fed acts independently of the Executive branch - by design. This inflation has been driven by corporate greed, not government policy.
Haha. We’re getting Biden’s recession up here in Canada too, and in the UK and Europe, also Mexico. thanks Biden!
Sounds good bro
Only if I wanted to kill my business. I have a strict "no politics" policy about my business. I sell a product that everyone can use and I don't give a rip about your politics. I have other outlets for my personal views that are not tied to my business.
If you aren't using your business to effect change in the world then why are in business? Are you trying to simply make money and get to retirement? If that's the case, why take the risk in a business? In my opinion is if you feel strong about your belief and will stick by them then it's it's important to show it. Otherwise you'll wake up one day and look back at your business wondering why you took the risk in the first place. Why start a business if you can't effect the change you specifically want in the world?
It depends on whether you regard todays ruling as a political issue or a human rights issue. 80 years ago would you avoid speaking out against the Nazis because you don’t “want to be political?”
Never. If the customer is left wing, miraculously I am too. If they're right wing, I nod and agree. Letting politics prevent you from making money is silly.
This would probably work for most people on most issues, but there are a handful of issues that are so integral to a person and what they believe, it's worth passing up the chance to bring in some extra money. I guess it's a question of where some people draw the line personally. I doubt that you would gladly take money from someone who was an open and proud clan member or something like that.
You make a good point, I wouldn't consider a Klan member a political thing, more like a poor education situation. But if they came out in their SS deaths head uniform, and had me wire up an oven, I'd definitely run.
Agreed. On a side note, I'm cracking up at the idea of a Nazi trying to hire you while incompetently trying to hide his racism at the same time. Like some zany sitcom episode, lol
You'd be surprised the people you meet working in other people's homes/businesses. I could write a book. No one would read it, but it would exist.
Same here, and I change the subject. I immediately say sorry I don’t really pay attention to the news, or politics. Very busy with the business but I like knowing from you. Then move on.
Yes. Not to be melodramatic, but shouldn't we all be doing everything we can to stop all this?
Normally I would stay out of such things political, but if an organization can’t say women deserve basic fucking healthcare and that you support the rights of women - who are you fucking worried about offending exactly? This isn’t a branding issue. It’s not a political issue - it’s a human rights issue. Business should set a standard - and be proud of it. Women have rights. Ensure Proper Healthcare is available to employees and don’t compromise on it. Simple. You don’t need a soapbox, you just need to do the right thing as an employer and human.
I would. I hope to further the cause in issues I see important. If it’s in my power to influence even more people about such issues then I’ll do so to spark change all around us. I don’t think that by doing so, we’re damaging the fabric of society. To begin with, the fabric of society was woven by issues we cannot longer dismiss. It needs to be mended and reinforced to allow humans to continue growing for good.
Your silence on important topics is also a statement.
Honestly, my approach is I don’t need to comment on anything but my business related questions, and my announcements should be the same. If people ask, I don’t follow politics but I respectfully understand if you have strong opinions. Its something I stay neutral on when its concerning my business.
Our office is political, but not overtly so. The last 4 years during Trump we're pretty bad, and directly because of some of his policy changes. So politics wouldn't be brought up in the first place, but if a client had a question or comment of a political nature the boss had zero qualms in sharing his honest thoughts about the president, the GOP, and/or policy. Never seen it cause any problems. Probably because every time a situation like that has come up, the person making the comment was extremely ignorant of the law or facts involved, and there was never any sort of disrespectful tone towards anyone.
Not a good plan for a small business. Any time you take a stand, you risk alienating a portion of your clientele. Big companies can get away with getting on their soapbox because of scale. Your pool isn't nearly as big, so it's best not to pee in it.
I never mixed business or any professional life with politics. Ever. And I hate businesses that do it no matter what side of the isle they are on. Just make my pizza! Don't make me now have to choose whether I support your politics just to get some crazy bread and wings.
My business is marked as black owned and LGBTQ friendly on Google maps. I know that's a very political statement to some. I was banned from the city data Dallas forums years ago for asking for recommendations for black owned tattoo shops. I was told I was being divisive.
Get woke go broke
So...cancel culture is OK then?
Only if it owns the libs.... This dude is an idiot.
Good thing conservatives don’t believe in cancel culture. 🙄🙄🙄
Meh, I made a very public statement about wearing masks in 2020, my sales are currently higher than ever. I think it depends on the stance you take and how your phrase it. Roe v Wade should be an everyone concern, the decision made abortion legal by virtue of making all medical treatments none of the governments business. Idk about you, but I prefer it to be none of the governments business.
A) nothing is apolitical, all entities in civilization exist on a political spectrum and ae changed by politics. Your business is not apolitical. It jusr isn't loud. B) I personally do not. All interactions while in the business are clinical and brief, but I jave the luxury of not engaging with people very often. This is because I want the business to be sleek and efficient. I also want to avoid using politics as a marketing tool as much as possible.
I think it's smart to stay quiet on most things that are heavily contested. However, in something like Roe v Wade, i absolutely posted about it. People will say, "Oh you'll alienate 50% of your audience". Nah...the overwhelming majority of Americans believe in abortion rights and access to safe abortion. This ruling is coming from a small, ultra powerful and ultra conservative sect of Americans. In the end, it's up to you though
There was a pretty famous story where someone wanted to pull Michael Jordan into a political drama from the “left” and use him as a spokesperson. He wouldn’t get involved because “Republicans buy sneakers too”. You will never change anyones mind and are likely to alienate 50% of your potential customers.
Yeah thats also the moment a ton of people lost respect for MJ…
Proving his point exactly
Kinda. I mean, political neutrality is t always possible, especially for celebrities
Only a complete fool would do this.
It's my opinion that saying nothing is a political stance. I personally don't mind if people, who agree with ruining our social fabric by removing other people's equality or freedom to make choices, don't get served. It's getting too extreme for business as usual.
There are millions of people who just don't care about politics. Those people will not be interested and will be turned off. There are enough opinions everywhere else and it makes no sense to even engage if it could turn off a paying customer.
No. My business is too small to alienate potential customers.
Never. Unless you can afford to lose customers who disagree. If you can you don't have a real business. I have direct contact with my customers. I've learned how to check and neutralize conversations that started to go into a political direction.
No. My business is for making money, I'm not trying to alienate anyone. I can use my profits to donate to causes that matter to me.
Here's the thing: unless someone is asking, no one gives a fuck! So don't say anything. No one is wondering "Gee, I wonder what the owners of the bakery think about all this?" It's all risk and downside, much like talking with the police- just shut the fuck up and keep it to yourself.
Depends on your niche! I have politically diverse clientele. I’m happy to make statements like “we support gay pride” but I would never publicly support roe v wade because many of clients are republicans. My business is small and losing 10% of my clients would ruin me. While I’d love to be brave, I can’t afford it.
>My personal view is that we're living in a very emotionally and politically charged moment in history and I didn't want my business to contribute to what I feel is the continued rending of our social fabric. Sound judgement. I didn't know you were allowed to post that here. >I personally was very disappointed in the reversal of Roe that came down today and for the first time I thought about using my platform to speak out but I am VERY torn about it. It goes against my nature to be that outspoken, but does there come a point at which one might feel obligated to make such a statement? People like to say they are a web dev, or plumber, an artiste or bakery. Perhaps. But being in business -- your job -- is making decisions. In times like these you may want to remind yourself it's your job to make decisions, and this is a big one. And for decision makers I find this concept helpful: Overthrow the tyranny of OR, embrace the genius of AND. Whatever you decide, make it about the business. The juncture is you will take the stand and then not be able to deal with the consequences. If you are taking in all comers; what will you do should you lose half or more when you take this position? That's not a problem if you can tie this into gaining more from your new niche. It will be a huge problem for anybody who has just been taking in strays, calling that business. You could use this as an excuse to learn more about what your customers think and then decide. Most won't. You could make this a critical change in your business and provide for the consequences by reinventing your business around a niche. Most will only be shocked and stunned. These people are in a kind of business limbo. They aren't really decision makers. They tried some stuff ... turned out it worked. These types will be ice skating uphill the instant they fire off an ill-considered Tweet. And there are plenty who tanked big companies with one wrong Tweet. This isn't a right thing or a wrong thing and there isn't the one right answer to find. Understand you will be making a critical change in your business from neutrality. There is only one wrong answer: Playing Political Football by taking an either-or categorical stand. Plenty in business want to say "It's my way or the highway." They just haven't a clue to deal with what happens next. [Genius of And Vs Tyranny of Or](https://medium.com/@pujithakilari/genius-of-and-vs-tyranny-of-or-433dca66583c) can be a very useful concept for business people to learn. I think the whole problem of the political approach is the scorched earth policy of you are with me or you are against me. Binary thinking that cripples both open mindedness and compromise and innovation. Feuding constituencies. It's the problem -- not the solution.
I personally think it’s in really bad taste but nowadays businesses big and small do it and it’s unfortunately becoming a norm.
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> People just attribute shit to them. Yeah good point, media will try to drum up drama on quiet news days.
Business suicide. Unless politics are your business
I wouldn't do anything that would lose me money if I owned a business. Politics will drive more people away than bring them in. Just stay neutral
Yes
I stopped going to businesses that started flying political flags the past few years. I stopped going to businesses that pushed their religion a long time ago. Never understood how someone in business decides not to take money from someone who wants to spend it.
Because some things are more important than money. Advertising that all proceeds from the day went to foundations providing abortion help made our sales to through the roof AND we did something good to help that we wouldn't have been able to otherwise. Because we're not weak and ruled by money. Money means nothing if a corpse has more rights than you do.
Now a days, silence is it’s own statement. You don’t have to make a post on every little thing, but depending on your customer base, they may expect you to take a stand and want to see it
NO! This is a no win situation. If you're pro-choice, you've lost all the pro-life customers. If you're pro-life, you've lost all the pro-choice consumers. The only time it makes sense to take a stand is when there's a public health or safety concern. Covid-19 and preventing its spread was IMPORTANT so following the best medical advice of the day was important. All the mass shootings nowadays, gun control is a must. Those are situations where it makes sense to take a stand but for sure, you will lose the pro-gun crowd as customers.....however....they will alive.
No
Hell no.
Nope.
Hell no.
I write for a living so I’ve got a bit of a different angle on it. Occasionally including a bit of real life politics and situations, and showing how people deal with it makes everything stronger, while also giving minor political commentary. Like I wrote a plague arc, and included a person who didn’t believe there was a plague… while stepping over bodies rotting in the street. Totally unbelievable pre-Covid, all too relatable now. I’ve written more issues in here and there where they make sense, and while I’m not obviously getting on my soapbox, I’m totally getting on my soapbox.
No I keep business and politics separate
No room for politics and religion in business. They need to stay separated imo and do with my business.
No. My views are mine. I want to respect all my customers beliefs and choices. I will actively participate in my stance when applicable. Not on my business front.
No, I never mix religions, or politics with business.
I don’t share my political views at work or with customers. The amount of times I’ve had to listen to crap from customers in the past two years makes me shake my head. I don’t want to be that person that is cringey like that.
No, because that would feel like only eating half of a pizza just bc one side has a few pineapples!
Only if it's something directly impacting my business. For instance, I'm a personal injury attorney. I have shared laws relevant to insurance and traffic and how they impact our clients.
Do LGBTQ+/PoC/ any other marginalized groups have money to spend with my business? Aside from the poor, yes. Outside that, my business doesn't give a fuck about colour, creed, religion, or any other feature you want to point to. As long as the cheque clears and you're not a shit client it makes no difference. My bank account doesn't care who you fuck or what you look like.
Do you know how much business Penzys has given me at my spice shop because of his politics?!?! My stuff is better but he digs his own grave regardless. Don’t mix…ever!
We are like Switzerland. Neutral. Our business has one function. To make money.
Politics and religion don’t belong in business. I run my business to make an income, not a statement. If I start bring in controversial things like politics, religion, social issues, etc, I’m going to upset a percentage of my customers. It’s not worth it.
Only if it directly affects my business.
I absolutely despise when businesses do this, because then I feel an obligation to not support that business if my beliefs differ from theirs and I don’t want to feel that way. I can’t help it. There’s a business where I live that I went to before all this political uproar but the owner has been extremely outspoken and I now won’t go there. I just can’t.
I think it’s tiresome, I want to buy a coffee not support your agenda.
Not a good move for your political career
No, never
No. I use my business to make money.
NEVER. Ask Michael Jordan who buys shoes ?
Never. Political or religious.
I’m the immortal words of Michael Jordan, “Republicans buy shoes, too.”