To find a local business isn’t always easy.

These days most people Google for something and as a result, get options from everywhere, often from all over the world.

We also tend to want to compare prices, probably nothing wrong with that, but if tackling something like a hotel for the weekend, there’s a chance you’ll search through a multi national American based accommodation booking site, that markets an already discounted deal and then takes around 30% of that. And of course profits go straight back to the USA, and don’t stay here.

Only recently, hotel owners were speaking out against booking services like Expedia, (that just about own them all including once Australian owned, Wotif) and have attempted to urge consumers to change and book direct.

This is a very similar story to the restaurants issues with food delivery services like Menulog, that also take around 35% and the problem that the face, if they don’t!

It’s not an easy problem to solve and when people like Dick Smith get behind Australian hotel owners to help via a Book Direct campaign, you start to wonder if the problem is simply unsolvable. But I think it actually is, but it will take change.

I recently mentioned that one thing needed is a brain reboot, so that we start thinking local first. We have become incredibly reliant on technology, searching using Google and apps, so it’s go into take effort.

The first part is this question. Do we care enough? And if the answers yes, then start looking for and supporting local first. There are heaps of local shipping sites around. If you happen to live on the Sunshine Coast, then use ours. www.sunshinecoastbusinessnow.com.au will get you to our local business directly, search, find and stay.

The next part of businesses need to get smarter and stop uses sites and services that are overseas owned, look for local alternatives, and ones that don’t change the ridiculous sums that these multi nations are charging. It takes change!

List your business here, it’s free, just click on the link. We have other support services that we are currently developing including local marketing, local CRM and local rewards that are going to be cost effective and help local businesses grow. https://form.jotform.co/90707302203848

It’s going to take change to support local. The potential impact on our economy, and we currently need it more than ever, is in the billions.

Find local, buy local, support local.