Undermanned? Check.
Low on supplies? Check.
Odds against you? Check.
Feeling out of your league? Overmatched? Thinking of quitting?

Small business owners are vital to our economy for a reason. Customers choose to shop local for a reason. The idea that Big Business always has the edge is an illusion. Sure, from the outside looking in, all is shiny and spectacular. But behind closed doors, the Suits the ones who are overmatched. It’s time to step up your game as a small business owner!

You’ve got tools at your disposal that, together with your chutzpah and special sauce (?), can keep you in the game put you ahead of the competition. Hey, Bruce Wayne didn’t save Gotham with just his chutzpah and massive pecs. He had tools, too. And if we extend the metaphor over to Superman, that guy had superpowers. So let’s reach into that utility belt and see if we can pull out some superpowers for you, too.

First, things first. I’m a fan of making great design accessible to everyone, and for design that stands still, you can’t get better design that’s more accessible than Canva. Get over to Canva.com and get yourself some beautiful graphics. Get those creative juices flowing, put your key messaging into beautiful designs that stand still. It takes minutes, really.

Next up, it’s time to get some beautiful designs that move, beautiful designs that move people to remember, visit and buy from you. The NY Times calls Shakr a tool for mom & pop shops that levels the playing field. This is a real pro-tip. Come on by our homepage at Shakr.com. Pick a video style that suits your business, and tell the world who you are and what you do for them. You can add your own photos and video clips that you shoot yourself with your smartphone camera. It’s easy!! And the results will blow you away. In about 15 minutes, you’ll have your own broadcast TV quality video ad. Like this one:


Make Your Own "Fresh & Delicious"Make Your Own "Fresh & Delicious" (w/video)


Yes, really. You can make an ad just like this one, but with your own pictures and words. Best of all? It’s free to use. You only pay after we show you the result, and that’s only if you want to remove the watermark. You can feel free to use the watermarked version for as long as you’d like, for free – no strings attached! (If you’re wondering why we make the watermarked version free, take a look at our Freemium Transparency Statement. Free is for real, and we want to be transparent about why we make it free to use Shakr.)

As a small business owner, you’ve got something special to offer the world. Here at Shakr, we’re hoping that we can be a small part of keeping you equipped to compete head-to-head and toe-to-toe with Big Business when they step into your market. On that note, if you’re a small business that wants some help getting the word out there, please share your videos with us! We’re happy to help our customers get more video views.