Here’s to the Builders on Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday is a powerful idea: a day to support the local businesses that bring character and connection to our communities. 

But at Durable, we’re not just thinking about shopping small. We’re thinking about the people behind the scenes who make it all possible. 

We’re thinking about the business owners who mortgaged their homes to get a dream off the ground. The founders who skipped paychecks so their team didn’t have to. The operators who launched from a kitchen table or a garage, and kept going long after the first “grand opening” buzz wore off.

These aren’t just people who work in their communities. They’re shaping them.

Small Business Saturday is a reminder of something we see every day at Durable: Utah’s economy is powered by people who show up — early, late, and in between. Who dig in, take risks, and keep moving forward even when the odds stack up.

And make no mistake: those odds are stacking up. Business formation is at century-level lows. Operating costs are rising. Platforms are consolidating. AI and automation are shifting the game again. All the while, the market keeps rewarding scale, speed, and shareholder value — not necessarily longevity, integrity, or community.

And yet, most of us still want the same thing. 

We want Utah’s Main Streets — not more Amazon pick-up lockers and warehouses. We want bookstores, bakeries, barbershops, and studios. We want to know the people behind the counter — their names, their stories, their pride in the work. 

At Durable, we’re building Utah’s Business Commons because we believe small business deserves better. Not just better tools, but better community. More structure. More shared wisdom. More places to ask hard questions, to learn from peers, and to keep going — not alone, but together.

Small businesses remain Utah’s largest employer. They are still the heartbeat of every local economy. But far too often, they operate without the infrastructure, visibility, or support they need to thrive.

We’re here to change that.

So today, we raise a glass to the builders.

To the dreamers who never stopped doing.
To the quiet leaders holding up our economy one shift, one sale, and one sacrifice at a time.

We see you. We’re with you. And we’re building this for you.

Happy Small Business Saturday.

 — The Durable Team