(Radio Iowa) — This Saturday is being touted as Small Business Saturday but the director of the Iowa office of the U-S Small Business Administration suggests don’t wait until then, and don’t limit yourself to that one day, either. Jayne Armstrong says small businesses comprise 97-to-98-percent of all businesses in the state, so she’s encouraging all Iowans to “shop small.” “Everybody can shop small businesses and support them on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and every day during the holiday season,” Armstrong says. “Small business is the backbone of our country. They’re our neighbors, our family members, our friends, and when you support your local small business community, that money stays within the community.”

Events are already underway in several Iowa locations, working with Main Street Iowa, to promote “shopping small” not just on Saturday but as often as possible. “Small businesses are doing better and the more creative small businesses, especially retailers, where they’re doing a combination of things online and in person,” Armstrong says, “that is critical to bringing in different revenue streams.”

Armstrong heard the C-E-O of Forest City-based Winnebago give a talk last week before a civic group in Des Moines. She says the recreational vehicle maker, which had revenues last fiscal year exceeding two-billion dollars, had very humble roots in northern Iowa. “Winnebago is one of SBA’s success stories,” Armstrong says. “We always forget that so many of these large corporations got their starts as a small business, around a kitchen table, in a garage and very often with SBA counseling, financing and other programs.”

Launched in 2010, “Shop Small” is a nationwide movement that celebrates small businesses every day and helps communities thrive and stay vibrant. On the web at www.sba.gov/