If any one person could be identified as the main driver behind Small Business Saturday, it’s Susan Sobbott. At the time she was the President of American Express OPEN. It was her vision, leadership and energy that got it off the ground and made it a rousing success from the first year.
The daughter of a small business owner herself, she recognized what small business owners needed. “More than anything else, they need more customers,” she said in an interview at the time.
She went on to add, “Small Business Saturday can be the first of many days when businesses and consumers consciously make the decision to consider shopping small. Even better is if they tell their friends, family, and colleagues about the initiative so that they, too, can think about shopping at small businesses.” Read: Small Business Saturday, An Inside Look