The city is big and beautiful and filled with opportunities to have fun. If you’re a customer looking to support Los Angeles businesses, the good news is that you don’t have to try too hard. Simply learning to be more mindful of how you interact with your favorite businesses can go a long way toward helping them thrive in your community. Here are five ways you can practically support small businesses in Los Angeles.

Collaborate With Local Residents on City Initiatives

there are plenty of ways to work alongside your fellow residents to support local businesses. The key is to look on these companies’ social media pages and find out how they’re getting involved in community improvement projects. Once you’ve got a date and time, head over and participate alongside those businesses. Not only will you be helping out with a good cause, but you might also be putting extra dollars into the pocket of your favorite Los Angeles businesses.

Shop Locally

You can go on a shopping spree at the Westfield Century City Mall or take plenty of time to look around at the Los Angeles Airport Shopping Mall. Either way, you may have a chance to help businesses simply by shopping locally. That includes tipping generously, stocking up on gift cards for later, and ordering takeout or delivery when the opportunity arrives. There are interesting ways to shop better locally when you consider there are approximately 400 million entrepreneurs worldwide. Some of these entrepreneurs might be working at one of your favorite small businesses while building their own identity. So, buy the products you need from small businesses near you, and keep in mind that embracing culture and change is part of being a Los Angeles citizen.

Write Reviews

Online reviews give potential customers clear details that they can use to determine how they’ll interact with a business. Nearly 95% of customers won’t make a purchase unless they read a review. So, if you favor a company, using positive-sounding keywords and appreciative statements will help readers understand what a business’ strengths are. Your reviews can be several paragraphs. They can be written with a clear takeaway in mind, or as a broad summary of your experience with a company. You can share reviews on your Facebook and Twitter feeds or even create your own video reviews on YouTube for the chance to earn commissions. Writing reviews is one of the simplest and fastest ways to show a business you appreciate their services enough to recommend them to others.

Sign Up for Email Newsletters

Email newsletters are weekly emails that come into your inbox every so often. The newsletter will include the events, sales, missions, and widespread company changes taking place at a business. Why is that so important? Because, as a customer, you want to stay connected with how a business is growing so you never miss a chance to enjoy the same kind of profits the business has. In addition to extra savings and discounts, you’ll find out about cool giveaways and special events. Email newsletters give you the inside scoop on what’s happening inside a business before more casual customers even know what’s happening. In Los Angeles, that could mean the difference in securing anything from designer clothing to state-of-the-art technology.

Think About What You Shouldn’t Do

You might want to have money after paying rent, but whether you like a business or not, there are 74% more renters today than there were in 1960. You can quickly show that you’re not supportive at all if your actions don’t align with the company’s brand and policies. Ask yourself how you speak to the employees and whether or not you’re courteous and kind or rude and disrespectful. Your support won’t matter much to a business that doesn’t like you, and worse, a company that has a supporter who’s obnoxious or acting out can reflect poorly on the business itself. Going forward, put yourself in the shoes of an employee by taking time to think of what it means to work at the company. If your answers don’t match your actions, you’re at risk of alienating yourself from a business you can no longer support.

In Los Angeles, there are quick ways you can support local businesses without having to pull out your wallet. When interacting with a company, there are ways you can better learn about the company and share its products with others. Los Angeles small businesses are like other businesses throughout the country. As long as their favorite customers remain supportive, the doors can stay open for many more years.