Every day of the week, we deal with small business owners. Hardworking people who own shops, service centres, spas, salons, professional services firms, dealerships, clinics, restaurants, and supply stores. October is Small Business Month and we want to salute small business owners across the country.

Today, we salute the small business owner who couldn’t figure out why people couldn’t find his business only to discover that Google didn’t have his address pinned to his location. His location was in the right place, but his address wasn’t. Problem solved.

We also salute establishments that were the target of a negative online review campaign by none other than the Hells Angels.

Let’s hear it for restaurant owners who take the time to update their menus online and potentially save themselves from delivering orders that they’re getting all wrong.

Also, we salute business owners who get why it’s so vital to claim and maintain their listings across multiple online directories. We appreciate those who understand why encouraging, monitoring and responding to online reviews can make a real impact on their business. And here’s to those who totally get the point of optimizing for “near me” searches.

You work your tails off every day doing what you do best. Whether that means fixing a broken machine. Making the best muffins. Staying on top of the latest styles. Helping someone see better. Bringing warmth to your customers’ homes. Nurturing somebody’s health. Helping clients see something in numbers that they can’t see. Slipping the perfect, most comfortable shoe onto an elderly woman’s foot. Or simply stopping, talking and really getting to know your customer, you deserve recognition and praise for everything you do.

So raise a glass to a small business owner you know and thank them for doing what they do. Because nobody can do it better than they do.

Happy Small Business Month!