Governor Braun celebrates "Small Business Saturday" in Indiana

Wednesday, November 26, 2025 at 6:00 PM

By Kathy Bottorff

Indiana Governor Mike Braun announced Wednesday that he signed a proclamation declaring Saturday as Small Business Saturday in Indiana and encouraging Hoosiers to shop local and support the Main Street entrepreneurs who drive the state’s economy.

"Indiana's Main Street businesses are the heartbeat of our communities and the engine of our economy. These entrepreneurs take risks, hire local workers, and strengthen the towns and cities they call home. If you're going shopping after your Thanksgiving celebrations this week, I hope you'll join me in shopping local at one of Indiana's small businesses." — Governor Mike Braun

Governor Braun has made Main Street entrepreneurship a central pillar of his economic strategy. This year, he launched the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation—a first-of-its-kind effort to help founders start, grow, and scale their businesses while lowering barriers, accelerating job growth, and keeping Indiana one of the best states in America to pursue the American Dream.

Moreover, in the last year, Governor Braun has visited numerous thriving small businesses in cities and towns across the state. They are among the more than 591,000 small businesses that operate in Indiana. Those businesses make up an impressive 99.4% of all businesses in the state and employ 1.2 million Hoosiers, or 43% of the state’s workforce.

Indiana also ranks in the top five nationally for small-business survival, with 84% of new businesses still operating after one year, and companies under five years old generating 74% of all new job growth statewide.

Small Business Saturday is part of a national movement encouraging citizens to invest in local businesses during the start of the holiday shopping season.

For pictures of the Governor signing the proclamation, and for photos of past events including visits to local businesses, visit the Governor’s official Flickr page, HERE.