Calgary Entrepreneur Launches Homegrown Hustle to Spotlight Local Businesses
In a digital age dominated by large corporations, a Calgary entrepreneur is taking a stand for the city's small business community. Jesse Holiday, founder of Homegrown Hustle, has launched a new website dedicated to showcasing local mom-and-pop shops that often lack the marketing budgets and storefront visibility of their larger counterparts.
The Spark of Inspiration
The idea for Homegrown Hustle came to Holiday during a simple daily routine last year. While walking his son to a bus stop, he consulted Google Maps and discovered something surprising. "I saw probably five to eight businesses in the little area I was looking at that I would have never known existed otherwise," Holiday explained. This revelation prompted him to question how many other Calgarians were similarly unaware of the hidden entrepreneurial gems in their own neighborhoods.
"That was the spark that made me want to get them to be known," said Holiday, a father of two married to a youth counsellor. "Get people to actually see who these creators and makers are."
Building a Platform from Scratch
Despite his background as a graphic designer with advertising experience, Holiday found himself venturing into unfamiliar territory. He taught himself coding and website development specifically to create Homegrown Hustle. "Adding these skills to my toolkit has been exciting," he noted, adding that he looks forward to sharing this newfound knowledge with the businesses that join his platform.
The website currently features 17 local businesses, with Holiday serving as the sole operator. He describes the platform as occupying a unique space between traditional directories. "Not quite Yellow Pages, not quite Yelp," he explained. "It's a bit more curated for the local hustler, local maker. Hopefully it does feel a bit different and we get more of that brand story instead of just some big corporation looking to get advertising money."
Supporting the Local Economy
Kayode Southwood, Alberta's senior policy analyst at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, views initiatives like Homegrown Hustle as essential for community economic health. "Small business owners wear multiple hats," Southwood emphasized. "They're often their own marketing team, HR department, accountant, operations manager, and more. Small business owners are already stretched thin."
Southwood highlighted the significant economic impact of supporting local enterprises. According to CFIB research, for every dollar spent at a small business, approximately 66 cents stays within the local economy, compared to just 11 cents when shopping at multinational corporations. "It's critical," Southwood stated. "Canadian owned businesses, including locally owned franchises, have an outsized impact on our communities and our local economy."
Future Growth and Expansion
Holiday has ambitious plans for Homegrown Hustle's development. Beyond the current website, he intends to provide participating businesses with detailed analytics about their online traffic. As the project grows, he hopes to hire photographers, writers, and other service providers to enhance the platform's offerings.
His five-year vision includes organizing pop-up markets where businesses can showcase their products at minimal cost. "It's really about getting people in at an affordable price, so that they can be seen and heard," Holiday explained. While Calgary serves as the initial home base (referred to as Homegrown Hustle YYC), Holiday ultimately plans to expand the concept to other cities across Canada.
The initiative represents more than just another business directory—it's a community-building effort that connects Calgarians with the entrepreneurial spirit thriving in their own backyards. By providing visibility to businesses that might otherwise remain hidden, Homegrown Hustle aims to strengthen local economic networks and foster a greater appreciation for Calgary's diverse commercial landscape.
