j.j. ramberg. you're in l.a., our how many town, i'm going to say good morning to you. >> it is hot. >> it's a great time to get out there with this great weather pretty much around the country here. what is all at stake for america's small businesses, j.j.? how important is today for their so you havebility. you have to think of what is that stake for our communities? when we shop on our main streets to independent businesses we're not just supporting that business, we're supporting the entire community. i always like to remind people, but particularly today, if you like being able to run to that toy store down the street or the bookstore, or retail shop of any type, it will not be there if you don't shop there. we've seen stores shutter on main streets across the country. >> for sure. we're about eight years into this whole program. how is it doing? is it getting exponentially larger every year? >> it is. they had 112 million people shop on this day, up from 90 million the year before. this year

j.j. ramberg and welcome to a special small business saturday edition of "your business." small business day is november 25th and every year we dedicate an entire show to celebrating this day, which kicks off the holiday shopping season for small businesses. this year we're doing it from here, in franklin, tennessee. franklin has it all. southern charm, deep musical roots and a thriving main street which you could see behind me. just 20 mail myles from nashville, it is named after benjamin franklin. but it doesn't end there. right here in franklin less than a mile from this spot, one of the bloodiest battle of the civil war raged and it was a turning point, ending the conflict a few months later. people come to franklin not just for the history but the for the unique shops lining the main street but they have a second retail district. called leaper's fork, a throw back to a different time where distilleries are hidden away and a supermarket is where celebrities and justin timberlake and miley cyrus call home and we talked about how they get people to shop local not just on

j.j. ramberg. ( ♪ ) more people shop online for the holidays than ever before.apping) and the united states postal service delivers more of those purchases to homes than anyone else in the country. ( ♪ ) because we know, even the smallest things are sometimes the biggest. even the smallest things us. it's what this country is made of. but right now, our bond is fraying. how do we get back to "us"? the y fills the gaps. and bridges our divides. donate to your local y today. because where there's a y, there's an us. or a little internet machine? it makes you wonder: shouldn't we get our phones and internet from the same company? that's why xfinity mobile comes with your internet. you get up to 5 lines of talk and text at no extra cost. so all you pay for is data. see how much you can save. choose by the gig or unlimited. xfinity mobile. a new kind of network designed to save you money. call, visit, or go to xfinitymobile.com. a very special small business saturday edition of "your business." we are out of the studio because we're here in franklin, tennessee. at on

j.j. ramberg. welcome to "your business," the show dedicated to growing your business. small business saturday is only a couple of weeks away. and small retailers across the country are gearing up their marketing plans to get customers through their doors. but that's an issue even big retailers have been struggling with. we meet two online companies who say the problem isn't that people aren't shopping, it's that businesses are stuck in the old way of doing things when shopping patterns have changed. they're trying out alternative approaches to retail, and it has both their online and offline sales booming. you've seen the headlines. >> more bad news this week for the $5 trillion retail industry. >> macy's, sears, toys r us have all closed locations. smaller stores are struggling to get customers in the door. seems like a bad time to open a retail shop, right? the founders of this store feel otherwise. >> we always thought it would come to life in a physical way. >> sheryl kaplan is the founder, starting the company in 2014. it started as a purely e-commerce company, wh

j.j. ramberg, and welcome to "your business," the show dedicated to helping your growing business. in seattle, we met one entrepreneur who's taken her great grandfather's old school business model, the corner store, and updated it to fit the millennial lifestyle. it's got a wine bar, coffee baristas and locally sourced handmade gifts. this entrepreneur has already got three neighborhood locations in seattle, and just like other local seattle business, starbucks, she told us she's got big plans. >> puget sound, earl grey or coconut lime. >> we focus a lot on community here. and that opportunity to come and have somebody say, hey, how's it going, and really mean it? all of that is what creates the opportunity for me. >> dani cone is the owner of cone & steiner is, a small chain of three convenience stores in seattle. >> i've been in the service industry my entire life. and one of my favorite things about the service industry are those relationships that you form, literally, over the counter. >> for dani, the community focus, or shop local idea, isn't just limited to her relationship

j.j. ramberg and welcome to "your business". the show dedicated to helping your growing business. we're not the only ones who like to indulge. our four legged friends are apparently fans to, and when ron leff ooh the founder of the first ever network for canines, he got tails wagging around the world. >> have another treat? >> many people will be surprised to learn that dogtv, the first-ever network dedicated to nonhumans, was actually inspired by a cat. >> i used to leave my cat charlie alone every day to go to work. and one day just gave me the saddest eyes in the world like a puss and boots kind of cat. he said don't go. >> ron levi the founder of dogtv realized his television could be a quick fix for charlie's sadness and his own guilt. >> he reacted. i took pictures. i thought wow, this is amazing. >> but turning on just any channel wasn't an option. >> if you leave on any animal channel, or any news channel, you might see something scary like a crocodile. so there's a bomb somewhere that is on the news. you can increase their stress. it's not good for them. >> in that moment

j.j. ramberg and i have great answers to all of these questions, which might help you run a better businesse "your business" page on nbcnews.com for an exclusive online video series to help you work fast and go further. small businesses show their love to you. with some friendly advice, a genuine smile and a warm welcome they make your town... well, your town. that's why american express is proud to be the founding partner of small business saturday. a day where you get to return that love, because shopping small makes a big difference. so, tomorrow get up, get out, and shop small. the medicare enrollment deadline is just a few days away. changes to medicare plans could impact your healthcare costs. are you getting all the benefits available to you? call healthmarkets and we'll help you find the medicare plan that's right for you. hi, i'm doctor martin gizzi. it's a new medicare year. that means more changes ... and more confusion. the key question is: what can you do now, to ensure you get the care you need in the coming year? call healthmarkets today. we have access to thousands of medica

j.j. ramberg and i have great answers to these questions which might help you run a better business.e "your business" on msnbc to help you work smart, grow fast and go further. >> announcer: sponsored by american express. helping you get business done. with some friendly advice, a genuine smile and a warm welcome they make your town... well, your town. that's why american express is proud to be the founding partner of small business saturday. a day where you get to return that love, because shopping small makes a big difference. so, on november 25th get up, get out, and shop small. (avo) but you also have a higher risk of heart attack or stroke. non-insulin victoza® lowers a1c, and now reduces cardiovascular risk. victoza® lowers my a1c and blood sugar better than the leading branded pill. (avo) and for people with type 2 diabetes treating cardiovascular disease, victoza® is now approved to lower the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. and while it isn't for weight loss, victoza® may help you lose some weight. (avo) victoza® is not for people w