To celebrate its 100th anniversary, Deluxe, the Minneapolis-based checks and forms supplier and small business marketing services company, has commissioned six noted photographers and filmmakers to capture the stories of 100 small businesses across the U.S. in a project it calls Small Business Revolution.
The first ten of the featured small businesses are currently posted and it’s already apparent the project will be setting a benchmark for celebrating the personal motivations and commitments of small businesses–most you’ve never heard of (unless one is in your hometown), but who represent the kind of men and women you’ll find in every city and town in America.
The photography and video are accompanied by profiles and interviews with the featured company’s owners, resulting in compelling stories that are both visually inspiring and instructive.
The photography and video are being displayed at a special website, SmallBusinessRevolution.org and on social media sites like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Here are five of the striking photographs from the first ten profiles in the project.
(Click on the business owner’s name to see their profile and slideshow.)
Tracy Dyer, Urban Jacket, Minneapolis
“Beautiful things are really great, but if they don’t function well, the whole promise is lost.”
Willie Willette, Willie Willette Works, Minneapolis
“I don’t think in terms of happiness, I think in terms of satisfaction. Babies make me happy, but my work makes me satisfied.”
Mike Vaille, FlagSource Unlimited, Shawnee, Kansas
“I love that there’s a different challenge every day and I’m the guy who solves it.”
Anne Rucker, Bogart’s Doughtnut Co., Minneapoilis
“I went into law school thinking I would be helping people. It didn’t turn out like that. Bogart’s feels like I am providing something for people and making them happy.”
Christopher James, Porridge Papers, Lincoln, Nebrask
