I have been a Local Guide a few years now and as an entrepreneur myself I highly enjoy giving my support to local small companies in the form of Google Maps posts and reviews. I usually make a lot of posts when traveling, but also discover new things in Finland where I live. My home town is Helsinki, where I live on the suburban area. I usually try to make posts about places which are not only in the central of the city, but outside of downtown. Helsinki - as so many more cities in the world - have so much more to see than just the main shopping street.
When traveling, I find interesting places beforehand and I list those to Google Maps. Last spring I was visiting Lisbon, Portugal and I wanted to find interesting places nearby our AirBnB apartment. I typed in search word ‘organic’ to see the results. I found interesting pinpoints: a shop of organic soap, shop of organic honey products, organic grocery stores and one restaurant with organic offering: LadyBug juice bar which was also close to our apartment!
When we were in Lisbon, it was very easy to plan the day and see what interesting places I had pinned beforehand. So even when just wandering around town it was nice to see if there was any interesting places around to pop into.
We went to LadyBug to get some organic juices and I took pics and made a review of the place to Google Maps. Later that same day the owner replied back to my review and that was the first time any owner had been in contact with me on Google Maps and that made me really happy! I really felt that I had made a difference by posting this review! I was talking with the staff in the restaurant but with a comment from the owner I think I really got into an ‘online conversation’ with this place.
I think giving my support to small business owners around the world is an impact I can make towards a better future. I am able to support an entrepreneur and give relevant feedback about their products for everyone else to enjoy.
Doesn´t it look delicious?
