What Think Local First Society does

Think Local First Society is a non-profit society founded in 2012 and registered in British Columbia, Canada, that promotes and supports independent local businesses across Greater Victoria and the Lower Vancouver Island. The society operates as a membership-based community organization governed by a 10-member volunteer board of local business owners and supported by a lean staff of two (Managing Director Jasmine Philip and Marketing Support Kathryn Pascuzzo). Its core product is a member directory and community platform built on Membee Complete, featuring a searchable A-Z and category-filtered business directory, an event calendar, member-to-member special offers, and a monthly newsletter, complemented by social channels on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

The society's go-to-market is community-led and event-driven. It runs at least 16 events per year, including monthly networking mixers across Victoria/Saanich, the Saanich Peninsula/Sidney, and the Westshore, quarterly new member breakfasts hosted at Dutch Bakery & Diner, an Annual General Meeting in June, and ThinkLocalFirst week in the first week of December. It pursues a subscription-based revenue model with tiered business memberships based on number of locations (1-location, Local Champion, and multi-location tiers of 2, 3, and 4+ locations), offered with monthly billing options. Specific dues amounts are not publicly disclosed.

The society was launched as ShopLocalVictoria with CAD $1,000 in seed funding from the Victoria Downtown Business Association in 2012, rebranded to ThinkLocalFirst in 2013 as membership extended beyond downtown boundaries, and adopted the operational blueprint of Sustainable Connections of Bellingham, Washington, which scaled to 650+ members over 13 years. As of 2020, the society reported 180+ member businesses and continues to operate as a volunteer-led, non-profit advocacy and member-services organization anchored in Greater Victoria.

Name

Think Local First Society

Legal name

Think Local First Society

Website

https://thinklocalvictoria.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Think Local First Society is a non-profit society founded in 2012 in Greater Victoria, British Columbia, that supports independent local businesses through a tiered membership program, a searchable member directory built on Membee Complete, monthly networking mixers, quarterly breakfasts, and advocacy around the 10% Shift movement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Victoria

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual and monthly membership fees for business members with tiered pricing based on number of locations. Includes profile/listing on website, member-only content, exclusive learning events, access to supplier directory, and monthly newsletter.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Think Local First Society is a non-profit membership society that promotes independent local businesses in Greater Victoria through tiered annual and monthly memberships. Members receive a website directory listing, monthly newsletter, exclusive events, member-to-member special offers, and access to a supplier directory, supported by an online platform built on Membee Complete software.

Product overview

Think Local First Society operates a local business directory and membership platform for Greater Victoria businesses. The organization's primary offerings include a searchable member directory, member events (monthly mixers, quarterly new member breakfasts, and annual ThinkLocalFirst week in December), a newsletter subscription service, member-to-member discount programs, and website profile listings for member businesses. The platform is built on Membee Complete software.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Membership Tiered annual membership program for independent local businesses in Greater Victoria, with pricing scaled by number of locations (1-location, Local Champion, 2/3/4+ locations). Includes website directory listing, monthly newsletter, access to exclusive learning events, supplier directory, and member-to-member special offers. Monthly payment option available.
• TLF Member Directory Searchable online directory of independent local businesses in Greater Victoria, with category filtering and A-Z listing. Powered by Membee Complete software and accessible to both consumers and businesses looking for local services.
• Member-to-Member Special Offers Exclusive discount program that enables TLF members to offer special incentives to other member businesses, supporting cross-promotion and inter-member commerce.
• Networking Events Program Recurring networking events including monthly mixers in Victoria/Saanich, Saanich Peninsula/Sidney, and the Westshore; quarterly new member breakfasts at Dutch Bakery & Diner; the Annual General Meeting in June; and ThinkLocalFirst week during the first week of December. Hosted by member businesses.
• Monthly Newsletter Subscription Monthly newsletter subscription delivered to subscribers with local stories, events, business features, and member-to-member special offers.

Quantifiable outcome

• For every 10% of dollars spent at locally-owned shops, 25% more money stays in the Victoria economy
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Victoria DVBA (Downtown Victoria Business Association)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Initial seed funding of $1000 in 2012 from Victoria DVBA to launch ShopLocalVictoria and develop logo and rack card. Uptake from businesses soon went beyond DVBA boundaries, leading to organizational expansion.
• Sustainable Connections of Bellingham, WashingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTLF follows the model of Sustainable Connections which in 13 years successfully took Bellingham from lowest to highest performing small to mid-size city for sustainability, with over 650 members. This is the operational blueprint for TLF.
• Local Media PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOrganization works with local media partners to build co-op advertising opportunities for members, helping advertising dollars go further through partnership programs.
• Dutch Bakery & DinerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts quarterly new member breakfasts, with breakfast provided for new members. Owner Michele Byrne is a third-generation local business owner.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sustainable Connections: Bellingham, WA-based nonprofit that TLF explicitly models itself on. Operates a membership society for independent local businesses with events, directories, and sustainability programming; reached 650+ members over 13 years, providing a directly comparable benchmark for TLF's growth trajectory.
• American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA): National umbrella organization that supports and networks local independent business alliances across the US. AMIBA's 'Independent We Stand' branding and toolkit model closely parallels TLF's localism advocacy and could serve as a parent/affiliation partner for TLF or its future Canadian peer network.
• Local First Arizona: One of the largest and most established 'buy local' independent business alliances in North America. Operates a member directory, events, and consumer-facing campaigns, providing a directly comparable operating model to TLF at a much larger scale and geographic footprint.
• Independent We Stand: National grassroots movement supporting independently owned businesses in the US. Closely aligned with TLF's 'shop local first' mission and a potential peer organization for benchmarking campaigns, consumer messaging, and sponsor outreach.
• Local First Boulder: Boulder, CO-based local business alliance running a member directory, events, and advocacy programming for independent businesses. Operates on a near-identical model to TLF (membership dues, volunteer board, directory platform) and is a strong comparable for a more mature peer.

Regional players

• Downtown Victoria Business Association (DVBA): Original seed funder of TLF in 2012 and a BIA-style association representing downtown Victoria businesses. Geographic and member-base overlap is high, but DVBA focuses on downtown-specific issues rather than the broader localism agenda.
• Small Business BC: Provincial resource hub providing advisory services, education, and advocacy for BC small businesses. Offers overlapping member-support value to TLF members across the same region and could be a partner or competitor for member services.
• BC Chamber of Commerce: Provincial umbrella for local chambers of commerce in British Columbia. Competes for the same SMB mindshare and policy advocacy role as TLF within BC, though at a broader scale and with a more traditional chamber mandate.
• Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce: The primary business membership organization in Greater Victoria, offering broader services (policy advocacy, networking, benefits) than TLF. Operates in the same geography and serves overlapping SMB members, making it the most direct regional competitor for membership dollars.

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB): Canada's largest association of small and medium-sized businesses, with policy advocacy and member services across the country. Operates at national scale with significantly more resources than TLF and serves overlapping SMB membership needs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/shoplocalyyj
• Facebookfacebook.com/ShopLocalVictoria
• Instagraminstagram.com/thinklocalfirstyyj
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thinklocalfirstvictoria

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Think Local First Society