Small Business Featured on the Perception Podcast

Small Business Featured on the Perception Podcast

This episode of the Perception Podcast will focus on small business and major business corporations.

In addition to sharing insights on how New Mexico residents view small business and major business corporations, we are going to hear from Chrystal Trykoski of Enchanting Soap Collections.  This is a small business that providing a path forward for women in a very unique way.

Learn more about Enchanting Soap Collections by visiting: https://enchantingsoapcollections.com

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Tom Garrity, The Garrity Group Welcome to the Perception Podcast presented by The Garrity Group Public Relations. I'm your host, Tom Garrity. Today's episode focuses on one of the most consistent storylines in the 2025 Garrity Perception Survey: New Mexico's Unwavering Support for Small Business. Every year since 2011, The Garrity Group has partnered with Research and Pulling Inc. To understand who New Mexico residents trust. In February of this year, a statistically valid sample of 415 New Mexico residents shared their thoughts, giving us a 95% level of confidence in the results. And once again, small business rises to the top. Let's start with the numbers. Consistent with past surveys, four out of five New Mexico residents, 79%, hold a favorable opinion of small business. Only 5% hold an unfavorable view, and 16% are neutral or unsure. Compare that with the perception of major business corporations, which has a 30% favorability of New Mexico residents. That means major corporations have the lowest favorability. Among all 17 of the measured industries and institutions that were in the 2025 study. To put it into perspective, corporate favorability has dropped sharply over time, from 50% in 2020 down to 42% in 2023, and now just sitting at 30% favorability. Geographically, support for small business is especially strong in North Central, Eastern, and Central New Mexico. Meanwhile, the areas where major corporations perform best, relatively speaking, are North Central and Northwest New Mexico. At The Garrity Group, we often say that we help small businesses to be heard and large organizations to be understood. Much of our early work involved partnering with organizations that help entrepreneurial communities thrive, including one of our first clients known as Accion. Now it's known as DreamSpring, and they are a community development financial institution that's committed to supporting entrepreneurs through resources, mentorship, and microloans. One of my favorite memories from that time involves a simple bar of soap, Dream Spring, often highlighted products created by entrepreneurs they serve. And at this particular event that I was at about a year and a half ago, at our table sat a bar of soap with packaging. About a story that has stayed with me since that time. Fast forward about 18 months, I'm walking through the New Mexico Artisan Market at Hotel Albuquerque when I spot a booth. Beautiful soaps, handcrafted and familiar. I pick one up and immediately read the packaging. And I know that I've seen this before. That's when I had the honor of meeting the owner Chrystal Trykowski of Enchanting Soap Collections, a New Mexico small business rooted in purpose, sustainability, and a remarkable entrepreneurial story. I'm delighted to have her on the podcast today. Welcome to the Perception Podcast, Chrystal. Thank you so much, Tom. When I came up and we talked at the New Mexico Artisans Market, you shared a story and it was it was powerful. Share with our listeners your story. 

Chystal Trykoski, Enchanting Soal Collections [00:03:47] My mother and I, Roberta, we founded this company in 2006. In 2009 I exited this business for about 12 years. And then I got sober in 2019 for the last time. And in 2022, I rejoined Roberta on this journey, on this mission to empowe