Market News that Matters

Record online spending… mostly flowing to the usual giants

This holiday season is breaking records again.

According to Adobe, which tracks online sales across thousands of retail sites, Americans will spend about 253 billion dollars online between November and December, with Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday alone adding up to more than 40 billion dollars. A big chunk of that is happening through “buy now, pay later,” which is expected to hit around 20 billion dollars in online holiday spending this year.

Most of that money goes straight to the usual giants like Amazon and Walmart. People open their phones, tap the first “deal,” and let the algorithm decide the rest. The problem is not that people stopped spending. The problem is that spending is on autopilot.

When that happens, family businesses, veteran owned brands, Christian owned companies and American makers get pushed off the main road.

That is what One Bison is trying to be in the middle of this: a simple way to take part in the same holiday season everyone else is in, but point your dollars at people who still share your priorities.

American Energy Workers Are Back on the Rise

American energy is growing again.

Recent reporting from Reuters, the Houston Chronicle, and E&E News shows that:

• Drilling is picking up in Texas, Oklahoma, and North Dakota

• Pipeline projects and new natural gas export facilities are getting key approvals

• Refineries are adding capacity to serve both American drivers and overseas buyers

This is not a wild boom. It is steady, hard work that keeps the country moving.

Why this matters for us:

• It means real jobs in places that D.C. and Wall Street usually ignore

• It keeps paychecks flowing to welders, pipefitters, rig hands, machinists, and operators

• It makes America less dependent on foreign energy and fragile supply chains

• It helps keep fuel and shipping costs more stable for families and small businesses

If you are (or you know someone who might be) interested in this kind of work, from rig hand to welder, operator or mechanic, start with energy job boards like Rigzone and Energy Job Shop, then keep an eye on local listings in Texas, Oklahoma, and North Dakota, where a lot of these openings show up first.

A Message from our CEO:

We did it, and I want to thank you for being here.

One Bison is close to six months old and we've come a long way because of your support. There are now more than 680 businesses listed, with more than 70 of them actively managed.

If we haven't met yet, I'm Mitchell, the founder of One Bison. I've always been intentional about where I spend money. Years ago I even kept an Excel sheet tracking companies that respected the things most of us believe in.

But the moment that pushed me to turn this into an actual business was when a major retailer released a swimsuit commercial targeting kids with something that had no place being aimed at children. That was the line for me.

Instead of just avoiding companies like that, I decided to build something better.

Why does this matter?

Here's one reason:

In 2014, veterans made up 11% of all U.S. business owners.

Today it's 8%.

It's not because they lost their drive. It's because small businesses cannot outspend the corporations they compete with. The quality and the work ethic are still there. The awareness isn't. And, the same story can be said for American-made and family businesses.

That's where all of us can make a real impact by paying attention to where we spend our money.

One ask:

We’re independent. We don’t have an ad budget like Amazon. If you want to help, click here to view our 'American Made' category and share that link with one friend who is tired of giving their money to companies that hate them.

Thank you for your time, and if you have any suggestions on improving One Bison, I'd like to hear them.

- Mitch