Janesville, Minnesota, the small town where I grew up, had a population of about 1200 when I was living there. It also had 4 grocery stores, 2 hardware stores, 2 dry goods stores, a bakery, 4 restaurants, 4 gas stations, 3 bars, a law firm, 2 doctors, 2 farm equipment companies, a Dairy Queen and a drug store.

Besides the 1200 loyal customers who lived in town, the businesses were also supported by the farming community that surrounded it.

By the time I was in college, people were being enticed to travel a short distance to a town that was 16 miles away  where supermarkets and Kmarts were popping up offering more merchandise than could be found at home.

Slowly, the longtime merchants in my hometown began to retire and close up shop. Like many small towns, the impact of all that business going elsewhere was felt.

There are, of course, all sorts of explanations for the changing landscape of small business in America. What wasn’t noticeable at first, was that while Main Street was changing, so was small business and what it meant.

The media talked about small business being gobbled up by big box stores and while that was one aspect of the changing face of business, it wasn’t the only thing going on. Familiar businesses were disappearing, but entrepreneurial spirit was simply moving elsewhere.

Even as the quest to recruit workers for large organizations with out-of-control ambitions for world domination continued, there was a Quiet Revolution taking place that largely went unnoticed.

In retrospect, it appears this revolution was a very good thing. Mom and Pop businesses no longer were limited to running the corner grocery store. Suddenly, Mom and Pop were becoming partners in a new paradigm of what it meant to be entrepreneurial.

A desire to make a living was certainly part of the motivation, but not the only one. Fueled by individuals who were rediscovering philosophy and spirituality, the new breed of entrepreneur brought values, passion and curiosity to their enterprises.

Still, nobody paid much attention—except for the happy clients and customers of these specialty operations. Without the confines of location, these new little business wonders were free to ply their trade anywhere and everywhere.

Those with wanderlust grabbed their passports and built their businesses both at home and abroad. Others traded in their family homes and permanent addresses for a motorhome and took to the road. Others, fascinated by technology, began connecting with kindred spirits all over the globe.

These hardy pioneers were inventing a new definition of what it meant to be an entrepreneur—and it bore little resemblance to the shopkeepers and corporate models of the past.

If they opted for small town living, that was just fine. Their customers and clients didn’t need to be living down the street in order to do business with them. If they loved the thrill of big city living, that was also an option.

Freedom was now limited only by their own imagination. We may no longer call them pioneers, but they certainly are blazing new trails, innovating, and committing themselves to creating the life of their dreams.

And these pioneering folks are about to have a special day of their own.

In case you haven’t heard, November 27 is the first ever Small Business Saturday, a day when everyone is being encouraged to support small businesses. Of course, if you’re a small business owner, you may already have a personal policy of doing that as often as possible.

Even so, start thinking now about ways to help the spotlight shine more brightly on the folks who are putting their energy and time into keeping small business alive and well.

In case you need more incentives, check out Steve Strauss’s Top 5 Reasons to Participate in Small Business Saturday.