“I’ve gotten a lot of PR just regionally and state-wide just because of the competition,” Armstrong said. “It’s just such a big opportunity, people have really grabbed on to what this would mean for my business and what kind of big deal it is. From that I’ve really seen a sales pickup. It’s been crazy.”

With Armstrong getting the message out to go vote online for his business, other local businesses have come to aide Armstrong promote his store. Selma City Councilwoman Angela Benjamin sponsored a cookies and cream social on Oct. 26 at Sweet Advantages, a local ice cream shop.

“We wanted to promote G Mommas Cookies, so we thought cookies and cream,” said storeowner Towanda Friday. “Ice cream and cookies go good together. They are good cookies, and Robert is a good guy.”

Armstrong will be flown out to California to find out the winner of the competition on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

“It really probably hasn’t hit me yet,” Armstrong said. “When I get to California, I’m going to be a nervous wreck, because if I get it — it will change my life.”

Though he understands the potential effects of winning such a national competition, Armstrong still remembers his hometown and reasons why he started his business in the first place.

“The reason I started this business is to make an impact on my hometown not only tangibly, but also intangibly by showing people that you don’t have to live in a big city to start a business and be successful on a national scale,” said Armstrong. “My roots are in Selma and it is apart of who I am, and one of my passions is to see it revived and improve economically.”

To vote for G Mommas Cookies before Nov. 3, visit smallbusinessbiggame.com.