FI+@ND
FI+@ND THIS STORY ON OUR WEBSIT WFAA.COM.
WFAA.COM.
WFAA.COM. >>> OPENING UP THE COUNTRY IS
TOP OF MIND FOR REAL+@LY
EVERYBODY, RIGHT?
EVERYBODY, RIGHT? WE HAVE HEARD A LOT ABOUT SMALL
BUSINESSES STRUGGLING NOWADAYS,
BUT THIS CRISIS ACTUALLY TURNED
INTO AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ONE
+@
INTO AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ONE SMALL BUSINESS.
SMALL BUSINESS. JOINING ME NOW IS BREE CLARK.
GOOD MORNING, BREE.
>> GOOD MORNING.
HOW ARE YOU?
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING
ME.
ME.
ME. >>
ME. >> DOING WELL.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS
MORNING.
MORNING.
MORNING. WE ARE GOING TO GET RIGHT INTO
THE QUESTIONS HERE.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT WAYS TO
KEEP SMALL BUSINESSES GOING AND
GROWING AND THRIVING DURING
THIS TIME.
THIS TIME. >> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> YOU'RE A LOCAL BUSINESS +@
OWNER.
OWNER.
OWNER. WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE FOR YOU
DEALING WITH THE PANDEMIC?
>> IT HAS DEFINITELY BEEN A
CHANGE, A SHIFT.
I AM IN THE EVENT-BASED
BUSINESS SO I'M FOCUSING O+@N T
COMMUNITY, BRINGING PEOPLE TO
TABLES, LITERALLY AND THAT HAS @
DEFINITELY CHANGED RIGHT NOW.
WE CANNOT CONNECT IN PERSON
ANYMORE, SO I'M HAVING TO DO
+@
ANYMORE, SO I'M HAVING TO DO THAT ONLINE, THROUGH SOCIAL
MEDIA, AND IT'S JUST BEEN A +@
HUGE SHIFT.
HUGE SHIFT. BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT I'VE
ALWAYS, LIKE, PREAC+@HED BEFORE
THIS.
THIS.
THIS. I
THIS. I WANTED TO FOCUS ON -- IT'S
NOT +@JUST CONNECTING ONLINE --
IN PERSON, BUT IT'S ALSO MAKING
SURE THE CONNECTIONS YOU MAKE
OFFLINE ARE BEING MADE, YOU
KNOW, ONLINE AS WELL.
SO I AM PRACTICING WHAT I'M
PREACHING.
PREACHING. SO ABOUT REALLY PUTTING IT ALL
IN EFFECT AND JUST -- IT'S BEEN
A SHIFT.
A SHIFT.
A SHIFT. BUT I THINK EVERYTHING THAT'S
BEEN HAPPENING LATELY IS
AFFECTING ALL SMALL BUSINESSES,
BUT WE ARE RESILIENT BECAUSE WE
WOULD NOT BE HERE IF WE WERE A
SMALL BUSI+@NESS, IF WE -- YOU
KNOW, IF WE W+@ERE --
+@
KNOW, IF WE W+@ERE -- >> I CAN TOTALLY UNDERSTAND
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. NOW, TIPS -- WHAT TIPS DO YOU
HAVE TO HELP THESE OWNERS KEEP
GOING?
GOING?
GOING? >>
GOING? >> I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT
EVEN THOUGH THESE ARE TIMES
THAT, YOU KNOW, WE FEEL THAT
OUR DOORS ARE CLOSED AND WE
DON'T KNOW WHAT'S COMING NEXT,
WE HAVE TO CREATE -- I'M BIG
ON THAT.
ON THAT.
ON THAT. CREATING AND MAKING SURE YOU'RE
CONNECTING WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
ONLINE.
ONLINE.
ONLINE. THAT'S A HUGE FOUNDATION OF THE
AMMAN PROJECT AND I THINK
THAT'S GOING TO HELP US GROW.
MAKING SURE YOU'RE SHIFTING
FROM -- I KNOW RIGHT WHEN WE
HAD OUR WORKSHOPS, I KNOW THAT
I WANTED TO CREATE ONLINE
WORKSHOPS, BUT I WANTED TO MAKE
SURE THAT THEY WERE SOMETHING
THAT WAS DONE JUST NO+@T BECAUS
EVERYONE WAS DOING IT, BUT
BECAUSE SOMETHING THAT ALIGNED
WITH OUR BRAND, ALIGNED WITH
OUR PURPOSE.
OUR PURPOSE. SO, YOU KNOW, EVEN IF IT'S
GETTING TO MAKING THOSE GIFT
CARDS, GETTING THE GIFT CA+@RD
SALES, WORKSHOPS SO THERE CAN
BE FUTURE SALES.
ALSO, YOU KNOW, STARTING THAT
PODCAST.
PODCAST.
PODCAST. PODCASTS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. HAVING THAT ONLINE PRESENCE,
EVEN IF YOU DON'T REALLY LIKE
SOCIAL MEDIA, BIG TIME TO BE
ONLINE RIGHT NOW.
EVERYBODY IS ONLINE.
THAT'S REALLY -- EVERYONE IS
ONLINE, WE ARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA,
TIK TOK, SNAPCHAT, EVERY SINGLE
THING.
THING.
THING. SO
THING. SO MAKING SURE YOU'RE
CONNECTING WI+@TH YOUR FOLLOWER
WITH YOUR COMMUNITY ONLINE IS
JUST SO IMPORTANT.
SO STARTING THAT PODCAST,
FOCUSING ON THAT EMAIL LIST, ON
THE NEWSLETTERS, MAKING SURE
THAT YOU'RE ADDING VALUE TO THE
COMMUNITY IS JUST SO IMPORTANT
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. I'M REALLY NOT BIG ON SELLING,
SELLING, SELLING.
SELLING, SELLING. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU
FIND -+@- YOU KEEP YOUR WHY, YO
KEEP YOUR PASSION AND YOUR
PUR+@POSE AND EVERYTHING ELSE
WILL COME.
WILL COME. >> I LIKE ONE OF THE THINGS --
I LIKE EVERYTHING YOU SAID BUT
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STOOD
+@
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STOOD OUT WAS YOU WERE SAYING MAKE
SURE YOU STAY IN YOUR LANE AND
DO WHAT'S NECESSARY FOR YOUR
BUSINESS BECAUSE I'VE BEEN
SEEING+@ A LOT OF PEOPLE GOING
LIVE ON INSTAGRAM AND IT'S
LIKE, OKAY, WELL WHAT IS THAT
--
--
-- >>
-- >> IT'S A LOT OF NOISE.
>> WHAT IS THAT BENEFITING YOU,
RIGHT?
RIGHT?
RIGHT? >>
RIGHT? >> IT'S A LOT OF NOISE+@ ONLINE
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. IT'S KIND OF HARD, LISTENING TO
EVERYTHING ELSE GOING ON AROUND
YOU AND SAYING, OKAY, THEY
ST+@ARTED A PODCAST, I NEED TO.
THEY STARTED THIS ONLINE SHOP.
I NEED TO.
BUT YOU HAVE TO STAY TRUE TO
YOUR BRAND. +@
+@
YOUR BRAND. +@ YOU HAVE TO STAY TRUE TO WHAT
YOU DO IN ORDER FOR THIS -- FOR
YOU TO SURVIVE AND DRIVE AFTER
THIS.
THIS.
THIS. IT'S GOING -- WE ARE GOING TO
HAVE OUR BUSINESSES AND OUR
BRAND AFTER THIS, SO MAKING
SURE THAT YOU FOCUS JUST NOT ON
THE NOW, BUT ON THE LATER.
I THINK THAT'S REALLY
IMPORTANT.
IMPORTANT. >> REALLY GOOD.
NOW, SEVERAL BUSINESSES ARE
COUNSELING BIG EVENTS THEY HAD
PLANNED THIS YEAR.
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> WHAT ARE YOUR+@ TIPS FOR
PEOPLE CANCELING THOSE EVENTS.
>> JUST BECAUSE THE EVENT IS
CANCELED, DON'T CANCEL THEM ON
-- YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER YOUR
PASSION, YOUR PURPOSE, YOUR WHY
IS NOT CANCELED.
SO MAKING SURE THAT YOU'RE
STILL TALKING ABOUT YOUR EVENT,
ABOUT WHAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN,
WHAT YOU WANT TO DO.
SO MAKING SURE THAT YOU'RE
STILL, YOU KNOW, NOT
CONNECTING -- THAT YOU'RE STILL
CONNECTING WITH YOUR AUDIENCE,
THAT YOU WANT TO BE AT THAT
EVENT.
EVENT.
EVENT. HOPES AREN'T CANCELED, DREAMS
ARE NOT CANCELED.
KEEP ON, BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN. IT'S JUST -- EVEN THOUGH IT'S
NOT HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, IT'S
GOING TO HAPPEN.
I KNOW RECENTLY WE HAD TO
CANCEL -- WE HAD TO POSTPONE
OUR MARKET AND YOU HAVE TO FIND
WAYS TO STILL GET THE NAME OUT
THERE AND STILL TALK ABOUT IT
BECAUSE AS A SMALL BUSINESS,
YOU'RE ASPIRING AMERICA, YOU'RE
ASPIRING A LOT OF PEOPLE, SO
YOU HAV+@E TO KEEP BEING THE
VOICE, AND BEING THE SOUND
BOARD FOR WHAT'S GOING ON OUT
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. >>
THERE. >> VERY GOOD.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
BREE CLARK JOINING US FROM THE