Clicks and Mortar

** This episode contains Time Sensitive content that has expired as of June 12, 2020, however you can still learn about the Canadian Business Resilience Network in this episode.

In this episode, Phil Taylor of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce joins us to talk about the Canadian Business Resilience Network and the 600 thousand dollar Small Business Relief Fund.

Phill explains:

• Why the network was established
• The general criteria for accessing one of $10,000 grants being made available through the generosity of Salesforce 
• What other resources are made available through the Canadian Business Resilience Network
• How to apply

You'll find the Chamber and Canadian Business Resilience Network information and application online:

Canadian Business Resilience Network

CBRN Small Business Relief Fund

Canadian Chamber of Commerce 

Clicks & Mortar is brought to you by GetintheLoop for Business, the modern marketing platform that connects small businesses with people who want to shop local, first. Find out how easy it is to get started at GetintheLoop.ca/business

Discover how you can bring GetintheLoop to your community and help small businesses, when they need it the most. Franchises now available. Learn more about becoming a GetintheLoop Local owner at GetintheLoopLocal.com

If you know someone in small businesses who is defying the odds, adapting to the changed market conditions, finding ways to survive and thrive and think should be a guest on the podcast contact me:

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If you enjoyed this podcast, you may also enjoy "Love the Grind" a blog written by GetintheLoop's Founder/CEO Matt Crowell.

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Welcome to part 2 of our interview with Lynn Armstrong of Zoe Shoes + Objects.

In this episode, Lynn talks about her approach to eCommerce, the hustle and grit that’s needed to survive today, and more about how she works to create as much of her in store experience in a social distancing environment.  We’re rejoining halfway through the interview for part 2 with Lynn, we’re picking up the conversation as Lynn is about to explain the role of eCommerce in her business and how she’s bringing it all together to execute commerce.

In this episode Lynn discusses:

• Her view of eCommerce past, present and future for her business
• Which eCommerce platform she uses
• How and why they’ve adapted a by appointment only approach as businesses begin to re-open
• How she tries to create some of the experiences a Zoe shopper would have through eCommerce

You'll find Zoe online:

Zoesshoes.com 

Facebook

Instagram

Clicks & Mortar is brought to you by GetintheLoop for Business, the modern marketing platform that connects small businesses with people who want to shop local, first. Find out how easy it is to get started at GetintheLoop.ca/business

Discover how you can bring GetintheLoop to your community and help small businesses, when they need it the most. Franchises now available. Learn more about becoming a GetintheLoop Local owner at GetintheLoopLocal.com

If you know someone in small businesses who is defying the odds, adapting to the changed market conditions, finding ways to survive and thrive and think should be a guest on the podcast contact me:

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If you enjoyed this podcast, you may also enjoy "Love the Grind" a blog written by GetintheLoop's Founder/CEO Matt Crowell.

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Over the next couple episodes, Lynn Armstrong, owner of Zoe Shoes + Objects in downtown Regina shares her unique perspective as a former reporter and corporate strategist on the future of retail and her own store. Lynn has a refined social media and communications philosophy and I think anyone who uses social media will find a pearl or two from that part of the interview alone. We also discuss: 

How retail is a mirror image of a community and society

How the Coronavirus is a black swan event and why this could be a positive turning point for local businesses, in particular retail

How Lynn looked at her business through her risk management experience

How went back to basics and used social media to communicate with customers

The role of safety and trust with your customers at this time 

You'll find Zoe online:

Zoesshoes.com 

Facebook

Instagram

Clicks & Mortar is brought to you by GetintheLoop for Business, the modern marketing platform that connects small businesses with people who want to shop local, first. Find out how easy it is to get started at GetintheLoop.ca/business

Discover how you can bring GetintheLoop to your community and help small businesses, when they need it the most. Franchises now available. Learn more about becoming a GetintheLoop Local owner at GetintheLoopLocal.com

If you know someone in small businesses who is defying the odds, adapting to the changed market conditions, finding ways to survive and thrive and think should be a guest on the podcast contact me:

Twitter

LinkedIn

If you enjoyed this podcast, you may also enjoy "Love the Grind" a blog written by GetintheLoop's Founder/CEO Matt Crowell.

Follow GetintheLoop on Social Media:

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Welcome to part 2 of our interview with Don Blevens of Baby and Me .

Don Blevens and his wife own Baby and Me, an infant to child essentials specialty retail store who made the difficult decision to close his doors to shoppers but ‘stay open’ as the Coronavirus began to impact North America. 

In this episode, Don goes deeper into a number of the steps he’s taken to implement an omni channel strategy over the past 6 weeks. One of the things I took away from my chat with Don, was how customer-centric they really are and how that mindset guided much of Don’s decisions in this process. We’re rejoining halfway through the interview for part with Don about to share how much his business was financially hit by the Coronavirus. 

In this episode Don shares:

• How much his business was hit financially due to the Coronavirus
• The extent of their quick turn around and recovery from the financial losses in March
• His prediction for how eCommerce will impact his business once we get back to 'normal'
• What steps he had to take as business owners to curtail costs early in the pandemic and how they've approached hiring staff back
• Where they did invest money during this time
• The logistics and apps behind their new customer shopping and fulfillment process
• How he evaluated which apps to integrate with his eCommerce platform
• His customer service philosophy
• How Baby & Me uses video to show product
• How mom's inspire him
• What keeps him up at night

You'll find Baby & Me online:

babyandme.ca 

Facebook

Instagram

Clicks & Mortar is brought to you by GetintheLoop for Business, the modern marketing platform that connects small businesses with people who want to shop local, first. Find out how easy it is to get started at GetintheLoop.ca/business

Discover how you can bring GetintheLoop to your community and help small businesses, when they need it the most. Franchises now available. Learn more about becoming a GetintheLoop Local owner at GetintheLoopLocal.com

Contact me:

If you know a small businesses owner who is defying the odds, adapting to the changed market conditions, finding ways to survive and thrive in a Covid world and think they should be a guest on the podcast please reach out to me. By sharing our stories and knowledge, we can get through this together.

Twitter

LinkedIn

If you enjoyed this podcast, you may also enjoy "Love the Grind" a blog written by GetintheLoop's Founder/CEO Matt Crowell.

Follow GetintheLoop on Social Media:

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Over the next two episodes, Don Blevens of Baby and Me shares his Coronvirus turnaround story. His business went down 70% in March 2020, but in April they regained much of that back, and their revenues continue to climb. Any business in a situation where they are down in revenue, have had to adapt to closures and physical distancing, and have more bricks than clicks will benefit from this episode as Don shares:

• The concept behind his successful retail business
• Some of the mistakes and challenges that held his business back from having
• Why they decided to close their doors to the public at the outset of the pandemic
• The initial steps they took online when they decided to close the doors
• Which social channels they are now using and why
• How they move from Magento to Shopify and why
• How many products they now have online and how long it took
• The approach they took to adding inventory online
• What their POS system is, how it integrates to Shopify and if they plan to move to the Shopify POS system
• What makes a poor online shopping experience and steps they're taking to make theirs better every day

You'll find Baby & Me online:

babyandme.ca 

Facebook

Instagram

Clicks & Mortar is brought to you by GetintheLoop for Business, the modern marketing platform that connects small businesses with people who want to shop local, first. Find out how easy it is to get started at GetintheLoop.ca/business

Discover how you can bring GetintheLoop to your community and help small businesses, when they need it the most. Franchises now available. Learn more about becoming a GetintheLoop Local owner at GetintheLoopLocal.com

Contact me:

If you know a small businesses owner who is defying the odds, adapting to the changed market conditions, finding ways to survive and thrive in a Covid world and think they should be a guest on the podcast please reach out to me. By sharing our stories and knowledge, we can get through this together.

Twitter

LinkedIn

If you enjoyed this podcast, you may also enjoy "Love the Grind" a blog written by GetintheLoop's Founder/CEO Matt Crowell.

Follow GetintheLoop on Social Media:

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Today we talked with Steve Collette, the CEO of 3rd Degree Training and Actual Nutrition about how personal training and nutrition franchise, 3rd degree training, like many other small businesses had 4 hours to close their doors due to the Corona Virus and how they’re overcoming the odds and building their business online. 

Steve is upbeat and positive in the face of these challenges and has really looked for the opportunity in the crisis. Steve explains both of the franchise concepts and the history of his business.

He shares:

• How he operates a gym franchise that doesn’t require a lot of expensive equipment.
• What technology they needed to keep their fitness and training business in business when Coronavirus forced their doors closed (hint: not a lot).
• How culture and community is the glue to their business, now more than ever.
• When the best time to take a look a hard look at your business in the mirror is.
• Why as the leader of your business it’s mission critical to have a positive mental outlook.

You'll find 3rd Degree Training and Actual Nutrition online at 3rddegreetraining.com.

Clicks & Mortar is brought to you by GetintheLoop for Business, the modern marketing platform that connects small businesses with people who want to shop local, first. Find out how easy it is to get started at GetintheLoop.ca/business

Discover how you can bring GetintheLoop to your community and help small businesses, when they need it the most. Franchises now available. Learn more about becoming a GetintheLoop Local owner at GetintheLoopLocal.com

If you know a small businesses owner who is defying the odds, adapting to the changed market conditions, finding ways to survive and thrive in a Covid world and think they should be a guest on the podcast please reach out to me. By sharing our stories and knowledge, we can get through this together. Contact me:

Twitter

LinkedIn

If you enjoyed this podcast, you may also enjoy "Love the Grind" a blog written by GetintheLoop's Founder/CEO Matt Crowell.

Follow GetintheLoop on Social Media:

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In this episode, I talk with the owner of Homegrown House & Pantry, Lindsey Cybulskie in Airdrie, Alberta about the changes she's made to her business since the Coronavirus outbreak:

• What she noticed in her business at the outset of the pandemic
• The big decision to take her business online
• Which multi-channel inventory system they adopted and why
• The process she went through to decide to temporarily close their doors and take her business online with contact-less pick up and delivery
• How in the first two weeks, everything was changing every single day
• The biggest challenge she's faced in pivoting her business online
• How her customers have reacted to the changes to her business
• Whether she plans to keep her online store going once it's business as usual

You'll find Homegrown House & Pantry online at homegrowninab.ca and

shop.homegrowninab.ca

Clicks & Mortar is brought to you by GetintheLoop for Business, the modern marketing platform that connects small businesses with people who want to shop local, first. Find out how easy it is to get started at GetintheLoop.ca/business

Discover how you can bring GetintheLoop to your community and help small businesses, when they need it the most. Franchises now available. Learn more about becoming a GetintheLoop Local owner at GetintheLoopLocal.com

Contact me:

If you know a small businesses owner who is defying the odds, adapting to the changed market conditions, finding ways to survive and thrive in a Covid world and think they should be a guest on the podcast please reach out to me. By sharing our stories and knowledge, we can get through this together.

Twitter

LinkedIn

If you enjoyed this podcast, you may also enjoy "Love the Grind" a blog written by GetintheLoop's Founder/CEO Matt Crowell.

Follow GetintheLoop on Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

Youtube

LinkedIn