Sha Johnsonsjohnson@thedailycitizen.comKatie Cerney, director of social media strategy for Deluxe Corp.’s Small Business Services, consults with an attendee during the business seminars Wednesday. The free event featured lectures as well as breakout sessions and one-on-one time to help small business owners. During the event, Cerney said, “It takes a special person to be an entrepreneur. So thank you for all that you do.”
By Sha Johnson sjohnson@thedailycitizen.com
Deluxe Corp. representatives continue to be impressed by Searcy’s ability to “show up and show out.”
At Wednesday’s business seminars hosted at Harding University by the company that produces the online reality show “Small Business Revolution – Main Street,” Andrew Isenberg, Deluxe Corp.’s manager for national partnerships, shared that Searcy produced the most attendees the organization has seen.
“The biggest turnout we’ve had was 120. There were 385 registered here on Monday,” Isenberg said.
According to Deluxe Corp.’s director of social media strategy, Katie Cerney, Searcy has been an inspiration to the company in how well the community has come together and continued to support the efforts even after the city won the public vote last month to be featured on Season 4 of the Hulu-based series.
“We are amazed by the way Searcy shows up and shows out and continues to show support,” Cerney said.
Isenberg added, “It’s been really incredible. We’ve never had a town show out like Searcy has.”
“This is the first event that we’ve had to close the registration for the event because so many businesses registered,” he said. “We’ve never even had the conversation to have to do that before. We heard ahead of time how Searcy shows out in general. Seeing that firsthand has been really inspirational.”
The seminars held at Harding were part of the reward for Searcy making it to the top 10 towns in the national competition. During the national tour to visit the top 10 cities in February, representatives announced that they would host seminars in all 10 regardless of their progression throughout the rest of the process. Deluxe Corp. still has six more cities to host seminars in.
During the seminar, Harding Vice-President of Alumni and Parent Relations Liz Howell said that Searcy’s winning the competition and involvement in the whole revolution process has been “a dream come true.”
According to Howell, Searcy “already had the ability, we just didn’t believe we could do it.”
Searcy was selected in November from more than 12,000 submissions to be in the top 20 before making the top 10 in December. Site visits to those 10 cities in January led to Searcy getting in the final six before the public voting determined the winner of $500,000 in on-camera makeovers for six businesses along with a community project.
The six businesses named last week were ARganic Woodwork, El Mercado Cavadas, Nooma, Savor + Sip, Whilma’s Filipino Restaurant and Zion Climbing Center. According to Deluxe Corp., Zion Climbing Center will the first nonprofit to be featured on the show.
Due to the momentum the city gained throughout the competition and the way the community rallied together, Howell said that it gave Searcy the push to believe in what it could do.
“You gave us the spark,” Howell said.
Harding University President Dr. Bruce McLarty added, “Small businesses are the backbone of any community.”
He said he believed those present for the seminars have “the best seats in the world” because of the opportunity to help each small business owner and the community at-large.
“It took the Small Business Revolution to bring us here, but you are the rock stars,” Isenberg said. “You are the real heroes. The benefit to us is coming out on the road and meeting the actual small business owners.”
According to Isenberg, a lot of communities have a strong business foundation, but most of them don’t communicate with each other, which ends up hurting the whole business district.
“The biggest thing our team gets out of things like today is having businesses talk to one another and fostering those conversations,” Isenberg said.
The all-day event featured lectures and workshops on multiple topics that are streamlined to issues concerning small businesses. Experts in the fields of marketing, search engine optimization, social media, email marketing and budgeting addressed the audience in both lectures and breakout sessions.
In addition to traditional presentations, the free event featured one-on-one interactions for deeper awareness and the opportunity to ask specific questions. There was also time set aside for networking among the attendees. A swag bag was issued to all present that included materials to take notes and develop a plan for those who desire to use the tools offered in the sessions.
Isenberg shared some advice for Searcy to keep the revolution going after the show is done filming.
“I cannot express enough how important it is for businesses to take advantage of local resources,” Isenberg said. “Your local chamber of commerce, economic development center, main street organizations, these groups that their whole purpose is to support local small businesses. They have resources that can keep the community together. Continue to participate in that.”
According to Isenberg, big business and small business don’t have to be in competition with one another.
“I encourage everyone to shop local, use your local businesses first,” Isenberg said. “And when you need something that can’t be done on a small business level, you have another resource you can reach out to.”
Small Business Revolution — Main Street
What: Searcy broke Deluxe Corp. registration record for business seminars
How: 385 registered, while biggest turnout previously had been 120, according to Deluxe Corp. officials
When: Seminars held Wednesday at Harding University