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On Wednesday, March 25, 2020 we hosted another Square Town Hall — a livestream conversation with businesses owners. From dog groomers to florists hear how business owners shifted their business models and how their customers are responding.
Here's a recording of Square Town Hall: A Conversation about Services Businesses conversation.
If you didn’t catch the livestream or you can’t watch the recording, here are some highlights from the conversation.
Town Hall Panelists:
Keith Miller, Founder of Bubbly Paws
Genevieve Weeks, Founder of Tutu School
Sophia Chang, Illustrator, Designer, Friend Sophia Chang
Lydia Patton, Marketing and Events Manager at Flowers by Jerry
Adam Block, CEO at Breezeworks
Moderated by Jesse Lopez, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Square
[3:15] Genevieve Weeks, Founder of Tutu School. How have you changed your business model?
- Bringing classes online - streaming classes not only to help revenue but also to provide continuity to families.
- Families financial situations are changing so they are also trying to provide more options to parents.
How did you communicate your business model change to your customers?
- Communicating with customers by email, paying attention to tone
- Listen to customers and adjusting their communication as needed.
[6:57] Keith Miller, Founder of Bubbly Paws. How have you changed your business model?
- Had to closed their grooming locations, and are currently selling gift cards to help the business and to help support a local rescue.
- Consideration for their employees: for example to support their employees they gave the team gift cards to order food.
How did you communicate your business model change to your customers?
- Used Square Marketing to let sellers know about using contactless payments for grooming - drop off dog and pay via invoices, and then to notify customers when they closed.
- Updating their website, Instagram, and Facebook pages.
[49:57] Lydia Patton, Flowers by Jerry: How have you changed your business model?
- Discovered new sales channels: their retail business has shifted from walk- in and phone orders to digital orders. (Their storefront is closed but they can deliver orders.)
- Instagram sales: Sharing products that can be sent by delivery in their stories
- Trying not to bombard customers with new products or offers and thinking about what are their customers going through. For example they created a new products - kids' planting sets - as they know parents are looking for ways to teach/entertain/occupy their kids at home.
- Created the Instagram account SmallBusinessStrong to celebrate small business families. Supporting a local business is supporting a dream! 💛
[17:45] Sophia Chang, Illustrator, Designer, Friend Sophia Chang shares Resources for freelancers
- If you have more time on your hands use it to learn new skills or explore online resources. For example maybe now is the time to take that marketing or business management course. Consider some areas you can improve your skills, help your team or change your business model.
- Check out Skillshare for courses in marketing, web design skills, branding and social media.* See below!
- Podcast: Kwick Brain (to improve reading and memory)
- Many universities are offering free online classes.
- Look around you for what your community needs or for collaborative opportunities
*Announcing: Free Skillshare Membership for Square sellers!
[27:26] Adam Block, CEO at Breezeworks
Services professionals who work in the the field use Breezeworks to create and send estimates and invoices, build their schedule, manage their team and communications with customers.
Breezeworks integrates with Square.
- Service professionals are experiencing resistance and fear from their customers - have to figure out how to communicate with their customers to alleviate their concerns around someone visiting their house. Business owners also need to keep their employees safe.
- Added a lot of new ideas into roadmap - customers are using video and video conferencing in new ways. Will call ahead from the outside a homeowner’s property to review the problem/reduce exposure. Looking at what it would take to add the video integration to Breezeworks app if this new behavior becomes the norm.
[34:37] Question: Any examples in your community of fellow small business owners and how they’re adapting to this unique time that we’re facing?
[41:22] Is there any advice you’d like to share with other business owners?
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You can watch the full recording of this Square Town Hall on YouTube. You can register for the next Square Town Hall here. I hope you are all safe and well and this summary is helpful. 💚
️ Helen
Seller Community Manager
