How Intentionalist is Encouraging Consumers to #SpendLikeItMatters
Our experiences from the pandemic have reinforced the need for kindness to support those in immediate need. How do we help the local entrepreneurial community when it truly matters?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, local businesses owned by diverse communities were hit the hardest. Let’s take a deeper dive in this story and learn about how Intentionalist is solving critical issues faced by diverse business owners.
Intentionalist’s Instagram page shares the work of several businesses like Jumping For Dough Joy. This 100% plant-based doughnut shop is owned by Vegan experts Christopher Ballard and Sean Willis.
After March 2020, when the lock-downs due to the pandemic went into effect. “Stay home, Stay Healthy” orders meant that many local businesses had to shut down or think about serving their customers with a different approach. Seattle based-online - Intentionalist committed to support business owners with diverse backgrounds, published their shopping guides and launched a gift card hub to accelerate business.
Seattle native and founder of Intentionalist, Laura Clise began to notice the support from the community when business owners began to find ways to adapt and support each other and frontline workers. She started the company in 2018 with some savings and $37,000 in crowdfunding, her intention was “accelerate the space between intention and action.”
Clise figured that there was a lack of transparency when it came to finding ways to support local businesses owned by people of color, the LGBTQ community, veterans and women.
The Intentionalist team also started a gift certificate marketplace on their website. The marketplace sells and delivers physical copies and digital versions of gift certificates to customers on behalf of small businesses and then gives the money directly to the businesses.
“The gift certificate marketplace generated more than $11,000 in sales for small businesses in its first month” Clise said. Due to this initiative, traffic on the Intentionalist website went up. They now receive 3X the number of visitors compared to 2018/19.
They have recently branched out to specifically serve the restaurant community. Intentionalist has a takeout and delivery directory to connect customers to restaurants.
Making a Real Impact, Closer Home
Every day we feel the impact that the coronavirus had on our community as a whole. As often in times of crisis, it made us really think hard about how we could all come together and navigate the challenges faced by small businesses.
The Intentionalist is truly setting an impactful example of what it means to come out of a dark tunnel.
The Intentionalist story highlights how entrepreneurs can really create a lasting impact. By harnessing interpersonal connections and making real investments in their community, Laura Clise and her team is seeking solutions to bigger problems.
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