WHAT IS KEEP LOCAL ALIVE?
KLA is a social movement to impact local businesses.
More than a Message
Volunteers
The MOVEment is powered by local volunteers we call "Ambassadors". These are passionate locals who love their community and want to volunteer time and energy.
Beyond Words
We Organize "Boosts"
Our Ambassadors identify "targets" (deserving businesses) that could use an extra boost of support, attention, cash, and love. We direct our entire group to impact one business in a BIG way over a couple of days.
This has major impact for that one business, but it also brings much needed awareness to ALL of our locally-owned businesses that need our help and support.
HOW WE DO IT
Keep Local Alive is a MOVEment that combines a message with actual tools, resources, and most importantly, passionate local people who want to keep their communities vibrant through supporting the locally-owned, independent businesses that make it so special.
LAUNCH A SOCIAL MEDIA ENGINE
BRANDING, CONTENT, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM
We start by installing a localized movement framework consisting of a Facebook page, Instagram account, and exclusive Facebook Group. We then launch localized Keep Local Alive campaigns to drive awareness & support.
GROW A VIRAL GRASSROOTS TRIBE
FACEBOOK GROUP
Facebook Groups provide an opportunity to build an exclusive, carefully curated and moderated community of like-minded locals who not only love local but want to take ACTION to support it. Groups enable locals to invite friends, who invite friends, who invite friends, etc. That viral element is the juice that powers the movement.
ACTIVATE LOCAL "GO-GIVERS"
AMBASSADORS & BOOST CREW
The heartbeat of the local movement? PEOPLE! This isn't a movement of nice slogans, social posts, and stickers. We recruit local "Ambassadors" who are local influencers who love their community and have a vested interest in supporting it. From there, the real magic begins when launch the BOOST CREW, a group of volunteers who commit to supporting a target business every single week with their dollars, reviews, and social love.
ENABLE LOCALS TO DISCOVER BUSINESSES
DIRECTORY
The final step of launching the movement comes in the form of a business directory. Why is it such a big deal? None of the existing search platforms enable you to see the locally-owned, independent businesses in your area. We can change all that by getting business owners to band together to list their businesses all in one spot.
- WHO IT HELPS
Locally-owned (owner actually lives in the community), independent (not part of a franchise or corporation) businesses.
FOCUS = BRICK & MORTAR
Keep Local Alive has been about supporting the most at-risk businesses since it's inception: locally-owned, independent brick & mortar retail and restaurants.
However, we actively involve and assist home-based makers as well as local service businesses.
We are not "anti" corporation or franchises, and we especially acknowledge that many franchises are actually locally-owned and even family-run. However, we've made the choice to pick a clear target and maintain focus on helping this business segment.
OUR STORY
"Who are these guys and why are they doing this?"...
Bobby Johnson
Experienced Sales Exec Turned Entrepreneuer
Bobby Johnson is a successful sales executive turned startup guy, and a truly dedicated small business advocate. Bobby has had the opportunity to meet and gain relationships with thousands of main street business owners over the last three years.
Dave Loveland
Small Business Owner and 3x Startup Co-founder
Dave Loveland is a serial tech entrepreneur turned passionate marketing guru for small, local businesses. His own entrepreneurial path started at age 21 with a custom countertop shop, then later a web design company, and eventually he went on to help launch 3 venture-funded technology companies.
"Hey Bobby, let's launch our own business!"...
COVID Killed Our Plans
Like so many people others who've been affected personally and professionally, COVID destroyed our business before we really started it.
In fact, we launched our Marketing Service Platform on March 1st, 2020. Yes, that's right, March 1st =(
See, we worked together previously for a couple of years at an Austin-based startup helping local retailers & restaurants on main streets across the country.
We became not only great friends doing that together but also intimately familiar with the challenges small businesses face, and we made real, lasting relationships with many business owners that caused us to really empathize with their fight starting in March.Believe it or not, on March 1st of 2020, two weeks before COVID shut down all of our potential clients, we took a giant leap of faith to launch our own business! We even made a press release 🤦♂️
We launched a service platform for small business owners & solopreneurs, but it only took about two weeks to realize it was the worst timing in the world to try to market/sell any solution to business owners. They were just trying to survive.
A Social Movement Rather than a Business
Keep Local Alive is Born April, 2020
So, rather than have our startup be another victim of Covid, we put that business and our revenue potential on hold, and we shifted our ambitions to simply doing good and launching a cause we both cared deeply about: the Keep Local Alive movement.
We reached into our own pockets to fund a movement because we believe that by having a real impact and doing tangible good for them, we could build lasting relationships and audience that might be receptive down the road when we decide the timing is better for us to launch our own business.
It hasn't been easy to put all our energy, time, and money into something with no direct return on investment (just ask our wives! LOL).
But, seeing the very real results of our efforts, we are compelled to keep going, and more optimistic than ever that post-COVID, we can figure out a product to launch that people will really care about.REAL PEOPLE. REAL IMPACT.
