Hello, everyone, and welcome to Episode 30. So when I started this podcast back in May, we were in the midst of a lockdown. Everything was scary. And I wanted to help business owners make good decisions without panicking. And, and as I'm recording this on the web. And as I'm recording this on Thanksgiving weekend, we are now on the second wave of the virus, which is wreaking havoc again, things are closed, schools are closed again. And we are set for some rough times for certain places and people. We are all sick of being in our houses, we are worried about the impact of this virus on our family, on our lives, and especially in our businesses, right. That's how we feed our kids. And the focus of this sink handle podcast will always remain helping everyone to get through with as little panic as possible. And with this little random Jen from under the sink as possible. But I thought, especially since it is the holidays, and you know, we've eaten and I thought since you know, and I thought since this is the holidays, and you know, we weren't over the first wave. And now we got a second wave. And that's a little demoralizing for a lot of people that maybe we could do some more, maybe we could help a little bit more. So one thing that I've been seeing lately, is terrible trolls, posting terrible things, bashing small businesses, and small business right now especially places like restaurants. They are barely ever keeping afloat with margins. Nope, scrap that. Especially restaurants that they are barely keeping afloat. 

Sometimes. In New Jersey, we are at 25% inside capacity, and outside dining. But you know, like today, it's rainy and 45. And they're having a rough time of it. And these trolls, these people have no skin in the game. Most of the things I'm seeing from people they don't, they don't have small businesses they don't understand. And they are just trying to ruin a business for sport, like their home, and they're bored. And they're just bashing other people. And I don't know if they just don't understand that they could be ruining someone's life by complaining. Or if they just don't care. Either way, it makes me so angry that I'm seeing good people with good businesses have to deal with these horrible people. And if you read the news and social media in the morning over your coffee, it can be a terrible way to start the day to see these random comments. And some are, they seem innocent, but they're just yucky. And I hate it. I hate it. And I don't usually like to come on here and complain about things. But I really felt like this. This is really hurting a lot of us out there. So one thing So first, I want to say don't be one of them. If you are posting negative reviews anywhere, knock it off. I mean, unless there's some real malice or a safety issue behind something that happened to you knock it off. You don't need to complain about a waitress not moving fast enough in the heat or the cold to bring you tacos at your outdoor table twice as far away from the kitchen. You don't need to complain about a waitress not moving fast enough in the heat and the cold to bring you your tacos to your outdoor table twice as far away from the kitchen. I'm sure she has to wear a face mask and run around and do a whole bunch of things and she's making no money because no one can really show up waitressing as hard as it is to have to do it under all these conditions and then have someone complain about it. That's rough. Rough for you for you. 

Reviews are becoming so important now in the digital world, and so many people have only made reviews are becoming so important now in the digital world. And so many people only make a review when there is a complaint. You only get riled up enough to make a complaint. Most people will think oh that was a great dinner, but they never actually tell me Want or say anything about it? Good. So, I am proposing that you and I, we, as a collective community can start to combat. So I want to start a campaign to support it. So in light of all of this 2020, the holidays, trolls, all of it, I want to start a campaign to support all of the small businesses out there. And I'm gonna need your help. We need to not only tell these people about great experiences that we've had, you know, but I also want to put together, I want to put together a list of I want to start a campaign to support all the small businesses out there. I am going to need your help, though. So I've put a put a list together of things that are real and tangible that we can do to help our fellow business owners, 

I want to rally the troops on this one, I want to rally the good. I want to flood the world with all of the good recommendations and experiences and just drown out the trolls. Let's help each other this holiday season. So the first thing I mentioned was that I read the paper or what equates to a favour these days, my phone, in the morning over coffee, I read the news, and I check in on social to see what's going on before I get to work. And I noticed about habit. So don't send me bad letters about that. But every morning when I do that, instead of having these awful things to start my day, I am going to be proactive, and I'm going to pick a time I am going to spread some love. So I want you to pick a time every day. Like I'm going to do it when I'm drinking my coffee. But pick a time every day that you do something so that you're reminded Oh, okay, well, I'm drinking my coffee, I need to go do something good. And then I want you to post or share in some way about a great experience you've had with another business. If it's on your own social media share something like Hey, you guys, I just had the best bagels and lox over breakfast or whatever it is, I saw a great show you know what, whatever it is go on your Facebook, your Twitter and just literally put up a little message that says I just had the best experience at blank. So, so easy, right? 

You can tell your friends about the great dinner you had or the great haircut you had you can text someone and be like, Oh my God, that's the greatest, I had the best piece of somewhere. And in my world, that's a big deal. And you have to tell somebody, you can go post on someone's Facebook page, the business page for a business there, you have reviews on there, and tons of people look at those. And maybe just that will help get some business in. Um, things like restaurants. Yelp is a double-edged sword. But you know, Yelp and Google reviews, people do look at those things. 

They want to see if they have you know, a whole bunch of health violations or something like that before they go to a restaurant. Or even if it's just a recommendation on a dish, like the pork chop was fantastic. It's the best part I've ever had. Or maybe it's an odd thing like you can't find a certain kind of dish there. But you found it here, share that. I mean there are if you have bought like a gift, or something tangible, like from an Etsy shop, they have reviews on their goalposts review of the awesome thing you bought. People pay attention to this stuff. If it is a service business, go offer a testimonial. I just spent a whole bunch of time asking all my old clients, my current enrolled clients, if they would offer a testimonial so that I can start getting those kinds of things on websites about so I can start getting those things on my website so that people can come to my website and say oh, well all these people think she's awesome. It carries weight. And it may seem silly, but it's not how anytime I buy something on Amazon, let's say I'm going to read all the reviews of something. Let's get that out some others. But I gotta tell you when you're locked in your house, and you don't have that kind of discourse around recommendations for things, you read the reviews, that's where we are now. 

The reviews are becoming so important. So let's share all the good ones. And so we can in order to be able to easily share these things and have them easily found. I want you to use the hashtag to rally the good. So rally the good. Put that on your post. And then we can start looking up each other stuff, search rally the good, you'll find all these fantastic recommendations for restaurants, haircuts, Etsy, shop, whatever it is, rally the good. And then we can start finding each other's things. And helping the next step you want to feel even better because that's gonna make you feel pretty good. But you want to feel even better by your gifts from small businesses. Oh, I had an Etsy shop. After I left the city and hearing the ding of like the touching of my on my phone was like the best part of the day. I get so excited. Anytime someone bought something. Do that for someone else be that person who makes like a cig happen for someone else. You will feel good, they will feel awesome. Go and eat at a local restaurant. Get takeout if you don't feel comfortable going. I'm not we don't go to restaurants very often. And we do. We're only outside. And right now that's hard. But go to what are takeout. I mean, personally, lately, we've been so swamped, we're keeping our pizza place in business alone. Do it, they need your help, especially right now when it gets cold and no one's doing the whole summer dining thing. And then I know that this is and then remember the charities as well. They have been, they have been so hard hit, they can't have any of their like in-person fundraisers. They if people don't have a lot of money, they're not donating a lot of money. And I know that we can help them as well. So I'm going to add them to this list. 

There have been a lot of times where I've seeing people posting about things. There are SBCA where we got OB, they, like 25 cats were dumped outside. And then they found 40 more cats at a house that was related to it. And they all need care and medicine and all you know and they're all dirty and and messed up. And so just sending money to the ASPCA, just send money, it's easy it was I did on my phone, it made me feel so good with us the day that I was helping somebody help those cats. They're doing good work. So again, it makes you feel good. It's great for them as well. And that is how we're going to get through all of this craziness, not by turning on each other not by screaming awful things online, not by those terrible trolls posting bad things. It is because we are going to work together and we're going to look out for each other. So use that hashtag whenever, you can just show your local business some love. And I will be posting the hell out of this as well. So if I see I'm going to try to go in there and see what you guys have posted on this hashtag on wherever, Twitter, Facebook, and I will share it as well. So that's another, you know, a more I will share it as well so that we are getting this broad reach. And I encourage you guys to do it, search the hashtag find a great review, share it if it's something you can share that you think will help someone. Let's share the hell out of this. Let's help those businesses remind the people around you that those businesses exist and they need our help. 

A lot of people don't even know that there's a business down the street that they would love because I've never driven by it or gone in it. Tell them about it. Tell everyone about all of the good things that are happening. So many things in this world are out of our control. I cannot make a vaccine. I cannot make people better. I can't help the forest fires. I cannot heal people. I cannot do that. Ever. So many things in this crazy world are out of control. They're out of your control. And that feels awful. I can't I cannot help the forest fires, I cannot help the hurricanes. I can't heal the sick people. This is where I where we can help. So if you're listening to this on December 1, which is the day this podcast comes out, it will be Giving Tuesday. And I thought that was a great day to get started. So let's go into the holidays. And just share and help others and it's going to make you feel great, and it's going to maybe save a business. Alright guys, I'll talk to you next week.