In November 2020, Uptown Consortium, Inc. (UCI) launched Uptown Forward, a program providing education and assistance to Uptown’s small businesses. Specifically, Uptown Forward focused on helping them build a more substantial online presence to strengthen their businesses during the pandemic—and beyond.
“Supporting small businesses in our communities has always been a top priority because the jobs, goods and services they provide are absolutely essential to our neighborhoods,” said Brooke Duncan, Director of Community Development of UCI. “But knowing the extra pressures that the pandemic places on these businesses, we wanted to do even more, and that’s how Uptown Forward was born.”
Uptown Forward, supported by a grant from PNC Bank, offered a free, two-hour workshop supplemented with one-on-one mentoring sessions. Both the workshop and the mentoring sessions were led by accomplished digital marketers from two highly regarded local firms: Pixels & Dots, a digital marketing and design company, and Reverb, a social innovation hub.
The Uptown Forward workshop (available on YouTube) provided practical “tips and tricks” to help participants enhance their businesses with social media, digital advertising, search engine optimization (SEO), e-commerce and more. After the workshop, Uptown small business owners had the chance to schedule two mentoring sessions with the marketing experts to dive deeper into their specific business challenges and discuss potential solutions to address them.
One of the Uptown Forward participants was Jamila K. Maddox, D.C., of Cincinnati Healing Arts. She described her session with Reverb’s co-founders, Leo and Michelle D’Cruz, as “upbeat and fun.” Maddox also said that her mentors gave her practical advice, “like fixing a broken Instagram button on my website, as well as more thought-provoking ideas such as how to better align my vision, mission and values to tell a more powerful business story.”
Grateful that UCI produced the program, Maddox said, “Whether you’re a small business with two nickels or 200 hundred nickels, UCI’s resources and connections put you in the know.”
According to Monte Davis, Vice President of Pixels and Dots, the experience of working with small business owners through the Uptown Forward program quickly reminded him of how challenging running a business can be, especially during difficult times.
“I relied on my own business experiences to provide a critique of the businesses’ current situations in several areas: web presence, marketing, branding, and advertising,” Davis said. “I was able to look at the businesses from an experienced outsider's viewpoint, provide ideas for change and prioritize suggestions to accelerate effectiveness. Based on the response from the business owners I worked with I feel the program was a huge success.”
In addition to small businesses, some service organization leaders also participated in Uptown Forward. One of them was Sandra Jones Mitchell, President of Serving Older Adults Through Changing Times, (SO-ACT), who was mentored by Davis. “The workshop and mentoring sessions are helping me branch out to other areas and touch more people,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell is now preparing to add a podcast to her marketing tactics. In fact, she’s currently meeting with the clients her organization serves to gather input on potential podcast topics of interest to them.
By all accounts, the Uptown Forward program was a big success for all involved, and the tireless commitment of Uptown’s small business leaders during the challenging time of COVID-19 certainly came through. “In the stories we heard, there were elements of joy, fatigue, hope, frustration, and confusion,” said Leo D’Cruz.
“But the thread that wove all our conversations together was one of curiosity, ambition and grit. These small business owners see their businesses as hubs for bringing together and building community. So, they are committed to finding ways to persevere not only for them, but for the folks they serve,” Cruz said.
One of the companies Reverb mentored was Improv Cincinnati, a young organization that focuses on improv techniques and personal development. The owners didn’t have prior experience as entrepreneurs and were learning from trial and error and mentorships.
“Having the opportunity to meet with Leo was like chatting with a therapist. He listened to our story and immediately identified our strengths and weaknesses. We're looking forward to continuing the conversation with Leo because we have a lot to learn, and he has a lot to offer,” said Colin Thorton, one of the owners of Improv Cincinnati.
Michelle D’Cruz echoed Leo’s sentiment about the success of the program. “This experience proved to be far more than an opportunity to share ideas and mentorship. In the end, what it offered was far more valuable. We were able to connect with fellow business owners during an unprecedented time—to forge meaningful connections, build community, and identify a shared vision in which we lift each other up and help one another grow,” she said.
Within the five Uptown neighborhoods, there are approximately 200+ small businesses, of which an estimated 50+ are minority- and/or women-owned. “We’re thrilled that Uptown Forward had such a positive impact,” Duncan said. “We plan to keep doing all we can to offer other helpful programs so that our business can not only make it through the pandemic but emerge from it as strong as possible.”