Even digital advertising and sponsorship oppor- tunities, like FanSaves, are helping businesses to activate and engage customers with their brands. People across the world are constantly looking down at their phones and if your business isn’t in their hands then there’s a good chance they might walk right by your store and into your com- petitor’s who has put aside their fear and taken a chance on investing in digital inventory. In this Post-Covid world, it’s important to stay vigilant and recognize that businesses are not failproof. It’s necessary to take the lessons we have all learned this year and push through any existing digital fears so that, in the horrifying chance a pandemic or similar event happens again, we are not caught off guard and instead prepared to help each other, through the gift of technology. Owning a business is tough stuff and for many, owning a business during a global pandemic has been earth shattering. Business owners that have made it through the summer can now add “Overcame the first wave of the Covid shutdown” to their ever-growing list of things they continue to accomplish. The past couple of months saw the economy begin to reopen and social bubbles continue to expand but with the second wave cementing itself in our lives, business owners are faced with a new reality: Covid Whiplash. I coined this term as the best way to explain how the ripple effects of the pandemic continue to affect our own start-up and how we are only now being jolted back to face the realities we were fortunate enough to escape by keeping ourselves busy during the darkest days of Covid. And now, to be preparing again for what is becoming another shutdown in some regions. The first couple of days after the initial shutdown, here at FanSaves we were as stunned as the rest of the world. Our digital platform relies on sports teams, organizations, events and schools to use our software as a sponsorship and membership tool for their affiliated businesses. When the NBA shut down, Kris and I looked at each other as we both breathed under our breath “Oh, no.” Not only does our business rely on the organiza-
tions but the whole purpose of our platform is to activate and engage fans of these communities to receive discounts and deals from local busi- nesses. We knew that we had two choices: Lay down and die or pick up our armour and fight like mad. We made plans to work on strategy for FanSaves and improve our processes. We signed up for some free Ivy League courses so we could better ourselves. We knew we were not going to sit still and wait for the economy to reopen. We knew we had work to do. We just didn’t know the capacity of the undertaking that eventually fell on our doorstep as we pivoted within ten days to create our FanSaves Helps Gift Certificate Program. Looking back, keeping busy during Covid was our coping mechanism. Keep busy and work 10, 12, 14-hour days and maybe it will be like the pandemic isn’t even happening. Keep helping people and communities, give back as much as possible, keep our brand relevant and maybe the sting will all go away quicker. Hey, I’ve been here before. It’s kind of like grief. When you’re in the avoidance stage and denying that stuff has actually hit the fan. Keep busy, keep your focus on something else and deny the looming threat of how terrifying it all really is. We worked tirelessly without any pay for over eight weeks with our free program working as a gift certificate hub, helping over 630 businesses in 62 communities across Canada. We generated over $30,000 for affected businesses by selling gift certificates for them through an e-commerce site we whipped together on the advice of our advisor Kelly Bergeron, who had started some- thing similar in our hometown. And ever since we decided to sunset the program as the economy reopened, we have remained on a high, fueled solely by adrenaline and sheer optimism. But we’d be amiss to not admit that it’s been hard. Our sheer determination helped us see some of our best sales months ever but in the past couple of weeks, the Covid whiplash is beginning to set in as we stare down the windy road ahead and work to rebuild alongside all of our partners.
We are committed to keeping FanSaves on track. We are in the middle of a seed round and we continue to make improvements to our tech. We are hiring and we are working overtime to ensure our startup survives. We will get through this, no doubt, maybe with a few bumps and bruises and this Covid whiplash which we’re currently experiencing, being pulled in a million different thought directions. Thinking things are getting better then being told to prepare for another shutdown. Understanding that everyone is in the same boat but still finding creative ways to get by. We’re aware that the ripple effects from earlier this year will be felt for years to come but we know we have a digital tool that is needed now more than ever. So, if you too are dealing with Covid whiplash and figuring out your next step, know that you’re not alone. Even the businesses who seem to be flourishing are no doubt being jolted back and treading hard to stay afloat. The thing with whiplash though is that it sucks for the first little bit; it’s a shock to the system that limits your movement for a short period but eventually, you can move again. Eventually, you recover. Eventu- ally it all becomes part of a story you tell around the dinner table to the kids and grandkids. So, here’s to all of us healing nicely as we work to close the book on this pandemic, a story of per- severance for the ages.
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SEPTEMBER 2020 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2020
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