It’s been 53 days since Hurricane Helene devastated my hometown of Asheville, but I agree with you: I showered in a FEMA trailer this morning, so it’s still the same Really It’s difficult to worry about shipping rates and conversion optimization.
Luckily for you and me (and for my editorial calendar), I found a story that’s close to my heart. And my sense of humor is still (mostly) intact.
It is a story of wisdom and kindness. A story about how a business owner used her influence to help her community. And a story about how your brand can do the same if you find yourself in the middle of a crisis.
And don’t worry, we’ll also look at examples of how companies of different sizes have helped, so there’s plenty for you, SMBs and business marketers, too.
Make magic in difficult times
Charla Schlüter sits in front of me and meticulously shuffles a deck of cards Magic the Gathering Cards. But every time the door next to us opens, she greets each newcomer with a smile and their first name.
Schlüter is the owner and operator of The meeting place for gamersa small game store in Asheville, North Carolina. Since the hurricane, my son and I have been visiting each other weekly in search of something the store is giving away for free: normalcy.
But we’re not really in the Gamers’ Haunt. Not right. We’re sitting in the two-room kung fu studio where Schlüter was thankfully able to set up a makeshift shop after a maple tree roughly penetrated her roof during the hurricane.
Despite the change of location, the studio is filled to capacity with Schlüter’s regular customers. It’s game night and turnout is high. They are also here for a bit of normality, but they are also here to support Schlüter and her team.
This is the type of community your social media director would commit crimes for. It is extremely loyal and always committed. And it is anchored by Schlüter’s tireless kindness.
Her kindness is only belied by two things: The way she absolutely destroyed my 9 year old child magic. And the wisdom with which she uses her business influence to help this community.
A stormy surprise
Each of us draws seven cards and begins sharing stories about how the hurricane turned everything upside down.
“After the storm, I did my best to track down as many customers as I could to see how they were doing and make sure they were OK,” Schlüter tells me as she arranges her hand.
During one such check-in, she and her crew helped a customer clear debris from his flooded home.
“We go into his room and it’s all covered in mud because the whole house was under water,” she says. But amid the mud and mud, there was a surprise: the cards he bought from Gamers’ Haunt had survived. The boxes in which they were stored, designed to protect them from everyday wear and tear, were also apparently disaster-proof.
“Of course we open the boulder boxes and they are completely fine.”
To spread some levity during this difficult time, Schlüter shared the discovery on the Gamers’ Haunt Facebook page. That’s when the brand behind the boxes took notice.
Schlüter puts down a card.
“When I posted about it, Ultimate Guard reached out to me and said, ‘Oh, this is incredible.’ Do you mind if we share this?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely!'”
She turns the card sideways to signal her attack.
“As long as you share it with my client’s GoFundMe,” she grins.
When I have enough, I’m good.
Ultimate Guard agreed to pass it on the customer’s GoFundMe with their audience – about ten times more people than Gamers’ Haunt could otherwise reach. (As a bonus, they sent some free gifts to both the customer and the shop.)
I asked Schlüter why she didn’t ask to share her own GoFundMe. Eventually the store had to be gutted after the hole in the tree let the hurricane in without asking.
“I always had the motto: ‘If I have enough, I’m good,’” says Schlüter. “At that point, the community had stepped up and done a lot of wonderful things for my company.”
To that end, the shop’s own GoFundMe reached its original goal in just over two days. And the community didn’t just support her financially.
“It was incredible. Six people brought tables and chairs. While the store was still flooded, crowds of people came to help me get the inventory out of the store. I can’t even tell you the number of customers who came and helped me.”
So why did the community stand up for them? Maybe that’s why all of the employees know them by name. Maybe it’s because the place is run by people who shovel mud for casual acquaintances.
Schlüter believes it is something deeper.
“It sounds cliché, but I firmly believe that if you care for a community, they will care for you. And the hurricane proved me right.”
Lessons learned from a typhoon
I realize that building a community for a mom-and-pop store is a different task, but when you scale it down there are lessons for brands of all sizes.
I sincerely hope you never need these lessons, but you should think about them before a crisis breaks out.
1. Take care of your community.
When disaster strikes, it’s okay to worry about your business. First, put on your own oxygen mask. But once you are safe, your next thought should be your community.
After the storm, Schlüter and her team created free decks magic Cards for people who lost their cards during the storm.
And while that’s a nice thing on an individual level, it’s not just about replacement material Were. Without their cards, community members cannot participate in the weekly games.
“If you lose yours magic Deck, you’re losing your community. So I think there’s a lot more to it than just possessions.”
2. Use what you have on hand.
As a business owner, Schlüter enjoyed the attention of a supplier, which she used to create broader awareness of the needs of her community.
She happened to have that on hand. Your company may have different resources.
If local restaurants Dull pretzels And Bear smokehouse After having to suspend normal operations following the storm, they could have simply closed their doors. Instead, they partnered with World Central Kitchen to use their kitchen space to provide free hot meals to the community.
Highland BrewingThe most important resource was a wealth of space, which they made available to charities such as Beloved Asheville, World Central Kitchen and Wine To Water. These organizations used the brewery as both a central hub and a storage location for the enormous quantities of supplies needed.
3. Patronage is also a resource.
Don’t forget that the money you spend (on day-to-day operations, relief efforts, or even your own recovery) can also be a form of relief.
When Red Fiddle Vittles And Food from Mother Earth began offering freshly prepared meals to shelters; They sourced the ingredients from local farmers. This support means a lot to small businesses that may have lost their ability to support themselves.
4. You don’t have to fix everything.
After a crisis, the scope of what needs to be addressed can be overwhelming for those who want to help.
Take a deep breath. You don’t have to fix everything. Find an area you can address and focus on that.
When our schools were closed for several weeks, the children needed something to occupy their time. (Keep in mind that we also had no electricity during those weeks.)
Comic Envya local popular comic book store, responded with an offer of children’s books and comics.
As a parent of a 9 year old I can tell you the sale was greatly appreciated.
5. Don’t treat it like a campaign.
Throughout October, a community care center with showers, washing machines and drinking water was set up in the parking lot of a nearby grocery store.
It was quietly paid for by Pratt & Whitney, an aerospace company with a manufacturing facility in Asheville. There were no signs announcing this. No banners indicating it was proudly sponsored. No brand awareness was generated.
But word gets around. And the locals remember these things.
How you can help
Although Western North Carolina has fallen out of the news cycle, we still desperately need your attention.
In the days and weeks immediately following the hurricane, an outpouring of food, water, clothing, medicine and love helped us simply survive.
But as we move from survival to recovery, the type of help we need also changes.
The resource I have on hand right now is a newsletter and a blog with a large audience full of beautiful people like you. That’s why I’ve loaded this article with links to incredible local brands that could use your support. If you feel the desire to help, consider clicking a link and checking out what they have to offer.