Auckland Regional Tourism's Gavin Oliver (left) and X4 Consulting owner Craig Perry. Photo / Supplied
Auckland Regional Tourism's Gavin Oliver (left) and X4 Consulting owner Craig Perry. Photo / Supplied
A couple of entrepreneurs have launched an initiative to support struggling small businesses and their staff with an opportunity to make donations and offer a nice word.
Gavin Oliver, owner of EcoZip Adventures, and Craig Perry, of X4 Consulting, have created a website called "Love your Local" with the help of two other friends.
Oliver said many business owners and their staff in the country are struggling with their mental health due to lockdown and he and Perry wanted to give something to the community and to be in solidarity with them.
"These business owners are struggling with low morale and dwindling bank balances. In addition to the financial cost, there's an unseen price-tag - the cost of stress, worry, and uncertainty impacting business owners' health and wellbeing," he said.
Love Your Local is a simple way that people can show their love and support to a much struggling small business, he said.
Over a virtual beer one night, Perry came up with the idea of allowing people to "buy" their local business a virtual drink (coffee or beer/wine) with the premise being, 'I know you are doing it tough, I'm thinking about you and have a coffee/beer on me – hang in there'.
One of the ways of sharing the love is by donating some money to the businesses.
The donations could be as large as they want or as small as the value of buying a coffee, Oliver said.
"It doesn't take more than three clicks to make a donation," he added.
Once on the website, anyone can list or nominate a business or search for already listed businesses to support them in any way they can.
When people donate the money, the entire amount of their donation will go towards their chosen business excluding the merchant fees which the credit card company charges.
"Unfortunately that's the reality of being in a business, but more than 90 per cent will go towards the business who is the recipient of the donations," he said.
Prolonged lockdown and uncertainty around the opening dates have taken a huge mental health toll on the small business workers and the owners.
"Love Your Local is a story of Kiwi ingenuity and 'mateship'," he said.
"I have been through two Gulf wars, I have been through 911, Bird Flu ... but I have never been through anything like this in the last 30 years I've been in the business," Oliver said.
Waiheke Island-based sole trader Kay Thompson. Photo / Supplied
Waiheke Island-based sole trader Kay Thompson owns a hairdressing company that she runs from her own home said Love your Local was a great initiative.
She has had zero customers since August 18.
Thompson said she was feeling very isolated because she was missing the connection with real people and just knowing that people are thinking of you helps.
Love your Local does make you feel that you're visible to the community, she said.
"My social network is my work and when you're used to being with people all the time and all of sudden you're not with anybody that's difficult.
"It sucks!" she said.
"During this isolation, it's just knowing that people are thinking of you helps ... and a few of my clients have reached out to me anyway and have offered to forward pay for their next hair appointment.
"So that's been really nice of them," she said.
So the love your local is really nice initiative to let your business know that you are still on the forethought of people's minds.
"As a client, you care about that business and you want them to reopen," she said.
"It's not going to solve all of our financial problems but it's just feels good when they say we miss you and we love you," Thompson said.
Auckland has been in lockdown since August 18, which was supposed to be a short and sharp lockdown has extended for more than 11 weeks.
With the reopening date still out of sight, it was creating a lot of uncertainty among people, triggering a wide range of mental health issues.
"When you have no revenue for 10 weeks and you do not know when you are going to fully reopen, people are lying in bed at night worrying about their future," Oliver said.
"I felt really proud and quite amazed as to what we have achieved in a short space of time.
"Hopefully this will make the business owners and staff feel they aren't alone and they have the support from the community," Dykman said.
Even a small donation to buy a beer would act as a virtual pat on the back hopefully that'd make someone's day.
Jay Kchelhoffer, the owner of Giv2, a contactless donation platform designed for use by charities, helped to build the website along with the PR company NSPR.
