A team of graphic designers and marketing consultants are working their way through five neighborhoods to help local entrepreneurs.
The group Up To Know Good is spending its third year setting up pop-up storefronts in less-affluent neighborhoods. This week Up To, as its known for short, will pop up in the North Side and the Hill District the following week.
Up To Know Good Co-founder Sarah Mayer said with the help of the Hillman Family Foundation, Up To’s team of freelancers can provide things like a logo, website overhaul or a press release within 48 hours at a fraction of what an agency would normally charge.
She said often the business owners are not even sure what they need when they walk through the door.
“They just need to kind of pull back from their business and think about it in terms of ‘what should I be doing?’” Mayer said.
According to Mayer, business owners will often dabble in a few things, but don't have the know-how or time to get the results they want.
Jason McKoy helped out last week in Bloomfield. He said he likes to be able to help small business owners.
“A lot of people come in with a certain idea and by the time they leave they’re like ‘Wow, I never actually thought about all these other aspects of things that I need,’” McKoy said. “So far we’ve had good experiences and everybody has been very open to the advice that we have and the services that we provide.”
Anupama Jain was among those who stopped in the office last week. She runs a diversity and inclusion consulting company called Inclusant. She used a traditional design firm to make a logo and design a website for her 2-year-old company, but has had a scattered approach to her marketing plan.
Jain said it was hard to know what to do first.
“It was wonderful to sit with engaged, excited people and talk about my business and get a bigger picture view,” Jain said.
Jain, who is a woman of color herself, said she is letting others know about Up To.
“A lot of people of color don’t start businesses, a lot of women don’t start businesses because they actually don’t have the resources to put in and this kind of levels the playing field," she said.
The Hillman Family Foundation-supported pop up moves to the Hill District next week.
