Communities Grow Together on Elevate Springfield featuring Robert Ferriell

Summary

In this episode of Communities Grow Together, Robert discusses an important grant opportunity for small businesses through Local First Springfield. He emphasizes the simplicity of the application process, encouraging local business owners to share their stories and the impact the grant could have on their operations. The episode also highlights the significance of community engagement and networking, particularly through the upcoming fall soiree event, which aims to foster connections among local businesses and promote the value of supporting local initiatives.

Takeaways

• The small business grant application is straightforward and accessible.
• Local First Springfield is dedicated to supporting small businesses in the community.
• Networking events are crucial for business growth and collaboration.
• Community engagement is essential for thriving local economies.
• The grant can significantly impact a business's growth and sustainability.
• Members of Local First Springfield can apply for the grant by submitting a video.
• The fall soiree is an opportunity to connect with other local business owners.
• Supporting local businesses strengthens the community as a whole.
• The application deadline is approaching, so timely action is necessary.
• Involvement in local organizations can lead to new opportunities and partnerships.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Elevate Springfield, where we'll dive into strategies and stories that help you rise to your full potential. Each episode, we'll talk about how you can take intentional steps to elevate your life and your business while making a meaningful impact on those around you. Along the way, we're gonna bring in the change makers from our community that are already elevating. We'll bring the actionable strategies, you bring the discipline and follow through, and together we can elevate Springfield. Alright, let's go, Springfield, time to 10X your day, yo. Time to level up, time to crush it. Hey, you are listening to the Elevate Springfield Podcast, Robert Farrell here, Turf Finex coach, speaker, and mentor. Here to bring you actionable strategies. You bring the discipline and follow through it together. We're going to Elevate Springfield. So you are listening to another segment of Communities Grow Together on the Elevate Springfield podcast. As you know, we drop these segments each week. The Communities Grow Together segment will touch on all things nonprofit associations and how we as a community are working together so we can all grow together. This segment is brought to you by David Hilst, American Family Insurance Agency over on West Wabash. Whatever you need insurance-wise, whether that's business, life, home, auto, or anything in between, hey, David and his team can take care of you. Give them a shout, or hey, stop by and visit them over on West Wabash. These segments are quick hits of actionable strategies and what's going on in our area to help you level up and grow together. Be right back after the break. Looking for personalized insurance with hometown care, David Hilst, American Family Insurance Agent is here to help you protect what matters most: your family, your home, and your dreams. Whether it's auto, home, life, business, David and his team are proud to serve the Springfield community with trusted advice and reliable coverage. Local service, real relationships, peace of mind. Call today or stop by their office. They can build your dream protection plan together. Call 217-726-6343. And we are back for another edition of Communities Grow Together, brought to you by David Hillst, American Family Insurance Agency. Hey, going to be a solo episode today. Just me, myself, and I here in the studio. I want to talk about a really important event coming up and a great opportunity for small businesses out there. And it is coming to a deadline for one of those. So I want to make sure you guys are aware of that, especially if you're a small business owner. You know, on these segments we always talk about nonprofits in the area and local organizations. You know, I talk a lot about local first Springfield because I'm on the board there and I'm very passionate about what we do with that organization. So I want to talk a little bit about the events that I just mentioned are under the Local First Springfield umbrella. If you haven't seen before on our website or on our social pages, hey, we've got a small business grant that we are giving away on October 1st. But here's the thing the application is due at the end of this month. So if you're listening to this on drop day, you've got about nine days to get this thing submitted. So it's going to be a $2,500 grant. We're giving out two of those to two different businesses. And it's going to be really the easiest grant application you have ever filled out. If you filled out one easier than what I'm about to explain, hey, I'd like to know about it because I sure haven't seen it. There's no 40-page application packet. There's no long essay you have to fill out. It's really quite simple. Here's the whole thing you record a video, 60 seconds max, and you answer a couple of questions for us. Number one, you tell us your why. Hey, why'd you open the doors in the first place? Why do you do what you do? And then two, tell us what this grant will do for your business. What would you buy with it? How will this impact your business and what does it do? That's really it. Record yourself for 60 seconds, and there's only one eligibility requirement. You gotta be a local first Springfield member, and you gotta submit it by the end of the day, that's midnight, on July 31st. So hey, I know a lot of you out there have heard about this grant opportunity and haven't quite applied yet. So right now I'm talking directly to you. The ones that have already talked yourself out of applying for it. You might be thinking, hey, it's not good enough to just do it on a phone. That's not the case. You might be thinking some other business out there, somebody else might deserve it more. You might be thinking, hey, I'm gonna knock it out this weekend when I'm a little less busy, when things slow down. Yeah, everybody says that a lot, right? When things slow down, I'll get this done. But here's here's the deal things are not gonna slow down. That's not how this works. You need to take 60 seconds right now. You spent longer than that, maybe scrolling on your phone. You spent longer than that listening to me talk the last few minutes, right? So, hey, if you have to right now, go ahead and shut this podcast off and fill out the application. I want to see a bunch of them come across. You know, GC Grant Cardone talks a lot about it's the start that stops most of us. So when you're thinking about your video, just put the camera in front of your face and go for it. Don't let the nerves hold you back. Don't let the thinking of, hey, I don't have a good enough story or this isn't as exciting enough to win $2,500. Just do it. You'll want to find out later on that, hey, somebody, the the winner that we announced on October 1st, the two winners, submitted a video just, you know, shot in their truck on a whim, right? That could be you. So take the time right now. Again, listen to the rest of this podcast or not. Take 60 seconds, put the phone in front of your face, tell us your why, and tell us what you would do with the money and how that would impact your business. You see, we've talked with a lot of our members. You saw the video from Chad last week talking about, hey, if he would have had that $2,500 that first year, he he made the comment that he was using pennies trying to make dollars, something like that, right? So $2,500 would have gone a long way to a piece of equipment for him to allow him to grow quicker. So what's that for you? What's that piece of equipment? What's that software? What's that thing you need that would make an impact on your business and therefore make an impact on the community? Because we always talk about on this segment that communities grow together, right? And we need thriving businesses. And at Local First, we want to play a role in that. We want to be able to help some of our small businesses right here in Springfield. So I mentioned there's only the one requirement, right? You got to be a member. So if you're not a member out there, go ahead and head over to localfirstspringfield.com slash join. It's $175 for a business, $100 for a nonprofit, and $250 if you are a locally owned franchise. Comes with all the networking, education, and the base marketing package. Hey, walk through that door, become a member, go ahead and get that video done. And for all of you members that have been a part of Local First, get out there and do it too. You just don't got to go through the membership process. Go ahead and fill out that form. Send us the video. We want to see all the great things that this money could do for the businesses that make up our membership. So with that, we're going to be giving away those two small business grants at our fall soiree. That is October 1st, 5:30 to 7.30 p.m. over at The View. That's Jane Hay sales and staging event menu that they have. That tickets are $25. That includes your meal, two drink tickets, and live music. We're going to have a speaker there that night as well. State Representative Mike Coffey's going to come by and talk to us that night. It's going to be a phenomenal way to spotlight local businesses, network, and have a great time. You see, $25 ticket, already a great deal for everything you're getting, but the value is the networking in the room there. Being with those local business owners, being with other people that are making a difference, being with the movers and shakers in Springfield, where you can find more of those collaboration points. We talk a lot on this segment about you have to go to the events to make any association worthwhile. This is no different. Show up to the event, support businesses in our community. And hey, while you're there, maybe you will find that next opportunity for you, that person that can solve a problem you have in your business, that person that can collaborate with you on something you are trying to do. That's what those rooms are made up of. People that want to do great things in the community. So I hope you join us there. You can get your tickets on the Local First Springfield site. So the whole idea behind Local First is consumer education, showing them the value of supporting, buying, shopping local, and then also marketing our members. The grant and the false joire are great ways for us to embed that in the community. We are able to give back to other companies here. That's not charity, that is compounding impact that we can have. So let's make some impact at the false joire and make sure you get your application in because communities grow together when we take action. So I'm asking all of you out there to take action today. Submit your video, grab a couple of tickets to the False Ware. We would love to see you there and continue to support all the associations and organizations that make Springfield, Sangamon County, all the surrounding communities great. All of us are working hard to make an impact where we can. So hope to see you guys on October 1st. And I hope to see all of your videos come flooding through. Really looking forward to seeing those other stuff going on. Of course, we've still got the farmers markets going on downtown. We've got the Levit Amp Music Series still on Thursday nights. I think there's probably only a couple of them left. See if you haven't been out there, get on out there. And then, of course, another big local event. We've got the State Fair coming up here in about three weeks. So as we close out here today, again, we talked a lot about local first Springfield. If you're a part of it, fantastic. If you want to be a part of it, we would love to have you. But the point is make sure you are ingraining yourself in the community. Make sure you are doing your part. Make sure you are finding all avenues of growth for you and your business. And these associations and organizations are a great place to start that. So head over to localfirstspringfield.com, knock those things out, and we'll be back after the break. Hey, Springfield, when it comes to reliable, high-quality roughing, you don't want to leave things to chance. That's why you should reach out to Acosta Angeli Ruffing, your local roughing expert serving Springfield and surrounding communities, from quick dependable repairs to full replacement, from residential to commercial. They are your trusted pros. Call them today at 217-993-2748 or visit their website to book your free quote and inspection. Don't wait. A little leak now could lead to major damage later. Trust the local experts, protect your home, and get peace of mind with Acosta Angeli Roofing. Well, thank you for joining us today, everybody, on another segment of Communities Grow Together on the Elevate Springfield Podcast. Thank you again to David Hilst, American Family Insurance Agency, for partnering with us on this segment. A take what you learn today. You bring the discipline and follow through, and together, that's right, y'all. We're going to Elevate Springfield. Be great. Looking for expert tree care with hometown integrity? Look no further than Sangamon Tree Service. They're your trusted local pros, delivering quality workmanship, exceptional customer service, and fair, honest pricing. Every time. Whether it's trimming, removal, or storm cleanup, their team brings professionalism and care to every job, big or small. Call the name your neighbor's trust, Sangman Tree Service, or visit them today at SangmanTreeService.com. 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