You Might Run a Rural Tech Company If…

7 ways you know you run a small rural tech company. 

From bean-season schedule shifts and porch wasp patrols to furniture with a past, bartering (yes, pound cake counts), and pausing to pray when the sirens roll by—this one’s our love letter to small-town hustle. 

We also unveil BraceyVirginia.com.

🎧 Wired Together is produced by WinternetWeb Technologies, a family-run web design and tech studio based in Bracey, Virginia.
💻 Visit us at winternetweb.com 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:05

All right. Welcome to our seventh episode. We're super excited. Um the Wire Together with Winternet Wimp. And your host Jason Winter and Melanie Winter are here. And uh this time we are um we were really excited to have a human host last week and um you know a little bit of a teaser, maybe a human um co-host next week as well. Um and for us today, our AI is going to be on vacation.

SPEAKER_00 0:40

Yeah, we're very jealous. I mean, w where do they go? I mean, they can go anywhere, right?

SPEAKER_01 0:46

I mean, you know, in the ether.

SPEAKER_00 0:49

That's just too much.

SPEAKER_01 0:51

I can't even so technically he can be anywhere and everywhere all at once.

SPEAKER_00 0:56

Oh, that's just nuts.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

Right? So, but we just decided to, you know, we were we're gonna do story time. Yeah, so AI's um not great at story time, so uh that is that is definitely a human thing, oral tradition, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:10

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 1:10

So um with the seventh episode, we're gonna go through seven ways that you know that you are running a small rural tech company.

SPEAKER_00 1:20

Yeah, we're kind of taking the uh Jeff Fox worthy approach um as far as yeah, very very niche, you know. We're we're probably 30 years too late on this, but anyway, it's not overdone.

SPEAKER_01 1:31

But so the approach, I'm saying the niche is the small rural tech company. That's well, that is very niche, actually. Probably very few. Um, but if you do, uh you might find this hilarious. If not, you might also still find it hilarious.

SPEAKER_00 1:44

Yeah, and it's just of course the nature of our business and things, but I mean, really any small business in a small town, I think, can relate to a lot of the things that we're gonna come up. So as far as the seven ways that um you know you're running a small rural tech company, we'll get into some stories and kind of give the background. So, alright, you want to get started?

SPEAKER_01 2:07

Alright. Um you might run a roll tech company if your podcast schedule gets delayed by your farmer buddy treating the beans.

SPEAKER_00 2:18

Yeah, there's there's some truth to this. There's a lot of truth to this. Yeah, what this came out a couple days later than we wanted.

SPEAKER_01 2:25

Um the um store that we run is in uh the middle of a soybean field. Uh technically just a field. So um Yeah, whatever crop of the when we uh he right, he um he moves things around. And so um, great friend of ours, you know. Um so obviously there's things that need to be done. So you've got uh combines, tractors, uh sprayers, sprayers, all the things, harvesters, hard, you know. So he's got things he's got to do, and he's got his schedule. So, you know, sometimes you have to change your schedule for his schedule.

SPEAKER_00 3:04

It's like, well, let's not do this right now. It'll be like a zoom call or a podcast. You're like, maybe we don't need the ambient noise as a distractor. So but yeah, that's but we love it.

SPEAKER_01 3:15

We love being in the you know, it's it's the first uh field you get to uh when you come into to bracey. Yep. And so um it's easy to say, see the soybean field, there we are. That's right. Um, so it is the first field you get to, so it is really cool that um and and our buddy maintains that field. So it's it's also really cool.

SPEAKER_00 3:38

It is nice.

SPEAKER_01 3:39

We're we're happy it exists.

SPEAKER_00 3:42

It's very uh it's very serene, you know, and it's just kind of it trust me, when you're behind a computer for hours and hours, just being able to step out on the porch and look out, you know, and just see the field and take a deep breath and just be like, ah, yeah, you know.

SPEAKER_01 3:58

Unless he spraying, don't you?

SPEAKER_00 4:00

Yeah, don't do that then. No.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

But it it is um, you know, having that in a rural area, you do tend to talk about weather, what looks good. It's like, oh, it's very green this year. This is looking really good.

SPEAKER_00 4:17

That's right. And it's like, oh, see, the plant's telling you it needs rain, you know. Right. So I get that completely. Alright, so let's move on to the next one. So you might run a rural tech company if a part of setting up a client meeting is raiding the porch. Not today's Satan wasp nests. It's and by raiding we mean like actually using raid and literally raid. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:44

Um, so there are wasps, there are fire ants, there are field mice, there are random stray dogs.

SPEAKER_00 4:53

Yeah, it's like okay. He's got a collar or he doesn't.

SPEAKER_01 4:55

Right on in. I mean, I really don't understand. Oh, yeah, just walk that walk right up in the store.

SPEAKER_00 5:00

I mean, I'm like, hey, babe, we got a customer. No, well, no. If we do, that's that's a first. So yeah, no, we weren't expecting that at all. Um, most randomness you could ever think of.

SPEAKER_01 5:13

It's unfortunate, but there are you know, dogs that get away a lot. Um we we did find the owners, thank goodness. Um I mean, or just the the random pest that you have to worry about, you know.

SPEAKER_00 5:27

Um see, I mean, having a covered front porch, of course.

SPEAKER_01 5:31

And it's an old porch. It's an old one, exactly. Old old wood. Old wood. Exactly. Yep, we're saying we're it's nothing that you can possibly do about it except take care of it when it's done. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 5:42

And so, of course, with a covered porch, a wasps love to nest right up under it because, of course, the elements, the rain, and all that. And I'll say actually before our last podcast, true story, uh, walk out there and we see a wasp. And uh Melanie's like, alright, go get the fly swatter or whatever, you know, or or your shoe or your hat. I don't think I was wearing a hat, so what do you use that? And then I look around and I'm like, oh, we found a metropolis. I'm like, there might be 16 in there or something. So I grab the can of raid, zap them, bam, and they drop. And I counted. It was actually 16, and the point of the story is not to be that I'm proud of myself that I guess it's 16, but that's what you're dealing with. And this was just before Greg was going to show up. And it's like, quick, get the broom. And it's like, do you think it'll dry? Does it look like a menagerie?

SPEAKER_01 6:33

I mean, we're you try to you try to look like you know what you're doing.

SPEAKER_00 6:37

You try to do the right thing, make sure everything looks alright, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:40

You're you're sweeping the dead wasp. Get away from here. But nobody nobody was bit or hurt in the minus the wasp. They were hurt, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_00 6:51

In the filming of this, no no animal or person was injured. So, but yeah. That's something that, again, um when we signed up for this, if even we did, I guess, um, this was not even on the bottom of the job application and other duties as deemed necessary. These are the things you can experience and find out. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 7:13

Wildlife is wildlife. It is gonna be in your face.

SPEAKER_00 7:17

Sometimes we're just in their area.

SPEAKER_01 7:19

We're in their area. They they're like, why? Why are you with me? I thought we were friends. Right.

SPEAKER_00 7:26

Well, it's like I had a client yesterday that um got out of the car and all that and was starting to walk up to the stairs, and she said she walked through a cobweb. And I'm like, oh no, not one of my web designer friends. And she looked at me for a second and she's like, the spiders. Oh, I get it.

SPEAKER_01 7:45

They design webs, they design webs.

SPEAKER_00 7:47

Yeah, they are web designers, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:49

They are design website.

SPEAKER_00 7:50

I mean, there are times I won't kill one. I was like, Alright, buddy, keep hustling. You got this.

SPEAKER_01 7:54

Yeah, well, they're wonder wonderful to have. Wasp, I don't really know their purpose, but I don't well, they're just I can't say that word.

SPEAKER_00 8:01

Spiders are here.

SPEAKER_01 8:03

Um, wonderful because they will build their web and then the you know, they catch everything.

SPEAKER_00 8:09

It is really incredible to watch. It is, especially like at night when you have a spotlight or something on a porch.

SPEAKER_01 8:14

Because um they're not inside. And then they're they're creating this beautiful web that is uh fascinating. It is, and then they're also, you know, making sure that everything that flies gets caught and you don't have to worry about it.

SPEAKER_00 8:27

So mosquitoes and all that mess. So spiders are our friends, they are as long as they're not I'll remind you that next time I need to leave the shop to go back to the house.

SPEAKER_01 8:38

In the house. I know. No, no, no, I get this.

SPEAKER_00 8:41

No, no, no, I understand. We have a boundary. All right, let's hit the next one. You got that?

SPEAKER_01 8:48

Alright, you might run a roll tech company if your furniture t has stories to tell. Um we got stories to be. We are furniture. Again, a though a tech company where we we do all kinds of um fun technological advancements, uh, we are also a very old store, and so we have very older furniture. Um for that reason, you know, the it fits the ambiance of the store.

SPEAKER_00 9:16

Yeah, it's a weird dichotomy, even though digitally like we're cutting edge. Um a lot of our furniture has, you know, been around long after the echoes of your ancestors and you know which for some reason we love. Um it's a neat dichotomy, you know, a combination of it.

SPEAKER_01 9:38

So we do have a display case uh that has a cute story. Um it was in the store that we're in um back in the 30s. Uh so the store was built in uh the late 30s. Yeah. And so this almost a hundred years. This display case was in that store. And it actually got moved to the cotton gin um we had across the street from us, was uh an old cotton gin. Um it has since been torn down. But um we do have pictures of it.

SPEAKER_02 10:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:10

And so it got moved there and was part of the auction that was um there before the t tearing down. And so a neighbor of ours that ran a little antique store c called kinda cute um was the purchaser of this piece of uh furniture. It's a huge display case. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:30

Just got doors in the back dimensions. Um, I got no idea. It's probably, you know, roughly three and a half feet by about two feet. Um but it stands, you know, kind of like a very solid wood and then um glass. Glass on all sides and top.

SPEAKER_01 10:50

And so we for a really good price purchased it at kind of cute because all the glass was uh except for the old uh thick piece of glass on top of the biggest. Big old thick beveled piece was kind of broken. Yep. Um so we got it from Kinda Cute, and it actually ended up coming back to the exact same store, which is the store we're in now, which is the Miles Cole store. And so it was like this it it moved from all of these different situations and then back where it was. Full circle belonged.

SPEAKER_00 11:17

And we were happy about that.

SPEAKER_01 11:19

So because it belonged, we um we had South Hill Glass come and and redo all of the um the glass and and put it back into the case and everything, and we made sure that it actually was safe and looked um back to the way it was supposed to. So we were kind of a little proud of the the piece of furniture. Um it holds some of our jewelry that we make.

SPEAKER_00 11:43

That's right. That's yeah. I mean, you can't you can't buy anything like that today. I mean if you can solid. Well you can, you can't. You can barely move it. It is solid. It is solid, yeah. But um, so I mean like furniture has stories. I mean, we have another piece um that easily like a wardrobe on the one side and drawers on the other. Uh like the head before closets, which closets came about probably after World War II. But I I swear it's like one out of four people that come into our our marketing, you know, room and everything, they look at it and go, uh, that is an interesting piece. Now, of course, it holds all of my paraphernalia and things um that I enjoy.

SPEAKER_01 12:24

It has some some my my like three and a half inch floppies in there. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:29

My you know very strange what's my shrine of toys there's uh like retro and like Nintendo kind of I don't know. There's a couple of toads and Yoshi and Mario. You just need to come by and see it. Uh it's fine. Look, I I I'm a grown man, but I love this. It's fine. Well, no judgment. It is the era, exactly, and that's yep. Um and actually there's one piece on there that has an interesting story. Um we went to Hallmart one time, and I, you know, I see something with Mario or something on it, and sometimes it's hard for me not to buy it. Um this, in fact, is think of it like a coaster mug set, but the coaster is kind of like the green pipe. The mug is a a Mario mug. But when you lift the mug, it's supposed to make one of the random sounds that are programmed, like you know, the Mario coin or you know the do-do-do-do, that type thing. So we buy it, bring it home, and um it didn't work. So I went on the website for Hallmark and spoke with someone through a chat and ended up uh explaining everything. They're like, oh, we'll send you a gift card for, you know, to buy a new one. Well, I just, you know, left it there. I mean, it it it I was still fine with it being a decorative piece, not having to function. About two weeks later, it just randomly started making a noise.

SPEAKER_01 14:01

And now without lifting the cup.

SPEAKER_00 14:03

Without lifting the cup. Now it like I could go up there right now and lift the cup, it it never would do it. It, on its own accord, through whatever source, whatever, will randomly make noises. And it's very ironic when it does. Like, for instance, we'll be talking about something, and it's like, um, okay, I think I got a good idea.

SPEAKER_01 14:28

It's those aha moments.

SPEAKER_00 14:30

How about yeah, it is like an aha moment.

SPEAKER_01 14:32

In an aha moment, yeah, it also has an aha moment.

SPEAKER_00 14:36

It does the noise. And it's like, oh my gosh, you're listening.

SPEAKER_01 14:38

It's like doo doo doo doo doo doo doo.

SPEAKER_00 14:41

Yeah, right. I mean, it's just like, it's like, you get it exactly. And now we're like, yep, Mario agrees, it's fine. Let's let's move forward.

SPEAKER_01 14:47

So we must move forward because Mario is a great one.

SPEAKER_00 14:50

And like I could go over there, hit it, I could lift a mug, I could do, you know, yell at it, get you know, you know, whatever. It's not gonna do anything. But like it decides when it, you know, has its moment, and that's fine. But yeah, so yep.

SPEAKER_01 15:04

And you're kind of used to old furniture, you're you're kind of used to an old house, they talk to you.

SPEAKER_00 15:09

Right.

SPEAKER_01 15:09

We always say if these walls could talk, so we just let it talk.

SPEAKER_00 15:13

If anyone has an old house, they understand the same nature of that, yeah. And whatever else might be in the house before you. But anyway, we're not going there today.

SPEAKER_01 15:23

Um yeah, so and we do have a uh a little bit of the ambiance of this store. You're kind of again walking into technically a tech store.

SPEAKER_00 15:35

Technically.

SPEAKER_01 15:36

Technically, but you're also kind of you know walking into a bit of the past, a bit of the old store. So we have an old radio.

SPEAKER_00 15:45

Yeah, it's like a turntable slash radio.

SPEAKER_01 15:48

And um that we just kind of let run. Yeah. Um it we used to um try to play the classic rock and stuff like that, something we're more familiar with. Yeah. Um we got to the point it was very difficult to concentrate. So what we ended up going with is a local uh Christian station. Yeah. And then it's it's very calming, very soothing. It goes along with just kind of that that ambiance of of walking into the the old store.

SPEAKER_00 16:15

And it's not the sign it there are times where I forget to turn it on, and after about five minutes sitting there, I'm like, it's too quiet. I'm like, oh, the radio.

SPEAKER_01 16:23

Yeah, it just kind of gives a nice little background, and then every once in a while it's like you you sing a piece and you know, reconnects.

SPEAKER_00 16:31

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 16:32

So it's um part of the I guess old country store feel, if you will.

SPEAKER_00 16:37

That's right. So, all right. Um who's got the next one?

SPEAKER_01 16:43

Oh, this is all you. This is all you, my friend.

SPEAKER_00 16:46

Oh, well, you read it and then I'll talk.

SPEAKER_01 16:48

Sure. Uh you might run a rural tech company if you've been on the internet service struggle bus since 2008.

SPEAKER_00 16:57

Oh my gosh, isn't that the truth? So, yeah, we, you know, started the business in April of 2008. Um, I've certainly have designed websites and messed around with stuff, you know, for many years like that. But that was a decision of, okay, let's make something out of this. Well, when we um moved into the house we live in in South Hill at that time, and I remember calling, you know, you get your electricity hooked up, you get all you know your services. So I call, you know, it was um Earthlink at the time. Centralink bought them out years after that. And I'm like, hey, um, I need internet, what you got? He's like, Well, uh, it's gonna be dial-up, is what we got. But look, just a few months, probably six months from now, we can offer you DSL. I'm like, well, that's great. But so right now the dial-up, okay, that's fine. I mean, you know, I knew what dial-up was, you know. So right, they hooked up the dial-up, and well, we left there in what, 2016 and still didn't have DSL. So you have to get creative when trying to find out the solution.

SPEAKER_01 18:12

So they ran the line, they just never actually got a point to which you could connect. So they destroyed the yard to run the line, never got to a point.

SPEAKER_00 18:22

It was a highway without exits. And then it's a highway without exits. Anyone in the tech field understands what the last mile means, and that is you know, you need to get enough people on board to go off the highway to justify an exit ramp to then service whatever that is, and until that happens, then it never did.

SPEAKER_01 18:40

But so we're starting a tech company in 08.

SPEAKER_00 18:43

In 08 with dial-up.

SPEAKER_01 18:45

With yes, so um it was kind of formative. My process kind of make it work for you.

SPEAKER_00 18:52

And and that's one reason why at this time I was designing w websites purely in code. Because if if it's all in code, right, a blanking cursor, just do whatever. I mean, I'm writing every single line, making a text document. And you know, text document is very minuscule. It's not like you're trying to run some type of generator engine type thing, which that one am. But so there were times though that I would have to, you know, I got a bunch of files and I've already taken them into Photoshop and I need to upload these files or even videos, so I would have to find a place. So in the early days, I remember there were some times I actually drove to the McDonald's parking lot. It was probably late in the evening or something, so I didn't eat there, but just to tap onto their public Wi-Fi to upload what I needed to satisfy a client for that stage of the website. Um I even met with clients at the library. Of course, you know, I'm not gonna bring them into my house, but now we have a storefront and the whole, you know, image and everything changed. But meet them at the library to discuss a new website and everything, just so that I could, you know, pull up my laptop, discuss, show things, whatever. But the whole journey from the dial-up, then we got Huesnet and they installed the Huesnet thing, and here's a funny thing. Um they installed Huesnet, but they had to update the software. And so they had to download the package and everything in order to, you know, make it work. Well, then when the person was leaving, I was like, Well, why isn't it working? He's like, Well, I I used up the allotment, but it'll restore itself after about 48 hours. Think of it as a bucket with a hole in it. It eventually drips out, but then you know, then it creates more room. I said, So you mean to tell me you installed this thing, but I can't I was mad. Anyway, uh, there's some other stories about Houstonet and some other my friends I'm not gonna go into. But it but it Melanie's laughing. I'll save that as I don't know, I need to get permission first.

SPEAKER_02 21:03

Right.

SPEAKER_00 21:03

Well, I can do it without a name, but it's not gonna no, not today. But um it it it it involves someone canceling their contract and um using a firearm while on the phone and uh saying they just canceled their contract. Saying they just canceled our contract and then I guess I am doing it. I'm just like Chaucer. Uh and um then they're like, oh, okay, yeah, we'll take you all anyway. So after HughesNet, we got Altel, because that was before ATT came through. And the MyFi, which was a box or something. Yeah, you you um the head to one you could plug in to stick it in your window, and then you know, and that worked for a long good while. But then after about three generations later of that, this product was like, well, you have to plug it into your laptop. And I'm like, but if I'm sitting on the couch and I'm plugging in my laptop, it's not close enough to the window for me to get the signal. So I remember being on the phone with them for six hours and meticulously taking notes, climbing the ladder, always, okay, it's not your fault that you can't resolve this, but there's someone there that can. Finally reach a guy in Atlanta. Say, hey Keith, how you doing? My name's Jason, I'm in Bra uh no, South Hill, Virginia, and um I need this product that I understand that you all have, and I can actually use it like I did my old product and all that. He's like, How'd you find me? I said, don't ask questions. I um I need this done. And he's like, Well, it's not available for the stores quite yet, but I can mail it to you. And I'm like, Alright, well, let's go ahead and do that.

SPEAKER_01 22:43

He's like, but um Are we talking a router product?

SPEAKER_00 22:47

It it's kind of like a router. Okay. Well, think about this being just like what we had, but it was the newer model, so I don't know. Anyway, then I had the argument over um getting it, um, and he's like because I my thought was you changed my service, and um I didn't have what I was able to use, therefore I shouldn't have to pay for this. So then he's like, long story short, they can um give me a credit and I'd have to pay for it. So that was a win for me, and I was it back in business. But finally, now we're in Bracie, fast forward to, you know, then, and um with Empower for only bugs on telephone, everything, and fiber, it certainly is what we needed, you know.

SPEAKER_01 23:35

And it's robust, it does what we need. That's right, it's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 23:39

But it's the growing pains of dealing with what in the world.

SPEAKER_01 23:43

Early days was not it was it was getting there, that's what it was just getting there and getting there.

SPEAKER_00 23:48

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 23:49

So, um, you know, you do what you had to do.

SPEAKER_00 23:52

Yep, exactly. So all right, so we how about this? You might run a rural tech company if you don't have to miss Mayberry. Handshakes, bartering, and paid by pecan pie are still acceptable ways of saying thank you. What we got for that?

SPEAKER_01 24:14

So we have the most lovely people in our community, and so a lot of times it's it's a small need, you know, come in with um my phone has no sound, stuff like that.

SPEAKER_00 24:28

And and you know, can you fix I I know you're busy, but can you you know it's like hey, it's important to you.

SPEAKER_01 24:35

No problem, just kind of going ahead and and you know, flipping a switch, doing doing his his little thing.

SPEAKER_00 24:41

Um and and obviously you're not gonna sit there and and well they they they apologize and it's like this is a small thing, but it's like but this is your lifeline, this is important to you.

SPEAKER_01 24:51

Technology is very, you know, it's important, you know, it's but it's you know, usually just kind of a little small thing that you know and so people end up um having payment, if you will, with all kinds of things. So we've um it throughout the the time of of actually being a store, we've gotten a pound cake. Yeah, uh we've had fresh venison sausage, oh my goodness. Oh yeah, um, some coffee, um fire ant pellets, thank you so much. Um it was very important based on our last, you know.

SPEAKER_00 25:27

Right.

SPEAKER_01 25:28

Fire ants of the enemy, not stay saying. You get to talking to somebody and they're like, and they're like, I got what you need, and then they pay you fire ant pellets, and it's like, you know what? Just as good. Uh yes.

SPEAKER_00 25:40

Well, it's cute because it's like, you know, you you're done everything and all that, and like five days later they come by, like, here's this. I'm like, oh my gosh, we were talking about that. It's like, no, you have it, you know, and it's the sharing of it, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:50

We've been paying and paid in, you know, wine, y'all. Yeah, yeah, um, preserves, double yum. Oh yeah. Um preserves for for anybody else that's not in rural Virginia. Um, preserves are jam.

SPEAKER_00 26:05

But it has a bunch of names. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:08

So jelly is when you take all the seeds.

SPEAKER_00 26:10

When you take it out and it becomes the gelatin style.

SPEAKER_01 26:16

And so preserves is the same thing as jam, just because you're preserving the product.

SPEAKER_00 26:21

You're preserving, yeah. So you really just don't want it to go bad. You're trying to keep it somehow, so it becomes uh that wasn't strawberry, what was that? I don't remember.

SPEAKER_01 26:32

Fig.

SPEAKER_00 26:33

Yeah, it was yeah, fig, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:35

By the way, delicious. And um, we've actually been paid in light bulbs.

SPEAKER_00 26:40

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 26:40

So that was very, you know, very traditional rural I mean, you know, kind of concept.

SPEAKER_00 26:49

Right.

SPEAKER_01 26:50

Paid in pie, if you will. Exactly. And you know, um doing the same thing a lot with um, you know, the kind of trade-off we, you know, tomatoes and and things like that.

SPEAKER_00 27:04

Um if you have a garden you have too much, it would give it away and all that. And it gets back to the kind of community we are. We share, we give it.

SPEAKER_01 27:13

We share, we we give, we part of that.

SPEAKER_00 27:15

We're proud of what we made that people like and we want to give it to others too, you know. And I mean, in in our area, we got a lot of seasonal things that you know that come up and you know.

SPEAKER_01 27:28

So if anybody wants to pay in Brunswick stew, yeah. Speaking of seasonal, by the way, um, I won't stop them.

SPEAKER_00 27:35

No.

SPEAKER_01 27:35

Um won't stop them at all.

SPEAKER_00 27:38

Nor will our artist daughter.

SPEAKER_01 27:40

Right, yes.

SPEAKER_00 27:41

I mean we may not get it. Don't give the stew master. Don't give it to her and say give this to your mama dad. She's not the master.

SPEAKER_01 27:46

She's not a stew master, she's a stew connoisseur.

SPEAKER_00 27:48

She's stew monster.

SPEAKER_01 27:50

R monster, that's a good word.

SPEAKER_00 27:52

Um the we won't get it if you give it to her.

SPEAKER_01 27:55

Years ago, we went to the so um in in our area, uh Brunswick Stew is a big deal. We we're right next to Brunswick, and so Brunswick County. We went to the um Brunswick Stew festival, and I was walking around with my daughter, and um she was very young at the time, and she's like, I I don't get it.

SPEAKER_00 28:16

She didn't get it, no. Uh-uh. You know, it's why it's just stew, right? You're right.

SPEAKER_01 28:20

It's like and I'm like, wait a minute, so I stop. She'll like gasp like Sheldon Cooper. This is not just stew, this is uh part of our culture, our heritage, this is who we are, and so the way that everybody makes their own stew is a very important and very proud thing. So we all have a stew master, we all have, you know, in different regions of the area, and so our stew masters are very important. Our name, the name of who knows what they're doing with stew is very important. Yep, and so I introduced her to several booths. I taught had her talk to some of the people at each booth, and she started to really understand that this is a a culture and not just a food.

SPEAKER_00 29:06

But she became like a foodie over. Like this one's more tomato-based, this one is more pepper.

SPEAKER_01 29:12

Anytime you've got a different Brunswick stew, she's gotta try it, she's gotta like dip her analysis.

SPEAKER_00 29:18

She's the food network expert on this, you know, batch. Yeah. Well, this year it's a little bit more this or the more a little bit more beef heavy than they were. It's like, oh my gosh, created a monster for sure. But yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:31

In Bracie, we had uh Lindbergh as our amazing stew master, and um as he got older, you know, taste buds changed and that sort of thing. And so the the pepper got a little more and more each year. And see, I'm a sucker for that. And so, you know, it's it for all of us we got used to it. So you kind of have a little bit of a peppery stew every once in a while, and it's like, yes, yeah, but you can have all chicken, I mean this. Oh, yeah. A million different ways to do a good stew.

SPEAKER_00 30:04

Gosh. Wish I had some.

SPEAKER_01 30:06

Well, it's it's a little too early. I know that.

SPEAKER_00 30:08

I'm just saying.

SPEAKER_01 30:09

We're almost in stew season.

SPEAKER_00 30:10

All of our frozen has been thawed and eaten. Yeah. Gone. So. Alright. You take the net or yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:19

Uh well, you might be a rural tech company if. If you stop everything to pray when sirens go through your quiet sanctuary. Yeah. Um, so uh we are very quiet. We're um, you know, it's not typical to have the sirens just running by. Um, you know, the fire rescue. Rescue all the time. And so when they do, it's it's you know, all of us in in smaller areas, you know, we're sit there, you know, you're having a conversation with a client or something like that, and you hear it, and all of a sudden your ear just perks up like a dog. It's like, where are they going?

SPEAKER_00 30:57

I mean, there's a good percentage, you might know the people. Right.

SPEAKER_01 31:00

So what direction are they going?

SPEAKER_00 31:02

It's like, wait, oh, yeah, they too are they okay? They turn down that road.

SPEAKER_01 31:05

Right.

SPEAKER_00 31:06

I know 12 people live there.

SPEAKER_01 31:07

Right. So, you know, it's one of those you just kind of have to stop everything. Of course, you have to pray. Make sure everybody's okay.

SPEAKER_00 31:14

Um, especially if it's like a fire engine, you know it might be a wreck or something.

unknown 31:19

Right.

SPEAKER_00 31:20

So I remember I remember there's been many times where one would go down the road, so then because we're in a tech business and everything like that, you know, you tend to think of certain ways of trying to track it down. So I've been like on Google Maps looking at the traffic layer, trying to figure out where the little red line might be to see where maybe, you know, whatever took place. Melanie's on the Apple maps in traffic mode, and it's like, let's see if they have it. And they, you know, so just trying to figure out what you know might be going on and where.

SPEAKER_01 31:53

Right, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 31:54

I mean, and it's out of concern. It's not, you know, people like, oh, you're being nosy. No, I mean, we we love our neighbors and we want to know, you know.

SPEAKER_01 32:00

Make sure everybody's open exactly. Do we need to pray for the city?

SPEAKER_00 32:04

Do we need that that too? So all right. You might run a rural tech company if you wouldn't give up your clients for all the tech gadgets in the world, and then at the truth.

SPEAKER_01 32:20

We are so fortunate. We we really are. We do uh what we do, clients can come from anywhere in the world. Um and obviously there's a predominant amount, you know, once you're geographically stationed, you're you're gonna have uh clients nearby. And you know, there's been people, you know, we've known for years, there's people we've known for generations.

SPEAKER_00 32:44

I mean we've had clients for over 15 years, too. Right.

SPEAKER_01 32:48

That it they're just so um watching the business grow, watching um you being able to do something like put them online and and put them out in the world, right, knowing what they're doing is um something you believe in.

SPEAKER_00 33:04

People need to see this, and you want people to see this.

SPEAKER_01 33:07

You you know, I I love when clients come in that I've already known, and it's like I know exactly what you what to do to make sure that people understand what you know what this means to everyone in the the area.

SPEAKER_00 33:21

So um and we've learned a lot of new businesses that I mean, you know, facets of things, like I never thought about that, you know. And I always tell people, you're the expert on your business. You know, we know what we're doing, but I'm not gonna pretend to know some of these industries. But when you learn about it, I mean that's Oh, I know. It's so fascinating. It's like, wow, I'm getting paid, I'm getting paid to learn about this.

SPEAKER_01 33:41

And you know, you kind of and we get to learn, you know, we we we don't just kind of uh create a website, we we dig, we we make sure that we're gonna do your research and know what's gonna work for SEO, what's gonna also show it in a good light. And we do a lot of research to make sure that we're presenting the the content well, right? And so with a lot of that, you know, you get to learn a new business, learn a new way of thinking, all of the little ins and outs that they have to worry about that you don't you never really concerned yourself with. And so it's it's really fascinating.

SPEAKER_00 34:15

And it creates a creative challenge sometimes, you know.

SPEAKER_01 34:19

But it's it's just it's great to see that in um again, that little bit of part that you could do to kind of progress um the businesses in the area and the businesses outside of the area. Um, we ended up, you know, having a client one in Jamaica.

SPEAKER_00 34:40

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:41

And um Thea. We were so close, so close to her. We talked to her often on the phone and things like that.

SPEAKER_00 34:48

Even got handed off to her brother one time when she someone showed up. It was funny.

SPEAKER_01 34:52

And you know, close it ended up getting close to her family. Um, you know, and we'd never met.

unknown 34:57

No.

SPEAKER_01 34:57

Never met. Uh she knew about the children and and you know, asked about them at times.

SPEAKER_00 35:02

No, and it was and it was really cool though. And then I remember asking her, I'm like, how did you find me? I mean, like, I don't know any I mean Jamaica. It's like, come on. You're like, and she's like, and she had like the Jamaican British accent, you know, her brother was very Rastafarian. And she's like, What? I was on the your website, I found it, and you know, every the way you presented your material really gave me a sense to call you. And I'm like, wow, that's incredible. I'm like, one, you found me, too.

SPEAKER_01 35:30

I mean, it's like it's just that's the earlier days of the internet where that was kind of starting her out and everything and and getting her um business idea off the ground and everything. Yep, we we became close. You have to have a lot of conversation when you're trying to kind of build something for someone. And so close to the point that they the family ended up um giving us a call years later down the road. Yeah. Um, I mean this was some time ago, and um years later down the road, she did end up, you know, having uh she passed. Yeah, and the family called us to let us know. That's you know, just how it all there was no reason, there was no, you know, leftover funds or anything, you know, it was just to let us know because we were but it part of her life.

SPEAKER_00 36:16

Apparently meant she spoke about us enough that you know because I'm like, so you're who? I'm like, oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01 36:21

And that was that was really quite beautiful and fascinating that you know it w we had never met this person in our lives, but it she was um what she needed and what we could do was you know, went together so well, and we were able to kind of bond right um in in such different areas. Um but that's also true here in in you know our own businesses here is we are able to kind of bond with these people and and um you know again we we know most a lot of them before we start, and then we get to re you know, relearn them or um you find irrelated when you talk. We or meet new people and new businesses that are starting in the area that it's like you know, wow, this is such a great concept. Let's let's see what we can do. Let's let's push this out, let's make this work.

SPEAKER_00 37:16

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 37:17

Um and in in the beauty of small rural tech company, you know, we small companies, small town companies, um you you end up with groovies. Um I love groovies. Um you know, people that stop by, that hang out for a bit, that yeah, they're passing by.

SPEAKER_00 37:39

Oh, they're there. Let's go in and talk.

SPEAKER_01 37:43

Um when my brother and I were growing up, we would um hang out with my my grandfather, and you know, he would at some point, you know, come on, let's go. You know, let's go places, let's just, you know, go drive around. And so um one of the places we would end up is a a little um little store on in Black Ridge. And uh that was one of those stores where you could take those um, you know, Coke bottles.

SPEAKER_00 38:16

Oh yeah, right, right.

SPEAKER_01 38:17

You once you finish your Coke bottle, um, you keep it. We go in and you yeah, you redeem it and then you get new Coke. Um and so, you know, that was always a really good excuse to just kind of go out and about, you know.

SPEAKER_00 38:30

That's right. Kind of making your rounds and yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 38:33

So it's like, you know what, I got you know, six uh cases, you know, or um six packs of of Coke bottles. Let's go ahead and go over. And so, you know, we'd pack up in the truck and we'd go over there and and you know, um there was a little potbelly stove and you know, just a bunch of guys talking, and so the kids would just, you know, we were promised a piece of candy if we're quiet, so we just walk around or you hoo or whatever.

SPEAKER_00 39:00

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 39:00

And so, you know, you just kind of you know there at the store listening to the the guys talk, and you know, you kind of have this like this groupy, you know, sure um old country store uh gathering, and so it was always nice to to watch that in action and and you know be with my grandfather at that point.

SPEAKER_00 39:22

That's neat.

SPEAKER_01 39:24

And so that kind of makes me think of it when we've got you know some of the people that just kind of come by on a regular basis, they just come in to tell us something or to you know just seeing what you're doing, yeah, and and enjoy some conversation with us for a bit. So yeah. Um I love that. I love that storefront, you know. Let's connect, let's keep being being real, being people.

SPEAKER_03 39:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:54

Yeah, sometimes we're really busy, but sometimes it's like let's stop.

SPEAKER_00 39:58

Sometimes it's we probably need that. Have a break.

SPEAKER_01 40:02

Right. It's like I need to stand up and probably do need a little conversation that's right in human for a minute. Right. Which is the you know, this this week's episode is is the human. Um we're ignoring the AI, we're ignoring the the new, and we're kind of the old in the yeah, AI's on vacation. And in the oral traditions and storytelling, right?

SPEAKER_00 40:28

Yeah, I mean it's it's a big part of us, big part of our our own culture and tradition. And um, you know, when it's part of you and who you are, it's important just to, you know, share that and just say, hey, this is you know important too. And you know, I think with technology sometimes there's a uh it moves forward really fast. It does.

SPEAKER_01 40:48

And we need to get really kind of lost in the weeds.

SPEAKER_00 40:52

And so everyone knows that. So it's important to stay connected.

SPEAKER_01 40:56

Right. And and this is what the whole thing is about, is you know, i though it is tech, tech feels very disconnecting.

SPEAKER_00 41:06

Ironically.

SPEAKER_01 41:07

But you know, uh the the the difference is with rural, you know, concepts, maybe we can make tech very connecting.

SPEAKER_00 41:18

I think so.

SPEAKER_01 41:19

And so we we've got to not forget our connections when it comes to all of this newness that's coming. The old connections are actually still very much alive and and well.

SPEAKER_00 41:31

And and I won't go in my soapbox with a long whatever, but I will say that as technology does do a lot of the things, a lot of the jobs, a lot of the tasks, your character personality, the way to connect with other people is going to be the thing that you know separates you and really when you think of jobs and all that, it's all gonna change. It's gonna get back to who are you?

SPEAKER_01 42:01

Integrity.

SPEAKER_00 42:02

You know, because AI can do this for me, but why do I need you? And how can you connect with others? Um so I d I think that's the direction things gonna go, but um do what briefly mention, um, I think we're gonna start wrapping things up.

SPEAKER_01 42:23

And as we wrap things up, we don't want to uh forget that we we kind of came up with a uh a little bit something new. Um Gracie is um has a a new web page, uh a new old webpage. Um we actually revamped our webpage.

SPEAKER_00 42:41

This is something we started like 16 years ago, but it was a little too soon. Yeah, what it was an idea we had. Well, it it was things were changing. This was 16 years ago, yellow pages, white pages, other outlets were used for information, and that was really before social media, before technology caught up.

SPEAKER_01 43:01

So we finally COVID forced us all in. COVID did force us to, you know, so we this is kind of like um a revamp of the bracy virginia.com um website. Yeah, and so we're we're really excited. We just kind of launched it. It's it's still kind of um in its early four.

SPEAKER_00 43:22

But it's in its first stage.

SPEAKER_01 43:23

We have some other stages we got planned, and we'll um it's it's kind of giving a good uh representation of of the area of the local businesses, kind of giving uh we we do have some new uh newcomers on the stage, so it's kind of giving them the little place to go that you can see where um what's happening in the area.

SPEAKER_00 43:45

See what you know businesses there are, events, like you're saying. I mean, and we you know we've kind of sprinkled the history in there along with some other opportunities to um be able to showcase yourself. I mean, we we have some chambers around us and all that, and you do a great job, but we're like Bracie needs Bracey needs some representation. It's not a town, so it's not organized. We don't really have the chamber, we don't really have the town set up, so we're kind of but we wanted the benefit for us to be able to come together and to be able to showcase what we have and inform those that are here what is available. Because I mean you may you may be a plumber and do a really good job living here in Bracy, but it it's hard to get out there and be able to show people what your services are. So it's like, hey, look, you you're here in Bracie, Virginia, you can now have a directory listing that we, you know, we're it and of course any website and anything like this that we build, of course, it has costs, and we're like, we're gonna sponsor any business that is in Bracie. We'll we'll just go and pay the costs of all of that um so that you can have a directory listing. And um it's just we're really excited we're actually managed to find time to get this done. Um and the the feedback has has been um very heartwarming.

SPEAKER_01 45:06

Yes, thank you everybody for for your feedback on it. Because we it it it is a a labor of love. We do it really is. We do enjoy this.

SPEAKER_00 45:16

Yeah, so we we appreciate everyone, you know, just tuning in and listening. This is a longer episode, but we had stories to tell. And look, if I mean my great grandfather I know who you know I spent a lot of time with and pretty much raised me, I knew when I was visiting with him, you know, some of my best memories of my life. But if he said back in the war, I knew it was gonna be a two-hour um story. So the fact that this is um Oral tradition is amazing. It really is, and we really need to, you know, hold on to that because that's that's what energizes us, and that's what really makes, you know, makes a day worthwhile. You know, you're always gonna have stuff tomorrow you ain't got to. But um but who have you who have you connected with? Who have you, you know, shared your story with? Um, you know, just keep all that in mind. So even though we're approaching maybe 47 minutes by the time this ends, I know it's a big and it's our largest yet. But like I said, you know, you you you can't stop it when you know the stories come. So I guess, you know, signing off here with Wired Together, and again, you know, you can find us on different outlets, and uh, of course, if you're listening, you have found us. Um I appreciate everyone's support and sharing what we have posted. Um and uh, but so unplugging for now.

SPEAKER_01 46:42

But always stay connected.