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Once launched, our news real picked up on a story where “30% of our local workforce were living in their car.” We began raising awareness and to silence us, someone in government abused their power to render me and my fiancé, homeless.
Almost immediately, we began experiencing harassment and threats. We left Arizona for fear for our safety and the safety of our community.
Once we got to Ohio, we began door dashing and delivering for Uber Eats to make ends-meat. Quickly, we became discouraged as we reached out for help and received limited response. As we delivered food, it seemed every order was to be delivered without human contact. We felt lonely, isolated, scared, and hopeless.
Then we got an idea! What if the thing missing most in this world is the lack of human connection and kindness? What if we, even in our most dire circumstances, could inspire others to be mindful about the compassion and kindness they show others by giving a gift to every person we met on our “discovery journey?”
Since we are “rockhounders by hobby, we love to collect pretty rocks so we began labeling pretty pocket rocks with the words, “Linking Dreams, #inspirehumanconnection” and gave them out to nearly every person we met out on the road.
To solve the world’s biggest problems, it takes humans, coming together, and showing understanding, compassion, and kindness. We hoped that our rocks would be the reminder to people we had shared a moment with, to take time to connect with the world and people around them, deeply and with more meaningful connection.
If you, or someone you know, has found or received one of our “Linking Dreams” stones, connect with us! Visit one of our social media pages at the links below and share your picture, story, or experience with us!
If you like what you hear and want to support us on our journey to #inspirehumanconnection, please visit our sponsorship page at: http://spot.fund/93n839sc
Thank you
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For more than a decade, I have been working on the design for a one stop shop virtual resources center for all of Northern Arizona. Finally, in September 2023, we launched NAZ Local, Northern Arizona’s most trusted local connections for all of Northern Arizona. Then in February 2024, NAZ Local launched its payment portal to be able to take payment for its subscription-based services.
Now, it’s not that I thought I would “flip the on switch” and everyone would start running. I wish that were the case and then we wouldn’t have a reason to stress right? Well, here are the circumstances:
We launched in February and immediately there were local people in Arizona who flagged us as SPAM in local chats, groups, community pages and more. Not only did we get flagged as SPAM, people have come out against us to slander our name, reputation, and frankly, it feels like the world hates us. Why? Wouldn’t Northern Arizona locals want an app they can call their own?
Truth is, they do; however, people do not yet know we exist because we are a new start-up that has no presence on social media. Everyday, we post on current social media and get less than 6 views. Algorithms just won’t let us be “seen” unless we pay and even if we pay, Facebook will make it incredibly expensive before we start seeing results.
The way to get seen is 3-fold. We need to have boots on the ground giving our app a “human” feel where people can meet and speak with a person, in person, to gain a better understanding of NAZ Local and how to connect. The second point of contact is through email, messenger or text. The person needs to see words in a message and have a link to click on. Finally, phone and zoom calls are a way of getting in contact “now” where the other two methods may not yield any return for time spent contacting. On average, it takes all 3 of these points of contact to make even a dent in getting someone to download, register, and then subscribe to NAZ Local’s services.
For this reason and many others, there is a great taxation of time and energy in the beginning of launching an online platform. People are inundated with marketing ads that promise them they will get seen with their purchase, when they truth is that most people do not understand how to reach their true customer base and paying the multitude of services out there won’t yield them the results they seek.
So going back to my original frustration, people target us and do not want us to be seen. There is no right way to go beyond the woes of people out there who hate our existence because they wish they thought of it first, maybe? It doesn’t matter though…we don’t love NAZ Local for those people anyway. We commit our time, energy and love to people who want to make things better for the people who struggle most in Northern Arizona. We love what the NAZ Local model will do for locals across Northern AZ.
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Founder, CEO and Human Capital Consultant. Chris "Link" Duarte shares how he's helping companies find balance in how they identify, communicate, and advocate for their diverse communities.
Why it Matters!
Groundbreaking digital innovations have powered rapid growth in open talent and entrepreneurship sectors; people are connecting with one another from around the world to make work happen. As changes fuel the “great resignation,” people are seeking out inclusive, flexible and fulfilling career opportunities which are only available to some. FTE guest expert Chris "Link" Duarte, CEO of Linking Dreams, explains how advocacy and “equality” initiatives are leaving some populations behind and what leaders can do to ensure equitable access and opportunities for all.
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