CREATE BRIDGES Podcast: Hitting the Mark with the Stories Shared

by Hazelle Whited - March 25, 2021

Back in the summer of 2020, the CREATE BRIDGES team had the idea of launching a podcast series with the goal of showcasing the resources, challenges, and victories of small business and workforce in rural Arkansas.

Focusing on the four specific sectors that form the lifeblood of economic progress in rural communities that are often void of any other industry, the podcast is a vehicle for entrepreneurs, small business and employees to share their personal stories and experiences to provide inspiration and encouragement to others, while also sharing what makes living in small communities so appealing.

In our second episode that aired on October 15, 2020, Lights, Camera, Crickets, we showcased two different business owners that came from big corporate positions before moving and starting a small business in Sharp County, Arkansas.

One of these guests, Marc Herring of Ozark Classic Crafts Mall, describes hitting the lowest point in his business after the second month into COVID, barely hanging on enough to keep staff and products going. Then, just a few weeks later, Herring describes receiving a text that propelled his business into a trajectory he never saw coming – even in the midst of COVID.

This episode was downloaded 30 times, not a trailblazing number, but still effective enough to provide inspiration to others. Encouragingly, this podcast led to a follow up article from Only In Arkansas freelance writer and 3Cs Regional Steering Committee member, Keisha McKinney, to write about Herring’s incredible turn-around that is now heading towards producing an officially licensed MLB (Major League Baseball) product.

The article reinforces just how innovation, tenacity, and pressing on are part of the formula any small business, particularly in rural communities, must possess to succeed. For the CREATE BRIDGES team, it also serves as confirmation of the influence sharing the stories of rural businesses, employees, and community through the podcast can produce.