Me & my mentor Intentional Growth, Charles Brian Quinn

Intentional growth

Getting the word out in spite of COVID

by Charles Brian Quinn, Greenzie

Q. "With so many in-person events cancelled, how can I get information about my products and services out there?"

There’s an old saying:

“Launch early, launch often, then launch again.”

That can certainly be a challenge these days, but even with the current restraints, you can still be intentional about growing your company and reaching customers. It’s time to think outside the box. Here are some ideas:

1. Just do it. In my opinion, a lot of people try to plan too much. My advice is to act, learn, and repeat. Dive in, call some customers to find out what they need from you, then get out there and try something. Take what you learn from that experience, refine your approach, and jump out there again. Don’t spend all your time researching and planning, take action.

2. Try it on. Attend some virtual events and get comfortable with the online world. See how others are presenting information then use what you see and experience to adapt the virtual format to fit your needs.

3. Embrace the video. Start small, with just a couple of people. Do some test runs with small groups. You don’t need a professional videographer. In fact, people crave the instant “raw” content that you can create with your phone. Focus on making videos that explain how you work, what you do and then post them on social media. Instagram is a great platform for this – it’s all about telling your story.

Case study:

In February we did a re-launch of our selfdriving commercial mowers. Here’s how we did it:

4 4 4 4

Virtual Zoom event, filmed live Required people to RSVP to attend Showed off the mower in the field, how it works, the features View the video of the event here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H2GUHtC-s&t=1297s

Charles Brian Quinn, or

CBQ, is the co-founder and CEO of Greenzie, creator of software for autonomous robotic lawn mowers. Previously he was coowner, and CEO of Big Nerd Ranch. Big Nerd Ranch teaches immersive software development bootcamp courses, writes best-selling books, and builds digital products for companies of all sizes. CBQ thinks all problems can be solved with the right software and loves building elegant technical solutions to hard problems. He has co-founded, created, and exited several technology and service companies including ScoutApp and Slingshot Hosting. He is a software developer, entrepreneur, investor, author, speaker, self-proclaimed coffee snob, and he is always up for going on a run. He serves as a mentor in the Georgia Tech Mentor Jackets Program, and is an amateur sailor and member of the Lake Lanier Association and the Atlanta Track Club. He lives with his wife, Katie, daughter Marcie, and son Isaac, in Atlanta, Georgia.