Community Building By Giovannie Espiritu
IN THE TIME OF COVID
Aimee Supp, VP of Sales and Marketing of Moxey, a community of business owners based around bartering goods and services, has been passionate about entrepreneurship since she was a young girl running her own dog walking business. “My love of business began from watching Mr. Rogers Neighborhood,” Aimee recalls. “During a segment of the series, he would take you on factory visits and we would watch how things were made. I remember learning how everything was made from crayons to applesauce and became fascinated with business and wanted to be a part of that.” Her career took her to Holland America Line where she educated guests on the cruise ships to shop in the local ports of call. Through showcases and educational seminars and 24 hour TV programming, she promoted local businesses and artisans. She travelled internationally, promoting neighborhood commerce like matryoshka dolls in Russia, silk carpets in Turkey, and colorful saris in India. Since then, she has amassed over twenty years of experience at helping small businesses marketplace and becoming a business-to-business matchmaker for business owners, craftsmen, and artists business sectors. “There is nothing more that I love than working with people that are very talented at one thing but they’re missing one segment - whether it’s finding their true value and who they are, what they should charge for what they do, or to how to sell and market themselves,” she states. It was her penchant for finding the missing piece that elevated a small pay-it-forward photography project into a regional movement.
“It is an innate trait in us, as women, to bring people together rather than compete...In focusing on that, during this time, we can make real change.” Originally inspired by “TheFrontStepsProject,” Aimee called local Baton Rouge photographer, Jenn Ocken, a client of hers, to help support local businesses, during the beginning of the COVID by providing photoshoots to local businesses. In essence, the businesses and families would receive a free socially distanced photoshoot and would promise to “pay-itforward” by supporting local businesses during the quarantine. Their version of the movement, #TheFrontPorch ProjectUnited #TheStorefrontProjectUnited, was picked up by the media and was duplicated in several different states and cities under Aimee’s guidance and business acumen. They photographed over 4,500 families, 400 businesses raising 1.2 million for local businesses during this time. “I’m always looking for ways that I can collaborate and bring people together to scale it faster and make a bigger impact for others. This was one of those incredible series of circumstances, a big vision, solid plan and great team that just worked - people paying it forward to local businesses that were closed during this time was uplifting to our community and crucial for local businesses.” This couldn’t have been done without the collaboration of extremely talented women from our primary photographers Addie Laughery and Jenn Ocken to our social media managers Laura Siu Nguyen and Sarah Brown. Across the south over 50 people, volunteered their time in their communities. “It is an innate trait in us, as women, to bring people together rather than compete. I think we tend to look at things where everyone can win and thrive together,” she says. “In focusing on that, during this time, we can make real change.”
10
Fall 2020
LOUISIANA WOMEN IN BUSINESS
