Kitchen Table CEOs continues expansion as more people than ever are working from home

Just over a year ago, Tracy Smith took some significant steps towards finding that perfect work-life balance, launching Kitchen Table CEOs as an online resource for female entrepreneurs looking for resources and support to grow their small businesses and make their lives easier.

It was, of course, impossible to foresee that little over a week later, the world would be turned upside down by COVID-19, leading more women – and men – than ever before to be working from home contemplating their next moves in an uncertain time.

Inspired by her work in the communications industry, Ms. Smith saw that entrepreneurs and small business owners needed help navigating an ever-changing landscape, one which was evolving rapidly thanks to an online world – and that the speed in which things are changing has only been exacerbated by the pandemic.

“I often think of the quote, ‘If you build it, they will come' and how untrue that is at times with the journey of entrepreneurship,” says Ms. Smith. “You build a great thing, but you have to keep tweaking, working and building your community, reaching out and adjusting.”

Despite the difficulties presented by the pandemic, many silver linings have been found at Kitchen Table CEOs.

Over the past 12 months, Ms. Smith has been busy working with several local clients. One of the trends she has noticed is a drive for businesses to reach new clients than ever before.

“They might have had websites, but they might not have the ability to sell their products on their websites, so we have had to add e-commerce so now they can reach a whole new audience of people buying their products that maybe don't live in their same communities,” she says. “People are just getting scrappy and using Instagram direct messages selling their products that way. They have been doing what they have to do, but the definite trend is reaching new customers, reaching current customers, but in new ways apart from the traditional bricks-and-mortar and in-person. I see a lot of business owners taking control of their client relationships so they can reach them directly instead of relying on social media alone or just hoping people come in to really being able to tap into those relationships and build those through email lists.”

Since the inception of Kitchen Table CEOs, Ms. Smith says it has been a very rewarding journey to “equip business owners with the tools to help them succeed in such an unprecedented time and create a community where people “know they're not alone and where they can inspire and motivate each other.”

“It's a place where we can swap ideas, provide tools and tips, and I think throughout this year everyone has needed this, regardless of where they are at or what they do. We all need to know we are not alone and can support each other. Change is inevitable, but it was way quicker this year than anyone wanted or should have been faced with. But, rolling with the punches, trying to think outside the box, being creative and just continually serving the clients and finding new ways to do so, I think, have been the themes for this year.

“[When we launched] Kitchen Table CEOs was for women entrepreneurs working from home and launching their business. Within weeks, virtually everybody in the country except for frontline workers had essentially become kitchen table CEOs and everybody was working from home. I think that that shift or movement has given new respect for people who do work at home. Just because you don't have a traditional office space doesn't mean you're not getting a lot done and achieving a lot. The challenges exist when you're working from home, and you're juggling different things, different tasks, different challenges.”

The pandemic also helped Kitchen Table CEOs expand their mandate with the development of digital courses to reach new audiences themselves.

Ms. Smith recently launched an online course called Content Unleashed, a six-week session designed to teach business owners and entrepreneurs how to write “Essential content” such as their product descriptions and About Me pages in a way to reach their target audiences.

“I was seeing a lot of people struggling with content and telling their story, and a lot of people were now going online and didn't know how to describe their products in a way they needed to reach their clients,” she says. “This maximizes and amplifies their story and their content. That wasn't originally planned, but it has been pretty amazing to be able to deliver that to the group!

“We would like to continue to be a leader and a beacon for other women entrepreneurs looking for motivation, support and resources. I would love to continue to launch Content Unleashed and reach many more entrepreneurs and business owners to help equip them with the tools and templates they need to write their content and feel confident with that. The best part is I just want to continue to work with business owners to help them maximize their business and reach the clients they so deserve.”

For more information on Kitchen Table CEOs, visit kitchentableceos.com.

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter