The following is a guest post by Dr. Casey Sanders from Fort Worth, TX.
There is always something internally satisfying about unsolicited smiles. Those that are unexpected – yet when they occur, they light up the entire room. The kind of smile that blindsides you. The smile that bleeds joy, relief, and thanks.
When I set out with an initiative to pour into my community out of abundance, I never expected to see this kind of smile. Yes, I expected to see SOMETHING, I was just unsure of what. After all, $100 just does not seem like much to any business… or so I thought.
When the coronavirus hit, many businesses in my area struggled and even closed. As an upper cervical doctor, my practice was seen as essential and therefore allowed to stay open. Others were not as fortunate. They were forced to reduce occupancy, stall necessary sales, or even close entirely.
There was an unfulfilled need that ultimately led to the death of many small business owners’ dreams. There was nothing they could do about it, apart from hope things got better.
A discussion among members of The Black Diamond Club community sparked an idea to lend a hand. For me, Rally Keller was born.
I spent the next months scouting local businesses in need and going to them directly. I stepped in, slapped $100 on the counter, and asked them to open a tab under my name.
I would invite the community to come in and say, “Put my food on Dr. Casey’s tab,” to increase awareness of the business, draw in new customers, and – above all else – aid in providing relief to those businesses in need.
After all, it was only fair to me. If I could open my doors, it was my duty to give back to the community I love.
The campaign started well enough, but it was not until I began to implement the strategies taught by Dennis Yu and his team that things really got going.
I started shooting 1-minute-long videos and spreading them over various social media accounts using Dennis’ lessons, and BAM!
Not only were the $100 tabs disappearing in noticeably short periods of time, but so many people were seeing the videos that they were taking orders, dropping in to grab their own tabs, or even adding to mine!
Because of these social strategies, an entire community was afforded MASSIVE benefits.
And the smiles – the smiles on the faces of the business owners who were quite literally saved by the very people they served… that was worth every bit of effort.
