About

Hi Everyone!  I hope you and your families are well.  You’re listening to the All Social Y’all Podcast Episode 22 and this is Part 1 of a 2 part series recorded in a live radio show called El Sassa, about How Businesses Will Change after Covid 19 Coronavirus.  Radio and podcast host Sassa and I discuss the current impacts of Coronavirus in our business communities, the emotional perspectives – like overwhelm and dealing with every day being ‘just weird’ in some ways, how the food industry is transforming, how the media is informing and influencing consumer’s decision making, the education system and learning disruption and what this will offer in the future….we talk about , remote or virtual experiences like the NFL Draft first time going Live with the draft virtually.  We discuss how Covid19 is driving innovation in a different way, plus more.    Carey Sperry: I'm excited to be here! Sassa: Great. Man, I'm actually excited to do this podcast with you. This is something we've been talking so much for the past maybe few weeks or days, right? Since COVID-19 started and we've talked about, "Hey, let's get together and do this and it feels good to work together in this and just kind of like talk with your listeners, my listeners and kind of share some of this business things that are happening with COVID-19. I know that your podcast, you kind of talked so much to the business people out there, correct? Carey Sperry: That's right. Yes. Small and midsize businesses, some large business owners and executives tune in as well. But we focus on digital, social and how you can best serve your customer through the customer experience through social and digital. Sassa: That's right. So Carey, tell us a little bit more. I mean, you're, you're located in Georgia, you said, right? In what city? Carey Sperry: Yes. We're just right outside Atlanta and we're in the greater Atlanta area out of Alpharetta, Georgia. Sassa: That's good. So, how has Georgia been handling this COVID-19 and I know you guys are going to be opening pretty soon here too, right? Carey Sperry: Great question. Yes. Well, first we've been handling it quite well. I've been pretty proud of our state and we had one city, I think it's Albany that had a really bad breakout that had the most deaths from a funeral that people attended. But that wasn't their fault because it was before they knew that there was COVID-19 and it was as prevalent as it was, here. But since then it's been... Since there's been awareness, there's been a lot of compliance. Nothing's perfect but even the young kids that normally would be outside at basketball courts in parks and things that... You know what I mean. High school kids that can drive and whatnot. Sassa: Yeah. Carey Sperry: They're even, I see them staying home and so we're supposed to open up Friday and Monday I think in a phase effort. The strategy, which seems a bit a little early to me, because we didn't really have time to like get ready so to speak. But we'll see how it goes and I get the logic behind it. Sassa: That's true. And Carey, here in Houston, I'm in Texas. For your listeners that do listen to your podcast, we are a Houston company, Texas [inaudible 00:02:35]. They say they do big everything in Texas, but right now we're feeling like everything's so small with COVID-19. Right? I was actually just telling you before we started this podcast I was driving by Twin Peaks, it's usually packed over lunch in the evenings and it's empty. Some places in Houston you feel like ghost towns. You're like, "Man, I remember when this used to be so crowded, so packed, so jamming. Now it's empty." Are you getting that over there as well in, in Georgia? Carey Sperry: Absolutely. Yes. We're blessed to be able to see, right? Because it's another sense that we have to absorb this experience and our eyes connect to our feelings and when we see things differently, when you're taking a walk outside and you normally see like 1000 cars go by in an hour's time, now you see 10 go by or something. That's just very weird mind body connection. But yeah, about, I don't know how many weeks ago now, it's kind of hard to keep track of time, although I am keeping a daily journal where I'm documenting my own perception of the COVI9-19 experience, hoping that one day my great grandchildren will read it. Sassa: Yeah. Carey Sperry: We're going to forget. Sassa: Let's hope that they don't go through this no more. Right? Let's hope that we can just tell them what it was, right? Carey Sperry: Totally. Oh my gosh. I wouldn't wish this on anyone and yet it's a global issue, which is another kind of thing to absorb. But I don't know how many weeks ago it was, but I remember some stores being open and being able to go in and seeing cars out in the parking lot and people going in and out of the stores. I'm not saying that it was the normal volume, it was definitely a lower volume. But then the day before Easter I went out to pick up a ham from Honey Baked Ham and all those stores were closed. There was no cars. I think one store was open and they were letting in 10 people at a time and you had to wait outside, taped sidewalk with tape to stand apart six feet and things just- Sassa: And they're not listening, right, Carey? I mean, I don't even know if I want to go to the grocery store as much no more because they just go by you. They cross you. I understand people's stress and I understand people are just trying to get in and out, but I think it's not even about them maybe not listening or not doing it. Maybe sometimes you just got so much in your mind, you just want to just go and come and you don't see the other person. I think we need to also take care of ourselves but we also need to take care of other people as well. Correct? Carey Sperry: Oh, totally. I'm wearing a mask when I go out, but like you, I'm wanting to go out. I don't want to go out, but if I have to, I will to get necessities or just food if I can't get a delivery for what we need. But that's been pretty good. But I put the mask on just out of respect for people that have compromised systems or older people. I've noticed that definitely not everyone here is wearing a mask, but probably maybe 60% it seems like are wearing the masks. I mean, I think a couple of things. When people aren't being aware or they're not abiding by the social distancing in public. Is one, they're either kind of checked out, their stressed, their mind isn't concentrating on that as what they're concentrating maybe doing what they're there to do. It's kind of an innocent thing but still they need to try to remember. Sassa: Yes. Carey Sperry: I think the other thing is unfortunately some people just aren't paying attention as much on a daily basis as would help. I think they just maybe are watching movies and I don't think watching the news all day long is healthy at all. I've limited myself to just staying in tune every day, but not watching hours upon hours of it. Sassa: It stresses you girl. Let me tell you, I did that at the beginning of this whole pandemic. It was stressful. I had to get the phone out of... I mean, the television out of me and the phone for a side because I was just watching news. If I didn't get on the computer, I got on the cell phone, I got on the television. It was just too much and it comes to a point where it also stresses you and you're like, "Oh my God, it's putting too much on me." Did you feel that? Carey Sperry: That's right. Oh, totally. I was doing the same thing at first, because it was just such a big change from normal life. Like you said, being a business owner, thinking about, "How am I going to take care of my family and what is this going to mean and how long is it going to be? What does it mean in my community and just the children having to be home for school." We just have one left at home now who is 17 so he's pretty independent, but he still has some needs that definitely, I worked about two hours with him yesterday on his goals and his grades. They only have like four weeks left of school now. So, it's just a lot. Sassa: Yeah. Texas. We're actually not going to have no more school for the rest of the year, they announced that. The governor said that all Texas schools will be closed. So you can just imagine how... I have one of my children who was graduating from high school this year. I'm also wondering how this is going to work with him and I'm going to work with the school on graduation and things like this. So I could just imagine how many parents are out there also stressing with things like this. But today, we need to just focus on staying safe. Sassa: That's what I told my son, worry about staying safe, healthy, "Don't worry about graduation right now. We'll figure that out." But I'm thinking they'll put something together, maybe in the summer. Hopefully they get something going. Even though... I don't even know how graduations are going to be no more, because Carey here in Texas, I don't know if in Georgia is the same, but I mean, I graduated with 800 to 1000 kids when I graduated. So my son's probably going to graduate with even more, probably 1500 more. How are you going to do it? That's my question, right? Me and my mom- Carey Sperry: I believe... Oh sorry. Sassa: No, no. Sorry. I was going to tell you, my mom, my father, my brothers, myself, his mom, my younger son, I mean we all want to go to the graduation and see my son graduate. Maybe it's hundreds of other families who want to be at the same place. So that's going to change a bit, right? Carey Sperry: Yes. I believe, I'm not 100% but I believe our high school where our son attends is doing a virtual, they call it very special virtual experience for the ceremony for graduation. Sassa: Wow. Carey Sperry: Like I said, I'm not 100% because my son is in senior, but I believe that's what I saw, which reminds me tomorrow night, which is Thursday, is the NFL draft and for the first time in history they're doing it remotely. Sassa: That's right. Carey Sperry: So I'm going to tune in because I'm just interested in how that's going to work. My son and I were talking about it the other day and I was saying, "You know what, I think is going to kind of feel like a news program when you're watching the news and then they bring in a weather caster or guest..."- Sassa: And the sport. Yeah. Carey Sperry: But the players will be at their homes and in front of their computer. Sassa: I mean, Carey, look at what ESPN did. I mean, they don't have sports. So they put the Michael Jordan 10 episodes, which I watched it and it kind of brought me back to my time when I grew up watching Michael. I'm from the '90s and '80s, so I saw that and everything I was watching just made me forget COVI9-19 and started thinking, "Man, I remember when I was listening to the song. I remember when that happened. I remember this." So it brought something good. I think that's what sports probably are going to start going into because I mean, we can't be in crowds and I just can't wait to go see a sports event and see how many people are going to wear masks because it's going to be so many people. Right? Carey Sperry: Yes. I mean, I don't even know if there's going to be contact sports with audiences in the hall. I hope there will be, but they said today that they're the outbreak in the winter, the CDC came out and said today that the outbreak in the winter might be worse than what we're experiencing now. Sassa: Yes. Carey Sperry: I can't even imagine, but we just have to take it a day at a time. That's part of the acceptance part of this, I think. Because, I mean, I don't know what your perspective is Sassa about Americans, but anyone that lives here, it's such kind of high intensity pace that we have. In Europe, they take a couple hours in the afternoon, businesses shutdown for an hour or two to- Sassa: Yes. My country, they do it too, they close. I'm like, "Mom, why are people close here to 2:00." "Oh, they're in their lunch break." I'm like, "Can they just open?" She goes, "No, they said once it hits 11:59 they're telling you, you need to leave because we're taking our lunch." Two hours, they close. Why do they do this? And they're gone at 3:34 o'clock. They don't work an hour or a minute afterwards. I understand them because I mean, they don't get paid as much as we do here in America, but they're just ready to go home. I think we need to start looking at doing things like that more. I personally as a business owner myself, Carey, I actually am in the process of doing a transition of my company, my office, my studio at home. Sassa: I have a house where I have enough space to build a room and maybe another suite there. So I'm considering doing that. I mean, yes it's going to save me some money, but working at home these last few days has also made me restructure some things of my business and think differently, but also in the way where I'm thinking like, "Man, if I have to start all over, because that's what we want to talk more today. I'm pretty much starting all over as of now." My company went in marketing and advertisement, 70 to 80% of my clients cancel my contracts because they can't afford them right now. They don't need the marketing because they don't have their business open. I feel we all need marketing. I feel we all need to continue doing this. But your average business owner, they got to survive. They got to have family, they got to pay other bills than for me to do marketing and sponsorships. That hit me hard about 80%. Now, you can imagine, and I'm probably not the only one in this, I can tell you that right now. Carey Sperry: No. You're absolutely not. Not alone. Sassa: How am I going to start? I want you to also share with your audience and my audience and I want you to share with me as a friend, how are you planning on restarting if you're doing a business or what have you heard from friends? Because, what I did this last few weeks, it's just continue brainstorming, thinking, "What kind of business can I open now? I mean, what can I do now? Do I need to create another app that does this, does that? Do I need to put a little bit of money here more? Since I'm pretty much going to restart all over." Sassa: I might just do something new. It's kind of a new life, a new change. Because we were talking earlier, remember when I told you girl? Two or three months we've been with no work, it's going to take me another two or three months to kind of get back on my feet. By then winter comes. Guess what girl, boom! It hit me again because like you said, CDC said it might come stronger. So I feel from here to December, I'm pretty much... It's all going to be a loss for me. What do you think about that friend? Carey Sperry: Oh, I totally understand. I have clients that are going through the same thing very strongly and with the compound effect. It's what you're talking about. I admire you and applaud you for thinking ahead like that because if you just get paralyzed in your mind and in your attitude and say, "I'm just so overwhelmed, I don't know what to do, my business is losing. So I'm just gonna wait, I'm just not going to... I don't know what to do and I can't ask for help because I'm embarrassed or I don't know who to ask." Or all these things. I mean for my business personally, it absolutely hurt. The new business prospects that I was working with decided to hold off, because... They happened to be brick and mortar that were touching people, like an eyelash extension company and another was a computer security that had to do with face-to-face, like someone actually looking at the computer. Carey Sperry: So, I of course 150% understand their decision even though I encourage them to brand during COVID so that then when the economy did open back up and they were able to do business again, like Georgia and Texas is opening up now, that then they could convert faster to appointments. If they did the branding online upfront and then people are like, "When it opens up, I'm going there." I understand the decision either way. As far as my business with... I started pivoting back in 2019 where I wanted to become a podcaster. I launched the podcast in November, of 2019. I'm so thankful I did that because now I have had a studio at home this whole time and now, I'm just continuing that and I feel like podcasts are just right on the bottom. If you picture yourself on a roller coaster and you go down the big hill, I don't ride roller coasters myself, but- Sassa: It's been a while since I ride one too, so don't feel bad girl. Since I rode. Carey Sperry: Then you start to go back up that next incline. That's where we are with podcasts as far as saturation. People think that YouTube is completely saturated. It is not, it is not saturated all the experts in that space say so. So I became last year a YouTube channel manager and I'm working on a channel with my daughter. It's called conservation Schick. And she launched the day before Easter on April 11th. My son wants to start his own channel and as I'm actually doing this myself, I'm also helping businesses with that as well with. So that's something that businesses can do, is reach audiences. Now as far as conversion to payment and a product that varies business-to-business- Sassa: Yes. You're right. Carey Sperry: I think one thing that is going to happen with this new way of life is education is absolutely, I believe going to transform to more online, more digital. All these teachers now are learning how to do it and the ones that like it are going to want to continue to somehow offer that in school. They're going to find, "Oh my gosh, people want to learn at home." But with that, so do business people. Business people want to learn from other business people and consumers want to learn from home. Sassa: That's right. Carey Sperry: So courses are a huge thing. I haven't- Sassa: And you're right about that because for example, restaurants that didn't have an app, they didn't think digital was the key. They didn't think internet was... If you weren't in this platforms before let's say January, 2018 you were already way Flintstone era, old already. Because this is where you got hit the most because you weren't on these digital platforms, these online services, all these apps and things like that. Now they are seeing, "Man, I should have had my one app. I should have had this. I should have had that, because maybe my business would have strived during that time and now it got hit harder because I didn't think that was coming anytime." Sassa: It took a COVID-19 for them to see this, in a different way because now they're going to have to integrate whether they wanted or not digital stuff into the platform. I think that's one of the things that COVID-19 will change on some of these restaurants now. Another thing that they said here in Texas, check this out. They're trying to open the economy, right? To the To Go, the retail To Go. One store manager, some of the challenges he's facing. I don't want to face financial ruins yet also, I don't want to get sick because we're still in the early stages. Right, Carey? Carey Sperry: Yeah. Too early. Sassa: How is retail going to work now to go, remember... I mean, you as a woman, you got to go out there, maybe try the dress or tr the shoes. I understand online was getting big and it was popping in is still going to continue, but a friend of mine told me last night, "I still like going to the mall and I still like going into different stores and trying this. I spent more money going in the mall than online shopping." So I think that's going to impact a lot of many places in a lot of businesses. So a lot of these mom and pop shop stores, like you were saying, the eyelashes and things, man, especially hair salons Carey, how do you think hair salons and eyelashes and all these spas are going to work now? Because number one thing, they got to touch the person. Right? Carey Sperry: I know. I was thinking about that yesterday because that's one of the things that is opening up in phase one, is hair salons and nail salons and I'm wondering- Sassa: How? How is that going to happen, girl? Carey Sperry: Yeah, you're actually touching people. But I think they're going to wear gloves. And really, I mean, since consumers aren't required to wear the mask, I feel like they should be, if they want to go get their nails or hair done because all it takes is one cough while maybe the hairdresser's trying to trim your bangs and that's it. Sassa: I didn't tell my hairdresser, "Oh maybe I was sick, just a few days ago." Or, guess what? I don't even know if I'm sick because remember you might have it and not even start showing the symptoms till later on. So how is this going to work? Especially how do you think that's going to evolve in this industry, in the hair salon. I mean, I can give you my ideas, but I don't know if it's going to happen that way. But you tell me, you as a woman, how do you think that's going to change? Because I know those businesses, they have been hit hard. Carey Sperry: Big time and my hair looks horrible. Because I've been trying to do it myself and it is not working very well. Sassa: Don't worry. I used to cut hair when I was in high school. So I did my friends at high school and I used to do my taper and things. So I kind of do it on my own with a mirror but when I do need help, I kind of call my friends, "Hey, can you come over and kind of fix a little bit?" But yeah. We were talking and let me tell you what I think. Basically I told her, "You might have to wear protection." She's like, "Right?" It's going to be difficult. You're right. Maybe use a mask because she has to use a mask. I said, "What about gloves?" She goes, "I can't cut her hair with gloves. It's uncomfortable." So you tell me, Carrie, I mean, you as a woman, would you want to sit there and see that the hairstylist during this COVID-19 phase one, she's not protected and you're like, "Man." Carey Sperry: well, I love being a woman and I love the differences between men and women. I support all people's choices with gender identity and all that. Personally, I love being a woman, but I am different in that way, that I call the mall the dungeon. Sassa: Okay. Carey Sperry: I do not like going to the mall, but I love those outdoor malls. We have one here. Anyone in the greater Atlanta area will know. It's called Avalon. We live like a mile from there. It's just beautiful. I love to stroll around the stores outside there. You can carry a drink, if it's an evening. Sassa: Oh, okay. It's good. Carey Sperry: It's so nice and I enjoy shopping like that, but I feel stressed out when I shop. Because I have so many criteria and so many just... Yeah, I have so much criteria, I have too much criteria. So it takes me a while, but it's almost as hard online. But I am a huge, like I said before, well, first of all I love to learn and I love to teach and share with people knowledge, resources. I think that's a lot of what podcasts and YouTube are all about. And so what I think is going to happen is these beauty YouTubers and hair specialists YouTubers, I think more of those are going to evolve and there's going to be some kind of a blend between more that you can do for yourself at home really well. That's going to explode the product offerings and then I think more studios are going to start opening up in hairdressers homes. I know a couple. One was doing it before and one is starting to open her own now. Carey Sperry: I think there's going to be more of that, which just means more control over the traffic. If you go to a hairdresser or nail salon that's in the home, they can space out, they can clean, plenty ample time to clean. I'm not saying that the brick and mortar traditional ones aren't going to survive anymore. I think those will still be around too. But I think there'll be this new evolution of- Sassa: Evolution. Carey Sperry: Doing more for yourself at home and more and then- Sassa: And they've got to be more cleaner. Right, Carey? They've got to be... I know a lot of times, it's so busy one after another, one after another, but they have to be more cautious and more cleaner. They have to kind of be more of a show the client, "Look, I just cleaned everything so we can get started." So you as a customer will make yourself feel more comfortable because you feel like, "Okay, a little bit more cleaner. It kind of gives me a little bit more of a trust to get my hair done or things like that." Right? Carey Sperry: Yeah. You know the first time you went out with COVID-19 and you saw people actually wearing the masks for the first time and how weird that felt? Now when we go out and we see the mask, it feels a little less weird and it feels a little more normal. So I think as time goes on and we have these protective measures, whatever those may be in the future, that we're going to adapt and we're going to get more used to it. I think that what looks like... Remember when you were a teenager in your 20s and you kind of tried to picture what it would be like 20 years from now and you had a little bit of an image? Sassa: Yes. Carey Sperry: It's pretty different than it was. I mean, they're making cars now that can drive themselves and they're making flying cars and stuff are even happening. And so our kids are going to be ordering groceries almost 100% if not 100% from Alexa and audio devices. They're not writing down a list and actually going there. They're going to be like, "What? You used to do that? Are you crazy." Sassa: "That's old school, right? Yeah. That's old school. I even think a lot of things change. Like you just said, they're going to be ordering more if they weren't ordering already. It's even going to get bigger and bigger and bigger, more and more. Correct? But grocery stores, for example, they're going to have to be competing also with restaurants. So here in Texas, let me tell you what, some of these restaurants have been known to survive. They have what's called the restaurant To Go. You just coming pick up and go or order To Go. But they're also starting to sell like market, groceries. Okay. Fruits, vegetables, meat of the same stuff that they used to cook. Sassa: They're selling it to them like, "Hey, we got groceries if you need some. You need some broccolis, you need some tomatoes, you need some steaks, you need some chicken, you need fish. We have it, so we can sell it to you." They're doing that transition from the restaurant. They're called restaurant grocery stores now. So it's kind of like they can't survive just only on a to go right now. So they have to put in all these little groceries in there. So grocery stores- Carey Sperry: Interesting. Sassa: Yes. So grocery stores are now competing with the restaurants in that area too. Because well, guess what? A lot of grocery stores apps are so loaded that their delivery takes about two or three weeks before it gets delivered to you and you're like, "I don't have no food. I need to eat." So they might be going to this restaurant and maybe they have the groceries that they needed so, "Let me get them, let me go." They're even selling paper toilet in there and paper towels in those little restaurants, can you believe it? Carey Sperry: Yeah. Whatever they can do to help people. Sassa: Exactly. And also generate an income because they lost so much, they lost everything. There's a lot of folks like myself who've lost pretty much everything who are restarting. These brick and mortar restaurant chains or restaurants are paying 25,000, 10,000, 8,000 a month on rent. It's a lot of money for that and put a plus the expenses, the employees, all the other. I mean, one of them sent me... It actually took him about 30 to 40,000 to generate every month to keep this restaurant going in and I'm like, "Wow, that's a hit." You know what I mean? Sassa: They have to sell the things. So, that's one of the areas where evolution of restaurants are going to be. I want to ask you, maybe Uber and taxis, I mean a lot of people might not want to go ahead and go on a cab no more, because... I mean, do you think this is going to probably have the chance where self-driving cars, like you say, maybe come in and maybe something of the future? What do you think? Carey Sperry: Sure. Well, I think that Uber and Lyft have such a strong hold on the convenience, a need that consumers have. Consumers want, they want it to be easy, they want it to meet their needs and they want it to be a little bit fun, easily. And so the Uber and Lyft are great because it's easy. It may not be fun, but you know how sometimes in the app it asks, "Did you enjoy the conversation with your driver?" So I think that's kind of tip tapping into the fun aspect of it, because that's what creates loyalty. So I think it has such a strong hold on our culture that, that's not going to go away. Probably what will happen is that there will be some maybe questions that you have to verify in the app before you booked the call. Just for legal... Not the call but the ride, just for maybe legal reasons. Carey Sperry: Then there'll be probably made plastic barrier between the driver and the back seat and maybe even drivers will be required to have perhaps larger cars if they want to be a driver. I don't know, but that's kind of what I see. But I don't see that going away. I just think it has to... People love it too much and with drunk driving, people can now opt to have fun, go out, have a few drinks and then not have to drive.