Author: Nichelle

Is Crowdfunding Free Money?

Post author By Nichelle
Post date August 22, 2017
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To finance a business or an artistic endeavor, many people have turned to crowdfunding to secure funding. Crowdfunding is defined as “the funding a project or venture by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet.”

Kickstarter is one of the most well-known crowdfunding platforms, but it is not the only one. Indiegogo and GoFundMe. Plus there are crowdfunding platforms that are for particular industries like PieShell for food and beverage industries.

Several friends of mine have created Kickstarter campaigns to raise funds for their projects, and I have supported them either by spreading the word and/or donating money. I have also consulted for an artist who needed help with promotion for their Kickstarter. Recently celebrities have used Kickstarter in order to fund films they want to make. They look to their fan base instead of studios for support.

Crowdfunding has led to the democratization of asking for money. Before crowdfunding sites, raising money used to be relegated to getting money from friends and family, applying for a loan or writing a grant (non-profit).

The current rise in crowdfunding for business has yielded concerns about the accounting treatment of those funds. Is it a gift? Is it income? It is unearned revenue?! Kickstarter used a reward based model of crowdfunding, where the backer receives a form of reward which may be of little value, and can even be akin to a donation. However, the backers cannot deduct the donation unless the Kickstarter is created by a nonprofit with a (501)c3 status. Indiegogo now list equity offerings through First Democracy VC, a registered venture capital funding portal

Since moving to Savannah, I have heard about two successful Kickstarter projects, Big Bon Pizza and Paprika Southern. Big Bon Pizza raised over $11,000 to build their wood fire pizza food truck. Paprika Southern over $6000 to print their southern women’s lifestyle magazine.

To answer the question, ‘is crowdfunding free money?’ The answer is no. Time is money. You have to put in a lot of time developing a campaign and detail the objectives of your project. If you are considering doing a crowdfunding campaign, make sure that you have time to promote your campaign and deliver rewards that people will enjoy.

Tags big bon, crowdfunding, food, kickstarter, paprika southern, pizza, savannah

savannah

We’re Two

Happy Blog Anniversary To Me! It was only two years that I started this blog, Gnatty Savannah. In the two years that I have been in Savannah, I have worked for two small businesses here, and I now serve on two boards. I figure I would take a moment to recognize the new businesses that I have seen open up in my neighborhood (Starland/Thomas Square) and downtown Savannah since summer 2015.

The Atlantic
Alleycat Lounge
Bell Barber
Bull St. Labs
Ordinary Pub
The Vault
Emily McCarthy
La Terra Natural OIls
Rise Biscuits and Donuts
House Of Strut Vintage
Henny Penny
The Vault
Ghost Coast Distillery
El-Rocko
The Hidden Hand Society
Natural Selections
Starlandia Supply
Space Station
Forrest and Fin
White Whale Craft Ales

Tags savannah, small businesses, starland, thomas square

business savannah

A Slight Pivot To Feature Small Businesses in Savannah

Post author By Nichelle
Post date July 26, 2017
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After two years blogging in Savannah, I have figured out what I want to focus on this blog. It is small business and entrepreneurs. This fits with my experience since I have been accounting and social media consulting for small businesses for about a decade. I have worked with illustration agency, an attorney, several tech startups, nonprofits, a couple of retail storefronts and e-commerce sites. All of these businesses have these three things in common.
1) Managing cash flow
2) Getting publicity
3) Growing customer/donor base.

As people move here, there will be more small businesses created. This blog will be a place to shine a light on small businesses and emerging entrepreneurs who don’t always get covered.

Tags savannah, small business

savannah

Being An Ally In Savannah

Post author By Nichelle
Post date July 10, 2017
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“Some of my best friends are gay” is something I wouldn’t say, but it is actually true. I have many gay friends and I have learned a lot about the LGBTQ community from them. I even did a presentation on how to be an ally on social media three years ago. Being out in the South is definitely different that being out in New York City. Regardless, there needs to be a supportive community. To that end, First City Network is opening the first ever LGBT center this week in Savannah. I think it is important to stop by the center to celebrate its existence.

This opening is bittersweet in light of the recent death of Scott Waldrup who was a young gay man who was the general manager at The Grey and founded Speedo Sundays at Tybee Island.

Tags first city network, lgbtq, savannah

food historic savannah

Rise Biscuits and Donuts Is Now Open In Savannah

Post author By Nichelle
Post date July 1, 2017
No Comments on Rise Biscuits and Donuts Is Now Open In Savannah

I have been in Savannah for two years, and I have disappointed in the lack of breakfast places and bakeries downtown. Now that has changed with the opening of Rise Biscuits and Donuts. Rise started in Durham, North Carolina and now it is about six cities in the Southeast. The Savannah location is the first one in Georgia. If you work downtown, you will be happy to know that Rise opens early at 7AM. It is located at 10 West Broughton Street.

rise ribbon cutting photo by Bunny Ware — Photo by Bunny Ware

Yesterday I stopped by for the ribbon cutting, and I enjoyed a bacon egg and cheese biscuit as well as a chocolate doughnut and a Cheerwine doughnut. The Cheerwine one has an icing that tastes like the North Carolina’s favorite soda, Cheerwine. I highly recommend Rise and I like that they also give back to the local community. 10% of the sales on their opening day July 1st will go to the Low Country Down Syndrome Society. Follow Rise Biscuits on Facebook.

Tags breakfast food, doughnuts, rise biscuits and donuts

events

BlogHer17: The Pressure Is A Privilege

Post author By Nichelle
Post date June 28, 2017
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It’s hard to recap a conference like BlogHer especially when you spent three days meeting new people, listening to panels, being inspired by speakers and learning new information. I was impressed and inspired by Janet Mock, Serena Williams and Amy Ziering.

Here are some of my random thoughts from #BlogHer17.

Ana Navarro is hilarious! CNN is being ridiculous if they don’t offer her a show of her own.
Serena Williams has a soft voice, but her words are powerful. It’s great that she is supporting Purple Purse which helps women escape domestic violence.
The lazy river at the Hilton Bonnet Creek is so much fun!
The butterscotch pudding with toffee on the side at La Luce is sinfully delicious.
Review your friend’s books on Amazon. It helps them with sales.
Empathy is not enough. Do something.

Takeaway:

I heard conversations among attendees and panelists that were so similar to conversations I had seven years ago at #BlogHer10. Is BlogHer not growing or is the same old conference model with speakers and panels in need of disruption? I would suggest more unstructured events like a bar camp where anyone can sign up to speak on a topic. In addition, I think there should have been pop-up bookstore selling books authored by speakers and attendees. Other than networking, there should have been an opportunity for attendees to sell their products (maybe an artisan market). Attending BlogHer or any other women’s conference should be a more quantifiable step forward because the time and money spent attending a conference is time and money away from family, career and projects that are just as important if not more.

Tags blogging, blogher17, conference, Janet Mock, Orlando, Purple Purse, Serena Williams, women

events food

The Potlikker Papers

John T. Edge of the Southern Foodways Alliance came to Savannah to talk about his new book that chronicles food and the modern South over the last 60 years. The book is called ‘The Potlikker Papers‘. In case you don’t know, potlikker or pot liquor is the liquid left behind after cooking greens. Anyway, I love learning about Southern food. It has a rich history. I took copious notes on my iPod of the things John talked about during his talk at SCAD’s Alexander Hall. If any of the following interests you, then you should buy the book.

Edna Lewis
Black woman Political reckoning
Boiled peanuts in potlikker
Joe Randall
Clinton GA
1955 – 2015 covered in the book
Georgia Gilmore Montgomery Bus Boycotts
Carpooling
Jackson, MS
Restaurants were battlegrounds, lunch counters
Jack Geiger
Wholesome Way
Food is power
Food is capital
Fannie Lou Hamer started a food cooperative and a pig bank (meat share)
Stephen Gaskin hippie
Monday night class Summertown, Tennessee
Sorghum and soybean
Active Southerners
Russell Sugarman, Mahalia Jackson
Grits and Fritz
Edna Lewis Honed the black pastoral
Clayborne Food editor of the New York Times during the 1970s
Elizabeth Terry, chef
Highlands Bar and Grill in Birmingham
Nathalie Dupree established a cooking school in the basement of Rich’s department store.
Glenn Roberts lead the grain movement. Started with corn, then Carolina rice. Heirloom corn from Moonshiners.
Sean Brock
Rodney Scott Barbecue in Hemingway, SC.
Barbecue is American folk food
Danny Meyer’s opening of Blue Smoke in the early aughts.
Barbecue, a democratizing answer to white tablecloth restaurants
Chingo Bling, Houston musician now comedian

Tags books, john t. edge, savannah, southern food, the potlikker papers

food savannah

Sunday Dessert: Strawberry Bread Pudding

Post author By Nichelle
Post date May 21, 2017
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My weekend was sweet. Friday, I met Jovan and Matthew from The Farmer and The Larder. They were in Savannah doing a pop-up dinner at White Whale Craft Ales. I know Jovan and Matthew through my friend Nicole, so it was great to see in person and not just via Facebook and Instagram. They gave me some homemade biscuits and bread to take home, and I was immediately inspired to make a bread pudding from their donation. Saturday morning, I went to Forsyth Farmer’s Market and bought some fresh strawberries. Then I got some heavy cream from the local grocery store. Later I scoured the internet for a strawberry bread pudding recipe, and I found one that had most of the ingredients that I have. I found a great strawberry bread pudding recipe by a fellow southerner, Trisha Yearwood. It was delicious. I would like to make a gluten free version using cornbread.