Laura Capes Terry (00:01.326)
Okay, today I'd like to welcome Shirley Elleton to the podcast. Shirley is an area director for Be Local in the Boston region. She has been publishing two Be Local guides, one for Metro West and one for Minuteman, both of which she successfully ramped up remotely during COVID. We all remember that. With more than eight years at N2, Shirley has built a thriving business and earned the prestigious Big Dog Award
Big Dog Award for Be Local. And when I say prestigious, it's the biggest award that you can win from the N2 company. In addition to leading her own publications, Shirley coaches other area directors across the US who are launching new guides and looking to strengthen and grow their existing businesses. She brings both strategic insight and real world experience to those she mentors. Before joining N2,
Shirley built a successful career as a tax attorney and later as a business consultant, working with many of the same types of businesses that now partner with Be Local. On the personal side, Shirley is a proud mom of three incredible kids, ages 17 to 22, who keep her humble and on her toes. She also shares her life with her beloved dog, Gracie, who has enriched her life beyond comparison.
Born in Israel, Shirley moved to the United States at the age of six without speaking a word of English, an early chapter that reflects the resilience and determination that continue to define her today. Welcome Shirley.
Shirly Ellison (01:43.734)
Thank you so much, Laura. Thanks for having me.
Laura Capes Terry (01:45.9)
I'm so glad to have you today. Boy, let's lean into the coming to the United States at the age of six without a word of English. What was that like?
Shirly Ellison (01:54.204)
I know. It was crazy. It was good. mean, you know, you're six, you're so pliable, you just be able to, you know, adjust to whatever surroundings it definitely took a little bit of time. I remember my mom saying that at six months after here, I started to speaking in my sleep and I started to speak in English. So then she knew we were all set. And it was, it was amazing. I mean, we
We lived in an Italian neighborhood. mean, really Italian. The streets are all painted in red, white, and green out of Cranston, Rhode Island. I just got culture shock in the best way. It was just wonderful to get to know people and learn new cultures. And it was great. It was awesome.
Laura Capes Terry (02:40.312)
How do you think that early childhood experience shaped you into the woman you are today?
Shirly Ellison (02:47.072)
Well, my parents came here just to study for two years. My dad was studying and then we were gonna go back. And when he ended up getting a job here, my parents had a pivot. My sister and I did not speak the language. My parents knew English from school and knew English, but not as awesome as they are today. And it just made us really, you have to kind of like dig your heels and move forward. You have to make the best of whatever situation you're given.
And I think that's what my parents raised us. We weren't given anything. We were not financially sound. I actually was given, I remember green plastic coins on a daily basis for lunch, because we were below poverty level. my mom always said, two things you can't lose is this green plastic coin. And I was a latchkey kid. So he around my neck. He's like food and shelter. So that kind
made us realize, my mom was super resilient. I remember we didn't have carpets on our, we rented an apartment, we didn't have carpets. So she went to a carpet store and they have those square samples and they had all the remnants thrown out for the last season. So she went and took them all out from the back of the building and sewed them all together and did this patch quilt rug for us that we thought was the best thing since sliced bread because it was colorful and like all rainbow and you know.
Laura Capes Terry (04:12.298)
Right, right, right.
Shirly Ellison (04:14.068)
And those are things that you don't even think about as a negative, you just spin it as a positive. We got a new rug, yay. So that's kind of what they did. And then they both became super successful. They both went to school and my mom got her masters and was running hospitals and things like that. So that was kind of what we emulated. We just knew that if you put your hard work into it, you can certainly succeed in anything you want.
Laura Capes Terry (04:19.701)
Right, right.
Laura Capes Terry (04:38.446)
What a great lesson for us as business owners, right? You learned early on about the power of resilience. And that's probably one of the things that's helped you win the Big Dog Award. Tell us about the Big Dog Award. What does that mean?
Shirly Ellison (04:44.853)
Sure.
Shirly Ellison (04:51.83)
So the Big Dog Award is an award that's given usually to one person. Last year or a few years ago when I got it, I think there was several of us for different product lines. It is an award that encompasses, from what I understand, giving to the standing out in the company, either financially or commitment wise, giving something or a combination of the two.
of, you know, financial excellence, meaning like that you've exceeded goals or whatnot, but also what you bring to the table what how you are a, a nada, a we not me person. So and be local has something that was really a passion for me. And I really indulged in a lot of different things and helping the company expand on that product because it is or was one of our younger products at the time. And so it's recognized, I think we have
over almost 600 area directors across the country. I want to say 540 something and there's about 30 of us or 35 of us that have been recognized over the years for the Big Dog Awards. So it was really a shock to me. I'm humbly blessed for it, but I don't really know if I deserve it. I just think that it was something that, you know, it sits there and looks at me every day. It's big and it's about a...
It was really quite a shock to me. It took all of me not to break down when they gave it to me.
Laura Capes Terry (06:25.71)
Well, I can tell you as someone who's watched you in the B Local brand for years that it was not a shock to me because I know how much you've contributed to shaping the B Local brand. And my understanding of the Big Dog Award is that it acknowledges the person that made the greatest impact on the brand that year, and that was you. To me, it's kind of like the Time Magazine Person of the Year. It is just acknowledging your impact, which is what I want to dive into today.
What originally drew you to the Be Local brand? So you were working in taxes and a business consulting. Like, how did you pivot?
Shirly Ellison (07:03.35)
So I've always wanted to my own business. I was doing consulting for small businesses. But prior to law school, I had a lot of HR and sales experience. And law school gave me law and tax. So I had a lot of hats that I could wear. And when I started having children, I wanted to do something part time. I actually, believe it or not, I posted myself on Craigslist, if anybody remembers what that is.
And I exactly what I wanted for what I what I offered my skill set what I wanted for pay the hours I did not need full time. And I threw it out into the universe to see what happened. And I got a bunch of companies that wanted that they wanted a second set of eyes. They wanted legal tax, HR kind of everything. And so I started doing it. And it was very fruitful for those businesses. The problem was, is I want to have my own business because I was getting paid hourly and I didn't see there was no upside to it.
Laura Capes Terry (07:26.7)
yeah.
Shirly Ellison (07:55.198)
So we had a publication, a stroll publication, which wasn't called stroll at the time, in my neighborhood and the area director put out an email saying that they had opportunities. It was forwarded to me and I looked into it and I was like a little skeptical, sound a little too good to be true, but ended up doing a stroll product. And then someone said to me, because I'm really about efficiency and time management and.
I'm not what I call a fluffy person, I'm more business oriented. And they suggested to look into Be Local. And when I looked at Be Local, was hands down great. So I only wanted one publication, by the way, and I ended up with three. then there was Stroll Became Stroll, so they were making some changes. I was one of the 10 that was actually a black and white publication. So it was a good time to sort of step away from that.
just focus on the B local, ramped up a second one, and start coaching. So that kind of took that wheel of the stroll in there.
Laura Capes Terry (08:58.338)
I also walked away from a stroll and leaned into the Be Local brand because I love it so much. What do you love about the Be Local brand?
Shirly Ellison (09:07.292)
my gosh, how many hours do we have? I love be local because I think it provides a tool that many of us I move frequently. So it provided a tool that to people that move to the area to get sort of entrenched in their communities. So when you move, you're just beside yourself, you're unpacking, you don't know what from left to right, you don't even know where the light switches are in the house, or trying to get, know, while you're still working, if you have children or
Laura Capes Terry (09:30.273)
Yep. Yep.
Shirly Ellison (09:35.776)
pets or whatever the case may be, you're just trying to get yourself acclimated. And Be Local provides that from a local perspective. I loved the fact that it was allowing me to help business owners, which is really my sweet spot as small business owners, to get in front of these people as they decide who they want to use and what businesses they want to support. It made such synergy. It helped the community. It helped people that moving to the community and it helped businesses that were already established in the community. So it's truly a win-win.
And I just thought it was just great. I liked the fact that it was regional, it was a larger area and made sense for me.
Laura Capes Terry (10:11.606)
Yeah, love, I always say it's the rising tide that lifts all boats, right? We're helping the new mover. If people don't know what new mover means, that might be like insider language for us at Be Local. It's like a newcomer. It's a new neighbor. It's a new homeowner. It's someone who's just moved in to the area. So when you hear us say new mover, that's what that means. But it's the newcomer. It's also the local business, but it also helps like the city.
Shirly Ellison (10:16.63)
Thanks,
Laura Capes Terry (10:39.756)
You know, we're proactively welcoming new homeowners. That helps the city shape its culture to be a welcoming place to live. And it also helps the charities because, you know, we are often talking about the ways to give back in our community and the charities that are serving our community and the events that are happening in our community. How do you see Be Local contributing to...
You've got to be locals. How do you see be locals role in the community and contributing to your communities to help your communities thrive?
Shirly Ellison (11:13.97)
So I think, again, it's a great product to support businesses. mean, our country is based on small businesses, not large. And that's what runs our economy. That's what what, you know, everything kind of the mojo behind it. So it's really important to be able to support the community through business, not only to provide services for homeowners, but I think that the new movers are, like you said, they're philanthropists, they're looking for jobs, they're
They are supporting the community, they're supporting other businesses. There's such synergy that's tied into all that, that it's super important to be able to provide a product that sort of ties it all together. That allows people to know what the best places are, what the locals are, what local businesses are, because those local businesses are residents that actually live there. So again, it's all like one big circle that's feeding itself.
And when people move in, again, it's overwhelming. And to have somebody, hey, here's a tool that helps you sort of get acclimated and helps you from a local perspective. So it's not like a pay to play. It's really like, here is what people tell us they love. This is what, know, go experience it, go have fun, fall in love with this region like we do and support local in whatever capacity.
Laura Capes Terry (12:33.314)
That's right. That's right. And local businesses, they want and need new customers to be able to grow and thrive. And I've always believed that it is that new mover that's coming in from out of town or out of state. They're the most likely to do business with someone that's beloved in the community because they've broken that relationship with their doctor and their dentist and their hairdresser and their nail tech and all of those services. And they're coming into the new
hometown and they need all of that. So it's a really unique opportunity for a local business owner to be able to advertise in a very niche targeted hyper local way to an audience that's actually kind of ready to do business. Right. So that's really exciting. Can you share a story that captures the real impact that your publication has had?
Shirly Ellison (13:30.678)
Sure. So, I mean, God, there's so many things that are out there. I mean, I remember getting a message from a resident of how much they were from far away. They were from California. so they, know, East Coast, West Coast, we're not as friendly on the East Coast. It just takes a long bit of time to warm up. So they were adjusting to the speed. Number one, we talk fast, we move fast, everything's fast on the East Coast.
Laura Capes Terry (13:50.091)
Right.
Shirly Ellison (13:59.474)
especially in, I don't know, Boston area for sure. And so when you come from California, it's a little laid back, slower, more friendly. It's a culture shock. So to get something like this to help them sort of pivot and be able to, you know, on social media, we post local things that are happening so they could go and actually experience local things that were happening and be able to engage and connect and find their people and find what to do was really great. And she actually ended up working for a business that was in the community and
Loved it so much that she connected the business with us to be able to, you know, potentially partner with us to advertise, which was really sweet of her and very kind. And she truly advocates for what we do. But that's one of many that, you know, we just help. We just help the businesses. Now she found a job, the business got a new employee. She's now, you know, more settled into the Northeast kind of mentality. So it's really full circle, 100 % win.
Laura Capes Terry (14:58.56)
Yeah, I've often said that Be Local is like a domino that sparks a positive chain reaction. And that's what you just described. The connection that we make between a new homeowner and a local business can ripple for weeks, months, and years and touch so many people that we can't even get our arms around it, really.
Shirly Ellison (15:24.415)
I exactly I love that. I love that analogy. It's definitely a domino effect.
Laura Capes Terry (15:28.756)
Yes. People often say, what is it like to partner with Be Local? And I say, well, it's like farming. You're planting seeds every 30 days with a new group of people that's just moved into town, and they don't know where to go, and they don't know who to trust. And we help you be that great first impression so that they see you as a trusted local resource and not a solicitor.
But it's hard for us to know past that planting of the seeds, like how it ripples, because we just can't possibly have fingers and awareness of what happens when B-Local lays on a coffee table for years and is looked at again and again and again and maybe passed along to a friend or another neighbor. The impact is just bigger than we can even get our brain around.
Shirly Ellison (16:23.838)
Exactly. Yeah, I always say we cast a very wide net.
Laura Capes Terry (16:26.818)
A very wide net. Can you speak to social media? Because a lot of people think that Be Local is just a magazine that goes one time. And I think that's the biggest myth or fallacy about our brand is we have a shelf life that no one else has. We do not get thrown away. I would say we're often like a yearbook. It's just once you get your hand on it, you're going to look at it and you're not going to let it go. But help me
our listeners understand what else is part of the Be Local program and how does social media play into what we do.
Shirly Ellison (17:00.79)
Yeah, so our program is three prong. It's actually print, digital and social media. So we hit them when they move with the hard copy that they get. And actually I have a client that she was very stoic when I met her and she was, I was telling her about the whole program. She says, oh, I already know I have a B local. I've had it for two and a half years. My numbers run out of the water because I usually say sick. hold onto it for six to 12 months. So that was kind of fun.
So that's the print aspect. It's a beautiful coffee table book. As you know, it's gorgeous. It's a coffee table book. Who gets rid of that? It's something to look at. And of course, people see it. I actually had a woman call me and say, could you send me two copies? I want to gift it to my neighbors because they keep going after my copy. And they're not new movers. I said, sure, of course. I'll send it to you. So she was delayed with that. The digital is obviously we place.
Laura Capes Terry (17:47.406)
Oh, aha, love that.
Shirly Ellison (17:58.566)
We have an algorithm that places the Be Local algorithm that picks up people that are about to move 90 days before they move up to one year post-move. So it's a very long expanse of people. And we place display ads of Be Local on websites that they frequent so they can get access to it digitally. Digitally means that not only are they getting it, they get to the landing page, but they can access a digital guide that they can have on their phone and use it.
interactively whenever they want. So we do have the print and we have the digital. So those are really great. Social media, to me, I always say the print is evergreen. So where you go hiking and biking, those kind of things don't really change. know, businesses, ebb and flow, restaurants may be, you know, pulled in, pulled out. But for the most part, it's evergreen. And because it's always going to bring a viewer, it's a moot point, doesn't really matter. The social media is kind of the here and now. Social media is where we want to help people get entrenched into their communities. That's where we post local things that are happening. So go...
goat yoga, fairs, live bands, things like that. will post on there to help people get assimilated and really start participating in the community, make their connections, find their people. And that's kind of like one of my favorite aspects of it as well, is being able to do that. Twice a week with my program is, you know, we give shout outs to our existing partners to keep them top of mind. And because we use Meta, both Instagram and Facebook have the links on top to the landing pages. So it's open source too.
not only new movers, but non-new movers. So we do have spillage to non-new movers, but clearly target audience is new movers. So I love our social media. I love what we post on there. I love the engagement that we get and the people really appreciate the exposure, not only for just local businesses, because we showcase businesses that are favorites, whether they work with us or not, and local events.
Laura Capes Terry (19:45.048)
What you've just described to me is what we say about the power of print and the reach of digital, right? The power of the printed magazine, this beautiful evergreen coffee table book resource guide that doesn't get thrown away full of content that people need, honestly, they need it. That's why what we do matters. And that's why we have over a hundred B locals across the US, but then to partner it with the digital platform and using
the website and mobile display ads and social media to keep it here and now and fresh and help people connect. That's why I think Be Local is such a powerful brand. Yeah. So what does it take for a business to become truly woven into the fabric of a community? Let's say that this happens here. I'm in the Austin Metro. We have a business that's down in Austin. Their beloved
Shirly Ellison (20:26.73)
Agree, 100%.
Laura Capes Terry (20:44.216)
They've been there for decades and now they want to come up to Georgetown because they see Georgetown as the new place to be in the Austin Metro. And they have to start almost from scratch because we're a new community and we're a new audience for them and we don't really know them and we don't know their history and their heart. What...
What advice would you have for a business owner that's coming into your community and wanting to be known, liked, and trusted by the community?
Shirly Ellison (21:15.53)
Well, on the business aspect, the basics, you need to know your product and you need to know your competition and you need to know your pricing. your reputation. So reputation is something you have to build. If you're new, yes, it depends on the distance between the two of this too far away. You have to start with your reputation. It's one of those things, if you lose it, it's very, very hard. It doesn't matter what ad you place in whatever format you want to do it. If you have a lousy reputation, it's really hard to recover. So that I think is...
by far the most important thing for any business. You have to have a reputation, a good reputation. And if you have something that makes you separate yourself from others, because there's a lot of businesses that have great reputation, that's your of your stepping stone. So whether your service is unique or outside the box or something that you do in extra, those are the key points to making your business successful. The other thing is your rates.
So your rates, you can be the best, but if your rates are not in par with, again, doing your homework and finding out what people are charging, mean, people are savvy. People work hard for their money. They're not just gonna give it away. So if you are in par with reputation, then you need to sort of keep in line with the rates and then response. So response is a huge thing that those are my three Rs that I tell businesses. The response is very, very important.
If someone calls you and you set up your business that you don't want to have a answering service or even worse, your goes to your phone and your voicemail is full and they can't even access you. People have a tension span of a nap. They will move to the next person within a snap. And that is how you have to run your business to get a response. You have to respond right away. So either set yourself up. If you can't do it yourself, have, have a service that will get the response for you and be able to manage it.
or you need to figure it out, that you have to have a high response rate. Clear your voice. It drives me to drink, honestly, when I call clients and, you know, takes me a voicemail and it's full. Well, you're definitely not getting any work today, so.
Laura Capes Terry (23:20.534)
Well, yeah, and how many times have we heard a business owner say, well, I don't really know if I'm getting anything out of my partnership with Be Local. First of all, we're a brand awareness tool, so it's going to be really hard to track. But second of all, if someone does feel inspired to call you and you don't answer the phone and you have a full voicemail, like you've just shot yourself in the foot. So tell me the three Rs again.
Shirly Ellison (23:39.894)
Easy.
Exactly.
your reputation, your rates, and your response.
Laura Capes Terry (23:49.28)
Okay, let's lean into reputation. How does someone build a reputation?
Shirly Ellison (23:54.582)
Well, one step at a time. you can, obviously you have to be able to provide excellent service and timely service. Do what you say, you know, versus not do what you're going to say or say what you do and vice versa. You need to, again, it all ties into your response rate. You know, if you're providing a service like a, I don't know, a plumber, make sure that you're,
Laura Capes Terry (23:58.356)
Yeah.
Shirly Ellison (24:23.67)
You're doing the work in a timely manner. You respond in a timely manner. You show up, you leave it clean. And then you can do engagement. The other thing is I think when you, report building is huge. So report building with your clientele is really, really important, no matter who you're sending out, even if it's one of you guys, you need to train people to build report. People wanna work with people they like. So if you like someone and they show up, I remember when I moved a couple years ago, I had a...
electrician come in. The electrician, he's just honestly, if he wasn't I data made it because he's just so fabulous. Not really, but he's just you know, Christian is my is my my heaven sent. He came in and my house was owned by somebody who was very techie. So I was very in the not know of what was going on. So he taught me about nest and he taught me about about rain and he taught me about all these things that I had no clue.
My stove has its own digital component to it. So it connects to your phone, my stove top. I'm like, I have no clue any of this stuff. And he took time and explained everything to me way beyond. he charged me for the service I needed. And I certainly used him a million more times. And I've given his name out because he's just so knowledgeable. But that's the kind of thing that when you take, and he really went above and beyond. not suggesting people need to go that insane. But to be able to...
Laura Capes Terry (25:30.156)
Wow.
Shirly Ellison (25:50.774)
cultivate that relationship and I will use no one but him. I will use no one but him. Fair priced, great reputation, his rates are reasonable, and he went above and beyond. Okay, that above and beyond is what a new business needs to do when they move in. They need to do above and beyond. Whether with a consumer or if you're trying to get your name out there, get involved in the community. So one of the things is that you can, you know, for every hundred bucks we spend, give 10 % of our money, we give to
Laura Capes Terry (26:05.454)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Laura Capes Terry (26:12.034)
Mm-hmm.
Shirly Ellison (26:20.232)
local, so we want to contact the high school and find out what they need and we raise the money and provide that. Food shelters, food pantries, things that are important to the community that are also important to you, whatever that may be, get entrenched in it. Put that in your ad, get connected with people. Chamber of Commerce says a lot of, so you're in a city, I'm in
a bunch of towns, so known as Metro West, we have business associations, each town or many of the towns have business associations, get entrenched in them. They're trying to get their town recognized. So if you do business in that town or you live in that town, be part of that community, help the towns, help those businesses be recognized. And that will just snowball or domino effect and be able to come back to you. And then you get recognition. What you give tenfold will come back.
So, and find what you're passionate about, whether it's, you know, homeless dogs, homeless people, whatever you, you know, it could be anything that's philanthropy that pulls at the strings of your heart that you can tie your business to, make a difference, making a difference, good rapport, and then get your name out there. We'll all help together to actually create an existence.
Laura Capes Terry (27:33.442)
Mm-hmm.
Laura Capes Terry (27:39.282)
I love that so much. And what you've just described is what I call serve before you sell. So when a local business asks me that same question, you know, they're brand new, they want to get their name out there. They really don't have a lot of resources to advertise or they just, have to be kind of grassroots and bootstrap it. I say, serve, find a charity that I had a landscaper say this to me. I said, find a charity that you can go do some landscaping for.
to show people what you can do and then gift that. And then that charity will take a picture and share on their social media, which shows you as a generous man that brand that clicks the word of mouth thing. So I love that you have that same point of view, like, serve. Before you're asking for a transaction, you're trying to build a relationship. And I think that also
reinforces who we are at Be Local. We are not a coupon, groupon, direct response, here's 50 % off your first month. We are a relationship builder. We are a first impression. We are meant for you to be seen as a local business that people can trust. So your electrician that you described, I bet you tell everybody that wants to know about that.
Shirly Ellison (29:02.422)
We're sure.
Laura Capes Terry (29:05.976)
So, new movers, yeah.
Shirly Ellison (29:07.968)
And I will add one more thing, Laura, is I think that the missing part of that is I think that people who are giving back to the community need to add that to their website. Okay, so if you want to stand out against, you know, plumber A, plumber B, plumber C, you need to, on your website, you know, you have your about, you have your services, and you should have something and say, our beliefs are, what we really do for our community, of who we are, or what's important to us.
Like create another line and I rarely see that out there, like because they're templates, know, but have that as another dropdown of what you're doing for the community or what you're passionate about. Doesn't even need to be like just necessarily in the community. People may connect with you because you you want to help someone in Zimbabwe or whatever your passion is, put it on there. Make yourself, that's what's gonna make you stand out. That's what people gonna connect with because it humanizes you.
Laura Capes Terry (29:40.408)
Right.
Shirly Ellison (30:03.062)
It shows that you care more about that, more about other things besides your business, which you obviously should care about, but it does give a little bit of a round edge where people can connect with and want to use you versus the next plumber.
Laura Capes Terry (30:16.302)
That's right. People want to do business with people they know, like, and trust. And if you put your values and your beliefs, your mission, your vision out there, and people resonate with that, that will help you be trusted. I often say we're kind of in a trust recession. There's so much out there right now online that makes us skeptical, that makes us question, especially now with AI, we have to worry about, this even a real person talking?
So the more that we as local business owners can put out trust signals to let people know we are real, we are here, we are serving, we do love our community, the more people will feel like, okay, this is an authentic, generous brand and I want to serve and support authentic, generous brands, right? When you zoom out, what do you see as essential ingredients to a thriving community? What does a community do
Shirly Ellison (31:02.208)
Yes.
Laura Capes Terry (31:13.742)
to become a place that people want to live and work.
Shirly Ellison (31:19.008)
Whoo. So when I saw that question, I kind of was thinking about one specific community. So it really needs to support. You have to support. You have to support each other as neighbors. Unfortunately, you're from the South, so maybe it's very different here. In the North, when I moved here two years ago, people don't knock on doors with pies anymore. They just don't, which I think
is sad. I think there needs to be some connectivity of going back to supporting each other. Okay, I have lovely elderly neighbors, and they had some water issue things and whatnot. They came over to me and they said, Listen, we're not going to be here for a bit. you of course I'll wash your house. I watched their house. We had a huge snowstorm. I plowed their driveway because I knew people coming to do some repairs. Like, we need to go back to connectivity in with helping each other that
Laura Capes Terry (32:14.945)
Hmm.
Shirly Ellison (32:17.622)
in itself is an essence of a community. Okay, it's not just because you have small children and they're in school and so you know everyone from the school system. There's a lot of people who live in a community that don't have that connection to the schools, which is usually what gives you that community feel. We need to be neighborly. I guess that's the big thing. Now, neighborly, not only for your neighbors, but neighborly through business. So we have a community here in one of the publications I have that the businesses...
connect with each other and feed business to each other. So it's Main Street. They have like, you go into the Med Spa, the Med Spa has coupons for the flower store, the flower store has brochures for the frame shop. They are all entrenched in helping each other get business. And when they talk to the consumer that comes in, the consumer says, I'm looking for this. I don't have it. Go down the street to go see Joe. Okay. So
there's that neighborly impact, not only to realistically your neighbor that you live in, but neighborly for businesses. And when businesses and that community is thriving, that community got it. They got the purpose. Now, do they support the flower, you know, the garden club? Yes, because the garden club goes and makes these beautiful flower pots that is all around downtown. So part of the money that they raise goes to the flower.
So again, it's all at which those ladies don't have children. Most of them are elderly ladies. They don't have children in their in the school systems, but they're supported. And those businesses get support from those ladies shopping and vice versa. And the town is beautified, beautiful with all these flowers. But all the businesses help each other and all the neighbors work together. And that to me is the essence. It's very, very simple. It's the be neighborly, be neighborly in business, be neighborly in as a neighbor. And it will come back.
and you'll support, they'll support and it works. It's just, I think in today's society, we're so fast and running and in me world that we kind of need to step back, breathe, smell the roses, cut the roses and bring them to your neighbor. You know what I mean? of thing.
Laura Capes Terry (34:29.55)
I love that so much. you know, human connection is one thing that AI cannot replace.
Shirly Ellison (34:36.914)
No, no, there's actually an amazing I don't know if you've seen this ad, there's an amazing ad out there for one of those, you know, those things that they bring food, it's a little computer, it's a little damn oncologist, it's like on wheels. And it's, it's probably like two feet by two feet with an antenna. And it rolls on round and it delivers food to different people, okay, or, or whatever they you lock in whatever you want, it goes, so this this machine is that is that a light, it's at a light waiting to walk.
Laura Capes Terry (34:57.326)
I've seen that, yes.
Shirly Ellison (35:06.73)
you know, to cross the road, but you got to hit the button because it's just sitting there and the guy walks by and he looks at it and he walks by, he comes back and he hits the button so that it will turn green so it can go. So it knows that it can go. And the tagline is even with technology, we need humans. And I just loved it because there's just feelings, emotions, things like that.
Laura Capes Terry (35:25.538)
Hmm.
Shirly Ellison (35:34.102)
thought process, just our process of thought in general, some things you cannot replace with electronics. And that is what I'm talking about, the neighborly aspect.
Laura Capes Terry (35:43.406)
I love that. love that. You know, it makes me remember when I was ramping up my B Local, Georgetown at the time was the fastest growing city of its size in the nation. And so many people were moving here and the locals were not excited about it. Honestly, they wanted to stay the sweet little town that they were and they knew that that was changing. And I said, well, I know we can't stop the growth, but this is
You know, creating Be Local for Georgetown is my contribution to helping us manage the growth well. And I promise to pass on the history, heart and culture of this city to the new mover through this guide. So at least we can show them who we are and invite them to be a part of who we are and not let them struggle out there on the fringe trying to change who we are. And I think that goes back to what you were saying about human connection, even when we can't.
shake a hand or make eye contact or have a one-on-one conversation with another human. Be local helps to be that surrogate connecting people with humans in the town through the collective word of mouth from what we love about our city. We package that up and be local. get it into the intimacy of the home and hopefully people feel connected. I think the word connection is the word of the day.
What advice would you give to leaders or entrepreneurs who want to make a meaningful difference where they live?
Shirly Ellison (37:16.502)
entrepreneurs or what what was the leaders? I mean, again, I guess it just goes back to become part of your the fabric of your community, you know, get to know get to know people, get to know people's needs, see what you can do to help through your business through your services through your personal passions, through I mean, people want to talk people need people being alone is is
Laura Capes Terry (37:18.83)
leaders, community leaders.
Shirly Ellison (37:45.044)
not super fun. It's great to have a long time, we're not wired that way. So I think getting entrenched into a community by participating, find things that you love, and then people will wanna know what you do and what you do. And once they start to ask, it's not the first thing you start talking about, but when they start to ask, the questions come. And guess what? So will the business. So again, if you go back to the Rs, if you have good reputation and good response and good rates,
Laura Capes Terry (37:50.222)
Mm-hmm.
Laura Capes Terry (38:08.888)
Mm-hmm.
Shirly Ellison (38:14.371)
People will use you because you built that rapport. So that's the other. So once you
Laura Capes Terry (38:17.556)
Mm-hmm. Well, go ahead and finish your thought.
Shirly Ellison (38:21.078)
No, I was gonna say that that's what you need to do to be able to be successful in leadership, if you're working for somebody and you wanna climb the ladder or if you wanna have your own business. In any aspect, a human in the business world or in your personal life, those are the things that you kinda have to engage in.
Laura Capes Terry (38:38.434)
We'll be sure to put your three Rs into the show notes for this episode because I think those are great. I can see the business consultant in you coming out. And I love your advice about getting involved. I know people that are listening to us can't see what's behind me, but if you're watching us on video, you can see that I have a sign that says, be local. If you love Georgetown, it will love you back.
Shirly Ellison (38:44.478)
Yeah.
Laura Capes Terry (39:02.938)
And that was actually authored by my director of community relations, Anne Kaiser. And she essentially said, if you want to thrive in Georgetown, get involved, become a part of what we're doing, show what you're passionate about and start serving, It kind of get connected like it just all comes back to that word connection. I think that's the word of our day.
Shirley, how can people follow your Be Locals in Metro West and Minute Man? Can you share your social handles and how people can connect with you?
Shirly Ellison (39:36.438)
Yeah, so if you just go on Instagram, be local Metro West, Metro West is one word M-E-T-R-O-W-S-T, or be local Minuteman, again, one word M-I-N-U-T-E-M-A-N. You can certainly find us on social media. You can reach out to me directly if you want. It's Shirley.Ellison. Shirley doesn't have an E in it because my parents felt it phonetically, what they heard, not what...
know, there's a lot of silent letters in English for no reason. So they spelled the S H I R L Y period e ll is n at n two the letter n the number two co.com. And I would love to talk to whoever wants to talk about anything.
Laura Capes Terry (40:20.674)
love that. And I also am going to have you send me a photo of you with your Big Dog Award and we'll share that out. Because I don't think people understand this is a big dog. Like this is a big dog that you're about to hold. We'll put a picture out on our social media. Are there any last thoughts that you'd like to share with our audience before we wrap?
Shirly Ellison (40:25.245)
my god!
Shirly Ellison (40:34.154)
Wow, you're so sweet.
Shirly Ellison (40:39.478)
I will tell you that Be Local is a game changer. I think that I moved here two years ago. I moved three miles down the road. And when we say that new movers get 72 new business relationships, 100 % I've lived it. I am relocating again. I'm actually moving down south to where your neck of the woods, well, south I am. I'm moving to Nashville.
Laura Capes Terry (41:00.043)
No, I did not know that. Where are you moving? What? With that Boston accent, you're gonna go to Nashville?
Shirly Ellison (41:09.218)
I know, I know. My friends keep telling me that they have to contact the mayor to let them know so they're prepared. They don't know what's going to hit them. But I am. I'm going to Nashville, moving down this summer. I still have my publications. I'm still flying up here. I do everything remotely anyway, so it's not for the most part, but I'll come see my business partners and whatnot every few weeks. So it's not going to be an issue. And since I coach people across the country again.
Not an issue, but yeah, I'm heading down south. I think I need some sunny days and sweet people.
Laura Capes Terry (41:42.286)
Whaaaa-
Wow. Yeah. I'm so excited to hear that. I'm in Texas. So I know that Austin and Nashville, they say, are very, very similar. But I really want to lean into what you said about Be Local being a game changer. For people that are listening right now that don't really fully understand the power, the impact of Be Local, what does being a game changer, what does that mean?
Shirly Ellison (41:53.472)
What?
Shirly Ellison (42:07.594)
I don't think there's a lot of products out there like Be Local, to be honest with you. I've done a significant homework into what marketing options businesses have. when you are in Be Local, your clientele is at the top of their buying cycle. Okay, we are with TV, radio, print, all that. Those areas are the areas where businesses get to be known. Now you have to...
get to be known by people that need your service. Now I already have a nutrition, so I'm kind of like not your target audience, but people that move, know, want to put an imprint on their house, need dentists, need daycare, need a million different things. It is the number one greatest audience to get in front of because they're at the top of their buying cycle. And when you put print, digital, and social media together in front of them continuously for extended time,
And your brand is out there and you're marketing to them continuously through all different avenues, because we don't know what people prefer. We kind of do everything together. We also know that print and digital together have 82 % higher retention rate of a brand versus doing one or the other. When you do that, that creates, when you're a new business, especially, you will get seen by the right people through the right medium, continuously.
and you're marketing yourself through an ad that's really great in content that's highly desired, all you're waiting for is for the moment. Now, if you have a pool company and they don't want to pool, then not everybody's going to want to pool. But everyone needs a haircut, everyone needs a dentist, everyone needs a long cut, everyone needs... And those services and businesses, furniture stores, restaurants, all those types of things, everything, just... It is the quintessential best...
person or business or consumer to be in front of and be local, real recognizes that produces a perfect, beautifully bound product. And that is why it's a game changer. If you look at other stuff, it's blog writing. We don't do blog writing. We crowdsource. ask people. So I can open up a book and it'll be blog writing. I can open up another book and it will be like a yellow pages. That's not what we're about. We're about curated local insight.
Shirly Ellison (44:31.956)
that's hand delivered or through mail to residents that as they move and are deciding which businesses to support. Can't think of a better place to be, to be quite honest.
Laura Capes Terry (44:41.274)
I was perfectly said. Thank you so much Shirley for joining us today on the podcast. I know that this is going to be really meaningful for a lot of people. Thank you and we'll see. Of course. Thanks guys. We'll see you next time.
Shirly Ellison (44:52.842)
Thank you so much for having me. I love it. Bye bye.
