Soren Johnson’s Post

What role do pubs play in our towns and villages? It's an interesting theory that pubs are the 'hub' of our local communities, but it's not backed up by fact - for the majority of the country. More pubs are closing than ever have before because they aren't making money. My Cousins are anomalies. One, along with her husband runs a pub in Cornwall that is beloved by a thriving, interactive and highly social community. My other Cousin runs a sports bar in the same area, targeted at students - also a highly interactive and social group. Two pubs very vertically integrated. But the you's and me's - the so-called regulars who we *think* pubs are there to serve, prefer to isolate, read our screens, scroll our socials, not engage, drink at home and not frequent those establishments we think we deserve. Paul Hollywood's wife Melissa Hollywood, who runs the Chequers Inn in Smarden, Kent, is facing the dilemma that many landlords face - a decreasing customer base that understands the pub's role in their town, yet isn't able - or willing - to support it. A business that's been running for 700 years. Arguing that a pub is a an "asset of community value" is not a winning one. It is a business and it needs customers. If it's unprofitable, it is not the responsibility of the owner to continue to support it for the good of the people who don't use it! My own view is that the traditional village pub will become a rarity, which will only increase the value of those establishments that continue to thrive and serve their market. I hate to see this happen, but whether we like it or not, we simply can't afford to keep many pubs going. https://lnkd.in/g_ScGvhM

🎁🎁💐Ohio, please represent this holiday season: And I don't mean donning your OH- gear. I mean, buy from the business owners who live (and pay taxes) (and employ others) in YOUR state. And please shout out your own favorite local businesses in the comments (here or at the blog) because 1- that's the point and 2- I love to profile small businesses and their stories, so your mention may lead to an article for that local organization. #winwin #ohiosmallbusiness #shoplocal

We need your help.   Our local pub, The George at Alstonefield, on the Staffordshire/Derbyshire border in the heart of Peak District walking country, is at risk. The pub has a decades’ long reputation for serving hearty grub and a decent pint in an idyll setting on the village green but in recent years, the owners, Marston’s, have successively allowed a landlord to try and turn it into a Michelin-starred restaurant at Michelin-starred prices (£95 for a six-course tasting menu), closed it, and now put it up for sale.   The George reopened under a temporary landlord earlier this year and is thriving once again but we, the community, want to ensure its future. One of our residents had the Grade II-listed The George, its barn, and its croft (garden) declared an Asset of Community Value last year. Despite this, Marston’s put the pub on the market in May without going through the due process of formally informing the Parish Council. We now have until November to raise the necessary funds and have formed The George at Alstonefield Community Benefit Society as the vehicle to do this.   Those of you who know me well will know that I am virtually teetotal. Why, then, am I so keen to save The George? Loneliness here is a real problem. We are seven miles from the nearest town and four miles from the nearest shop. Many of the people here live alone or work alone but the pub is somewhere they can walk into, chat to people they know and feel part of a community. The pub is also important to the many who walk or cycle through the village. The River Dove and the famous Dovedale stepping stones are in the valley below the village.   There are four ways you can help:   1.       Become one of a maximum of 1600 members of The George at Alstonefield Community Benefit Society by buying a £50 shareholding.   2.       Pledge a member’s loan to the Society. This is a non-binding pledge to lend the Society between £1000 and £25000 if the Society’s bid to buy The George is accepted.   3.       Buy a raffle ticket.   4.       Donate to our crowdfunding appeal.   Full details of the membership scheme and loans can be found on the pub website: https://lnkd.in/esd38XSg   Full details of the raffle are here: https://lnkd.in/ef-CYpHv   Donations can be made here: https://lnkd.in/eaqWRXyi   Thank you for reading this; we hope to have the pleasure of your company in The George in the not too distant future.

📝 Should you include a Letter of Wishes with your Will? Find out how this simple document can offer extra guidance to your loved ones and help ensure your final wishes are understood. Read more in our latest article below. 🔗 https://buff.ly/3BnEQai #HKLaw #EstatePlanning #LetterOfWishes #WillsAndProbate

José Andres has become a household name not only from his amazing restaurants but also for his charity work with World Central Kitchen... I'll be rooting for his new endeavour to be successful! #strategy #moment #strategicthinking #strategicplanning #marketintelligence #strateg #strategy #strategicpartnerships #strategicthinking #businessconsulting #strategydevelopment #strategyandtransformation #businessconsulting #strategicplanning #consumers #businessmodel #bethechange #fundraising #cashisking

Are you looking to invest in a local business? House Taco, a family-owned restaurant located in Downtown Columbus, is in search of investors. They launched a campaign with Honeycomb Credit and are in the final few days of the campaign. You can become an investor for starting with as little as $100, and would help this small business enter into the next phases of their goal: 📈Further investing in marketing. 🌞Patio and dining room expansion for the upcoming warm weather season. 🧑🍳Advancement in catering by optimizing kitchen space and equipment. 🎶Basement utilization for a music/comedy venue and a local weekend market, diversifying revenue streams. Investing is super easy, and you can start by checking out our offering page by clicking the link below. Or, if you know someone who would be interested, share this post with them! https://lnkd.in/ein_fzYy #Invest #InvestOhio #ColumbusRestaurants

Econautics believes that the most critical issues of today are all interconnected. For example, you can't achieve health equity if patients don't have access to clean air to breathe, water to drink, and healthful foods to eat. That's why we are actively seeking out and #learning from other #nonprofits in the City of Fort Worth throughout our #reorganization this year. We are #listening to established nonprofits about their challenges, successes and opportunities. We are working to create new #partnerships and to incorporate this #feedback as we design our programs. #Together, we can create #transformationalchange. This week, we want to say thank you to Taste Project Founder Jeff Williams for his time! If you haven't heard of this awesome organization, Taste Project is a nonprofit with a mission to: "feed, educate, and serve our community so they may “…taste and see the Lord is good.” Psalm 34:8. ...Our first project, a non-profit restaurant, focuses on healthy, quality meals made from fresh ingredients. Our menu has no prices. This is a give and take concept. We ask guests to do one of the following: 1) pay what you can afford, 2) pay what you would typically pay, or 3) pay what you would typically pay, plus a little extra." Learn more on their website https://lnkd.in/gX-3HWxa or check them out at: Taste Community Restaurant 1200 South Main Street Fort Worth, Texas 76104 P.S. - Do you know of an awesome local nonprofit that we should check out? E-mail us at info@econautics.org!

New S4C Blog is live! These few months have been whole lot of fun and it's not over! Read up on what we've done and what's to come. #S4C #Sabacc #SabaccforCharity #SabaccCardGame #Community #Charity

The non-profit community organizing ecosystem has many contradictions, acknowledged and grappled with daily. Unpacking these contradictions is a topic for another day. However, I firmly believe that at their best, non-profit base building organizations foster spaces where working-class people convene to discuss shared problems, find solutions, and collectively challenge power structures via direct action. The tenants in this article exemplified precisely that. Undoubtedly, further long-term efforts are necessary to strengthen relationships and connect the tenants of this particular Bronx building with the broader movement to de-commodify housing. NYCC takes immense pride in accompanying these tenants, creating the space for them to take action and secure the reinstatement of their cooking gas after a 16-month outage, thereby expanding the base of the movement advocating for housing as an intrinsic human right. https://lnkd.in/eR54Ph6d

Retain 70% of donors after 3 gifts?!?! 👀 I saw this video a while back (sorry, GaryV and language) where if you get a customer from one visit --> third, the likelihood of them returning after the 3rd visit is 70%! The same is true according to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, 3-6 donations retain at 72%; and if you get to 7+, you are at 88% 🔥🔥 Keep at it, and enjoy the video; some ideas translate into the nonprofit space.