As a team-building exercise, Diana Kent, the marketing and membership manager for the Retail Merchants Association, implemented a book club for team members focused on content that creates a workplace culture dedicated to personal and professional growth. “We want people to continue to learn, to be fulfilled in their job and in life, and to feel successful,” she says. The most recent book they read was “Radical Candor,” by Kim Scott, which focused on “being a kick-ass boss without losing your humanity.”
The Retail Merchants Association, a Richmond nonprofit founded in 1906, was formed when nine businesses on Broad Street banded together to petition the city to water down the streets in an effort to cut back on dust in storefronts.
For Kent, the COVID-19 pandemic fueled an ongoing shift that she and her team had already begun in assisting members as they moved to online-based sales and marketing campaigns. In March, she and her team were pushed into overdrive after most of their retail partners were forced to temporarily shutter their doors. “We needed to push ourselves to be more innovative and to really help guide retailers through all these changes that they are needing to implement,” Kent says. They waived membership dues during this time and made themselves available for whatever questions or needs might arise, including guidance on small business loans and how their members can best serve employees.
While their priorities may have changed since the early 1900s, a common goal of uniting small businesses and thriving together still stands. “I really hope to see our team and the retail community come out of this stronger than ever,” Kent says.
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