Rebrand Cities and Venture for America (VFA) partner for its second cohort of helping 30 – local diverse small businesses get online, tell their stories and capitalize on trillions of dollars spent in neighborhoods through the 14 – City Small Business Website Build-a-thon being hosted at Wayne State University on July 3, 2019.
The 14 – City Small Business Website Build-a-thon is a component of VFA’s annual five-week intensive Training Camp. The project is sponsored by WordPress.com and is designed to revitalize city neighborhoods through technology and branding.
In essence, the 200 VFA fellows (representing 14 – VFA cities) work in teams of 5 to 6 in order to provide their talent in creating new websites for businesses while simultaneously collaborating and supporting Rebrand Cities’ goal of getting 10,000 small businesses online. Businesses benefit from workshops and one-on-one sessions featuring brand building, domain research, design, and more.
“Hajj (Flemings, CEO/Founder of Rebrand Cities) and I wanted to try and do something in which fellows could become engaged in community service. We wanted it to be impactful and reciprocal, so we eventually decided on incorporating Rebrand Cities in the Website Challenge as a tool for promoting and rebranding some of the city’s local businesses,” VFA Director of Learning, Cris Landa said.
14 Participating VFA Cities
Detroit, Baltimore, Birmingham, Cleveland, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Columbus, Kansas City, Miami, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, San Antonio, and St. Louis.
2018 Rebrand Cities + VFA Partnership Video
2018 Sample Businesses
The 2018 VFA cohort had a great experience learning about Detroit while developing 28 new websites that enhance the digital presence of local small businesses.
Detroit Recordings Company
Detroit Recordings Company was founded by Bryce Detroit, a musical and cultural artist and two-time Knight Arts Challenge Award recipient pioneering environmental and entertainment justice globally.
Since 2011, artists seeking an afrofuturistic influence in their work have benefitted from studio time, business incorporation, and brand identity development at the Detroit Recordings Company.
Website: www.detroitrecordings.com
The Peacock Room Detroit
Rachel Lutz opened The Peacock Room in 2011, as a destination shopping experience that has since expanded its “boutique footprint” into 4 stores spanning 7,000 square feet in Detroit’s Downtown and historic Midtown communities.
The Peacock Room patrons are treated to a selection of unique pieces ranging from clothing and accessories to furniture at its flagship store. Products and services cater to women desiring vintage and formal, Bohemian chic, or mid-century modern.
Website: https://peacockroomdetroit.com/
How the Process Works
- Register: Deadline is June 18, 2019 (reserve here).
- Content: Complete Website Content Survey (prior to event).
- Website Development: Engage in a full day of development with a team of 200 VFA Fellows.
- Interview to share business goals.
- Website development.
- Interaction and file sharing after initial site build.
- Website Review: Rebrand Cities will share participating websites publicly on Friday, July 5th.
- Post Event Support: Ongoing support is available with a WordPress.com | Automattic Happiness Engineer.
*Out of market businesses (those joining remotely) will engage on either Zoom or Skype calls for a morning interview and afternoon follow up call to review the initial site build, share files, and discuss ongoing support available.
Rebrand Cities Impact: 300+ businesses online in 2018!
Let’s partner to build your business. Online and On-site options are available.