Chelsey is a business owner herself and wanted to find an easy way for residents and business owners to help support each other and the community while bringing back some positivity. 

Chelsea said the idea came about because the month of January can be pretty dismal for small business owners. Customers are few and far between after Christmas and business owners are usually faced with a downtrend that is stressful. January 15th is right in the middle of that month, the unofficial "Hump Day" where Airdronians can help their businesses by spreading positivity right when they need it most. With COVID-19 and all of the restrictions, small business owners are feeling an extra pinch this year especially, so Chelsey Devauld thought it would be the perfect time to organize this initiative and is hoping everyone will take part in what she is calling the first Rate and Rave day. "Everybodys tapped for cash but business owners still have businesses to run and I was trying to think of a way we could support small businesses no matter what kind of positions we are in." 

In a world that feels like people are divided and we see so much negativity on a daily basis, this is the kind of initiative that can bring some light out of the darkness and really help some out our community, plus it's easy and only takes a small amount of your time, "It's the one thing that everybody can do because it is free, you're just taking your time to do this and I can tell you from personal experience it really makes someone feel like a million bucks, " says Devauld. Such a small act can mean a lot more than you think, it always feels good to get a compliment or pat on the back for a job well done and someone taking the time to give a business some words of positivity or great feedback, it really is the best gift. It puts a smile on faces immediately and it validates business for continuing to open every day.  You can find a link to the event Devauld created here and join in online.

Rate and Rave day is where you leave a good review, rate it highly or leave a nice message for those businesses you love in the Airdrie community. There are many ways to give a business a review or rating:

1. Google Review- Enter the business name into the Google search bar and you should be able to see their info on the right-hand side. Scroll down their info until you see a button that says “Write a review”.

2. Go back to the website you purchased from and write a review for that product. 

3. Find the business owners’ email address or contact page and write them your review and give permission to share.

4. Write a recommendation or review for a business on their Facebook page.

The idea here is to write something positive about your experience. Tell it like a story, use names, describe how the experience made you feel and talk about how this product or service helped you out. While it's the first year for the Rate and Rave event, Devauld hopes it will continue in the future, "I wasn't sure if this little idea was gonna take off and I was just like I'm just going to go for it and see where it goes and I really hope it becomes a yearly thing and just a nice little reminder for people in January to really give a boost to these business owners."

 

 

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