It’s Time to B.local
By Ciera Okere, Sam Seaton, Leilani Tian, Lina Fowler, and Sarah Kim
Let’s all take a moment to reflect.
What did working from home during the pandemic look like for you? Did you ever feel lonely? Did you feel isolated despite being in video meetings all-day? Were those zoom happy hours not quite cutting it?
This past year, COVID-19 hit everyone hard. We all felt the impact of the pandemic in different, but equally tangible ways. Maybe you noticed small businesses in your area struggling to stay afloat and even shutting down completely. Meanwhile, large companies (such as Google) have saved over one billion dollars in costs of amenities for their employees, including travel, meals, fitness, and childcare.
As we project that the hybrid remote/in-person work style is here to stay even after the pandemic, the abundance of these traditional amenities may diminish.
Seeing how the pandemic affected us and others as well as the impact of the disconnect between large employers and the local economy, we strive to reimagine work life in a post-pandemic world.
We are five Stanford students with a vision to energize remote workers and small businesses, by partnering with employers to connect young professionals to exciting local experiences.
INTRODUCING B.local, amenities in your own backyard.
What We Do
We connect with companies who want to provide amenities or benefits for their employees. The company subscribes to our service, through a package that makes sense for their number of employees and the level of benefits they hope to provide.
The company’s subscription creates accounts for their employees, each account is populated with a certain number of B.local credits that an employee can redeem during the year.
On the B.local platform, employees are shown a catalogue of services, events, and more from local businesses in their area. We feature a wide selection of local eateries, workout spots, and special experiences, where employees can redeem their credits.
In short, B.local manages logistical coordination for employers, offers a wide variety of benefit options for employees, and generates reliable business for the local economy.
Why this and why now?
We are solving this problem to help employees impacted by the pandemic:
Historically, employees have been drawn to companies that offer amenities and benefits. A 2015 survey from Glassdoor revealed that four out of five employees prefer better benefits to a raise.
COVID has reduced the availability of on-site amenities for employees as they work from home, and in turn the work community that forms around these events has disappeared. In fact, it’s not just now. We anticipate that these work from home trends will continue far beyond the pandemic. A Mckinsey study that analyzed 2,000 tasks used in 800 occupations in eight focus countries found that 20–25 percent of the workforce could effectively work remotely 3–5 times a week.
As remote work is here to stay, we hope to support employees by reconnecting them to one another and their local communities, through the fun events and benefits provided by their employer.
We reduce logistical load on companies:
Coordination of amenities is no easy task. Small start-ups might have less people to coordinate, but might not have the resources or network to partner with companies for cool experiences for their employees. Big companies might have more financial means to get amenities, but they are coordinating for hundreds of people in different locations. B.local takes that issue of coordination completely off of the employers, they only have to sign up!
We support local businesses:
This year alone, 8.5% of small businesses had to permanently shut down. We hope that a partnership with these local businesses will give them the steady income and visibility that they need to thrive and flourish. Small businesses are a core part of the impact that we hope to have.
Join Us in Our Mission
Our mission is to reforge community connections in a post-COVID work world.
We hope to support employees through the difficult transition to a hybrid or remote work model, while bridging the gap between large companies and local businesses.
We do all of this with the aim of keeping money and growth within the local community. Our number one priority is to give local businesses the patronage that they need to not just make end’s meet, but to flourish.
Investing locally preserves community identity, subverts gentrification, and provides visibility for marginalized business owners. Small and local businesses are a big deal, they are the backbone of our communities and, furthermore, they are what make each neighborhood unique.
Are you ready to B.local with us and bring benefits back into your community?
Us starts with “u.” To be part of our journey, connect with us today.
If you want B.local at your workplace, reach out to your employer. If you are passionate about your community, refer your favorite local businesses to us.
To learn more, go to Blocal.com. Connect with us via the Get in Touch page to hear about investment opportunities, how to refer your local business, and how employers can get started.
Hear more about our updates through our newsletter at newsletter@Blocal.com
