Forge News and Updates |
We love Birmingham. We are committed to supporting our black community, black businesses and black entrepreneurs, and standing together against racism. We are sharing a few Birmingham-based resources that elevate black voices in our city.
Journey Through Black History at These Key Places in Birmingham
Bham Now has written so many helpful articles like this one for those of us who are seeking to help and support our black friends.
I Create Birmingham : Blog Series on the Create Birmingham Website
Create Birmingham plays a unique role in growing the creative sector, including performing arts, visual arts and crafts, culture and heritage, media and film, design, and culinary arts. The “I Create Birmingham” blog series started months ago but we love reading about the various creators in Birmingham. Read these posts and support black artists and creators in Birmingham!
10 Insightful Quotes from Southern Black Women
Like Style Blueprint said, “much of the journey starts with active listening.” Active listening can be the beginning of change! We were inspired by this list of insightful quotes from southern black women.
Support 17 Black-owned Birmingham Retail Shops + Creative Services NOW
Let’s be intentional about where we spend our money right now. A primary way to support the black community is to spend money at black-owned businesses. Thank you Bham Now for sharing this article!
And here are some organizations truly making a difference for POC in Birmingham and beyond:
Be Bhm
Be Bhm is a 20-week program designed to empower Black entrepreneurs with the business knowledge, encouragement, social networks and resources needed to be competitive in Birmingham’s changing and expanding marketplace.
blkLSTed
Be Bhm’s newest initiative is blkLSTed– a community building initiative and economic empowerment strategy for Birmingham that utilizes an open-source, collaborative, living and unapologetic entrepreneurial directory for Black-owned, Black-led businesses and organizations in Birmingham.
Woke Vote
Woke Vote believes organizing for turnout is most effective when you execute a series of tactics, in a targeted universe, with a consistent presence. Since their inception Woke Vote has drastically increased the percentage rate of turnout (in some targets by more than 45% and in all of targeted communities by at least 5%).
Urban Impact
Urban Impact‘s mission is to preserve the physical structure of the 4th Avenue Historical Business District, the only intact African-American Business District in the State of Alabama.
Jefferson County Memorial Project
The mission of JCMP is to memorialize victims of racial terror violence and expand our county’s understanding of past and present issues of racial injustice. JCMP is currently composed of over 40 community partners and a multi-racial, multi-faith, multi-sector, and multi-generational group of committed volunteers.
In conclusion, we hope these resources are just a starting point for you. We hope you will research resources on anti-racism, read more, listen more, support social justice organizations and also buy from black brands and businesses. We will seek out ways to continually amplify black voices.
Member Spotlight |
During the COVID crisis, CareHealth is providing meals to healthcare professionals across Birmingham. By utilizing local restaurants as their food providers, CareHealth is pouring resources back into the Birmingham small business community. CareHealth is an initiative of Urban Avenues and we love having Madison Kerns, Director of Operations at Urban Avenues, as part of the Forge community! Read on for our Q&A about how they are serving Birmingham during this pandemic!
How did you get the inspiration for the idea?
Our venture Five Loaves is focused on uniting communities through food, so we’ve always had a heart for the restaurant community in this city. While we were trying to think of ways to support our friends in the industry, we were seeing groups in cities like San Francisco and New York feeding healthcare teams with food from local restaurants.
We hit the ground running, formed the idea into a model that worked well for our organization, and worked with restaurant owners and healthcare professionals to make sure we had a system that prioritized safety and maximized our impact. In two days, we had a full list of restaurant partners, a website, and team of volunteer drivers!
What kind of response have you gotten from the healthcare community, local restaurant owners and donors about your efforts?
The response has been so overwhelmingly positive. The community has been incredibly supportive and are truly the only reason we can do what we do. They’re eager to serve Birmingham while maintaining safety, and CareHealth has created an easy way to do both.
Healthcare teams are sending thank you emails, photos, and cards daily. They’re feeling the support of the community and have expressed how it fuels them to face COVID-19 every day. Our restaurant partners have been wonderful throughout this entire pandemic!
It’s a difficult time for their industry, but their main focus has been giving back to the healthcare teams. It’s such an honor to support them and create a space for them to serve the healthcare communities.
So far, how many meals have been served? And how many departments have received food?
We’ve served over 2,500 meals across 65 departments thus far! We’re working over 15 hospitals and healthcare facilities across the Greater Birmingham Area to deliver meals to their teams and show the community’s support.
How long do you think the CareHealth initiative will last? Do you plan to continue the efforts post COVID?
Even as we hear plans to reopen states, we are still, unfortunately, far from normal. CareHealth was created to be a community response for those fighting COVID-19, and we plan to follow through on that mission until it is no longer needed. We’re open to the possibility that our model may change in the coming months to include other types of first responders and are beginning to plan for potential shifts in how we operate. Until then, we’re excited to increase our meals served each week!
We love seeing members of the Forge community out serving Birmingham- especially during a time like this!
Social Media |
We all know that our screen time has gone up exponentially during this pandemic- no judgment from any of us at Forge! We’ve curated a list of (Birmingham centered) Instagram accounts that are definitely worth a follow while we’re all staying at home.
@styleblueprintbham
Recipes from local chefs, activity and gift ideas, real estate listings and much more. Follow @styleblueprintbham!
@woodfinforbham
He’s our fearless city leader and he even makes Spotify playlists- Quarantine Edition! You have to follow Randall Woodfin!
@thepopcast
A hilarious Birmingham based podcast hosted by Jamie Golden and Knox McCoy- they always share their favorite books, shows and movies. And they’ve started podcast episodes focused on recapping Tiger King for their Patreon supporters. Follow @thepopcast!
@house.peace
We’re all spending a lot of time at home so now is the time for home organization projects. Tara Bremer started House Peace and she shares super helpful tips to tidy up your closets, kitchen cabinets and much more. Follow @house.peace!
@bhamnow
Bham Now is full of resources like local business guides, a list of restaurants with pickup during quarantine and where to find handmade face masks. Check out @bhamnow and give them a follow!
@ignitecyclebhm
Even though Ignite Cycle is closed due to the pandemic, they are still holding virtual dance parties Monday through Friday at 5:15pm! Give @ignitecyclebhm a follow to join in on the exercise and fun.
@birminghammomcollective
Birmingham Moms Blog is sharing about anything from quarantine friendly Easter egg hunts to free printables for your kids. If you’re a Birmingham mom who needs encouragement and tips during this ‘stay at home’ phase, follow @birminghammomcollective.
@happeninsintheham
Happenins In The Ham usually focuses on events around Birmingham but since the pandemic, they’ve found ways to help local businesses and still provide fun activity ideas for you and your family. Follow @happeninsintheham here.
@true40bham_downtown
If you want to stay active during quarantine, True 40 can help! They have tons of at-home workout classes for free (donations are appreciated) so give @true40bham_downtown a follow!
@blueroot_co
Blueroot makes some delicious food and during this ‘stay at home’ order, they’ve started Sunday Supper Club where they go on Instagram Live and teach you how to cook up a family meal. Do yourself a favor and follow @blueroot_co!
@cityofbirmingham
Last but not least, you need to follow the official account for the City of Birmingham! Look out for updates from @cityofbirmingham.
Forge News and Updates |
We know so many of you have been affected by this pandemic- that’s why we have been working to keep you educated and informed. You can follow Forge on Eventbrite to see future webinars and events. We will continually update this post with helpful links and recordings.
BhamStrong
BhamStrong is a coalition of public, private and civic leaders and organizations collaborating to serve as Birmingham’s COVID-19 Information and Resource Center. BhamStrong provides a single source of truth about how COVID-19 is affecting our community. And they collect real-time data from community members to ensure they design effective relief programs and recommend the right resources to support you.
Pandemic Survival Tips for Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs
Small businesses are working to adjust to quickly changing world. Watch the webinar recording and learn from Jacqui Jones, CEO of One Degree Marketing, as she shared some tips for surviving this time in business.
COVID-19 SBA Loans & Tax Relief
Adam West of Warren Averett shared important information about the SBA Loans and how they will impact small business owners. There are several options right now for business owners, but figuring out which option is the best for your business can be tricky. The webinar is recorded for you!
Navigating the Next 3 Months of Business
“The world feels upside-down right now! What should we be doing right now to manage the next few months of uncertainty?” This is something we’ve heard from small business owners across the board over the last few weeks. For those struggling with how to manage the short term challenges, we talked tactics, strategy and decisive action. Huge thanks to Sean Eikerman of Cultivate Advisors for leading this webinar.
Legal Protections in a Pandemic
Gatehouse Law’s main goal has always been to tell you “Why” in an “It Depends” world. Right now, with all of the unrest and confusion facing us concerning COVID-19, Gatehouse is here to provide guidance to help you protect your business and make informed decisions as you work to respond in these uncertain times. Josh Andrews at Gatehouse Law has continually supported and educated the small business community in Birmingham. You can view the recorded webinar here.
Forge News and Updates |
At Forge, we know working from home is hard! At first, working from home may seem like a dream come true. But then the distractions of home bombard you- not to mention it’s lonely. That’s exactly why we’ve started Tuesday/Thursday Virtual Happy Hours for Forge members which you can see above! And it may start to feel like your work day never truly ends. With most Forge members now working from home during the pandemic, we asked for their advice on how to be most productive.
Matt’s Tip:
“Uhhh… DONT work from home. My productivity is near zero right now. So many distractions!”
We know a lot of you are forced to work at home right now because of COVID-19 – we just thought Matt’s immediate response was pretty funny! Now let’s get on to the real advice…
Donna’s Tips:
1) Security should be your first consideration. Make certain that you have secured your router with a password, keep your virus protect programs up-to-date. Do not work on an unsecure Wi-Fi network.
2) Carve out a dedicated workspace, preferably with a window and an ergonomic chair, at minimum.
3) Cloud storage for remotely accessing your files. Download the app versions of your productivity programs, which should include a document scanner.
4) Stay in face-to-face contact with customers using tools such as Zoom.
Alex’s Tips:
1. I’m sure this one has been said 100 times, but creating a routine is huge. My wife has created a daily schedule for the kids and I have my morning and evening routine too. Equally important to that routine is to be flexible if you have to stray from it. For example, I wake up with our toddler between 6:30-7 when he comes in our room, make him breakfast, get an Audible story going, eat my breakfast, shower, and get my day started by 9.
2. Determine the times you will be looking at your emails/computer and times you will not. After a certain time I will periodically see emails come across my phone, but I am not reading them or responding to them once I am spending 1-2 hours with the kids before they go to bed. Additionally, don’t let the chores that need to get done around the house distract you or cause you anxiety. When you get out of deep work to just quickly do some laundry you will find it hard to jump back into what you were working on.
3. Definitely have a separate “office” that is ideally not your couch and has most of the things you will need and is somewhat removed from kids/animals if they are going to be distracting.
4. Have your work playlist that works for you. Because I am a highly sensitive person, I find it very distracting to have background music where someone is singing/talking, so I generally have a jazz station as background music.
Autumn’s Tips:
Big things for me are to manage my expectations – this is not business as usual so have grace with myself and others. But also work can still get done – so do what works for you (setting goals, setting timers, keeping a to-do list)
- I moved my to do list to my kitchen chalkboard so that it follows me when I’m tempted by other things.
- Schedule more meetings and make more of an effort to call people because you can’t stumble upon anyone.
Jeff’s Tip:
The first thing that popped into my mind was having a headset for all the Zoom calls. On calls with people who aren’t used to doing videoconferences, I’m noticing that there’s a certain “etiquette” that “newbies” aren’t used to (muting when not talking being the main thing) and – using a headset (as opposed to computer’s built-in mic and speakers) helps with that.
Jami’s Tips:
- Try to give yourself specific ‘office hours’. It’s easy to keep the laptop open and find yourself working 18 hour days, putting you at risk for exhaustion and burnout. I like to use a pomodoro timer to help me focus on specific tasks and give myself enough brakes to remain mentally sharp
- Keep a sense of humor. Dogs are going to cry, kids are going to barge in, technology will be overwhelmed and break. Right now, we’re all in this together and laughing together is really critical to keeping us all sane
- Find ways to socialize and have fun with your teams. I’ve had a blast attending virtual happy hours where we play online games, I’ve hosted Netflix Parties where we all watch and chat through an episode of Tiger King (drinking is suggested!)–find ways to keep everyone connected and having fun. One of my favorite activities was asking everyone to go around and spend 20 seconds ‘selling’ everyone else on the call on why their drink was the best one.
- Set aside time each day to get away from technology. Whether you’re reading a book, taking a walk, journaling–screen fatigue is real
So what are your productivity recommendations when working from home? Comment and tell us!
