Today we had an amazing opportunity to connect with the founder and owner of Blanket & Board, Tierra Thorne. We had a wonderful charcuterie board and audibly gasped at its grandeur when we first arrived. The display was incredible, and the food was amazing- we picked our plates clean! We also had a chance to learn about how Tierra manages her small business, from a marketing aspect, a strategic aspect, and a technological aspect.
During our lunch, Tierra shared with us that she creates all of her content that she shares on her website, and while she has a small team and interns, she is running and executing a majority of the operations for her business. She shared with the group how she has adapted her business to meet the high demand, as well as stay true to her business model. A somewhat unique challenge that Tierra faces is the seasonality of her business; when the weather starts to turn, not many groups or individuals are planning a picnic in the cold and snow. Again, she shared that she manages the seasonality by marketing to different events- mostly indoors. Additionally, I had the chance to ask Tierra about her website whether or not she had integrated AI into her website or utilized it for her business. She shared with me that she has integrate and AI Chatbot into her website, and that she utilizes AI for scheduling purposes, and for tedious tasks that AI is capable of completing- so that she has more time to focus on her business and work that matters. As a member of the AI and New technology team for our group project for the Haller program, I found this very insightful, and I intend to use Tierra as a peer group for small businesses that have a similar model to Tierra’s as there are many commonalities- from the seasonality aspect to the small work force behind a successful small business!
