MOMO’s Favorite Treats - Sweet Dreams Coming True
March 1, 2023
The Downtown Strong: Building Resilient Economies grant is a grant provided by the U.S. Economic Development Administration through Missouri Main Street Connection (MMSC) that continues to impact Missouri communities.
Timing is everything, and sometimes timing changes everything. Having bought MoMo’s Favorite Treats in Jackson, Missouri, an existing bakery business, in the middle of a pandemic, Shannon Elfrink and her husband Chris were facing several challenges. Much of the owner’s previous income was based on space rental, which, at least temporarily, was not happening. Providing consistent hours of operation became a challenge exacerbated by ever changing regulations and restrictions and a general lack of any public events.
Shannon and Chris had dreamed of owning a bakery and were sure they could overcome the challenges with a little help in laying out a plan and improving their reach. They applied for a Downtown Strong Grant to get some support in writing a business plan. In addition, they asked for help with their website, wanting it to better reflect the bakery and their dream for its future. Along with these services, they needed an improved social media plan. Through the grant, they were partnered with BOLD Media, who not only had all the expertise needed to assist Shannon and Chris but were in nearby Cape Girardeau, making it optimal for onsite visits.
Dana Thomas with BOLD Marketing met with Shannon and Chris and saw that the project goals were to develop a plan for opportunities to grow online retail sales and drive more in-store traffic with new audiences. She went to work, developing and eventually launching a full custom website with dedicated landing pages for each service, offering initial SEO work and training. These service offerings included weddings, bridal packages, baby, birthdays, and brunches. A social media marketing plan incorporated several designed ads to support online sales growth and attract new audiences.
Helping develop a business plan gave Dana an opportunity to help Shannon and Chris figure out how to streamline their business for greater profitability with less overhead and time investment. Just what they needed with a new baby on the way!
After visiting the bakery and working with Shannon and Chris, Dana had some ideas about additional ways to help them and went above and beyond the grant scope. She provided them with creative ideas for in-store design and retail space layout, working with them to improve their flow.
Shannon said of the services provided through the grant: “Being a newer, small business in this current market it would have taken us a few years to accomplish what the grant helped us accomplish.” She added that “The business plan development and then going through the business plan with us step by step will help us lay out our goals and continue to successfully grow our business. This grant, and BOLD Marketing, gave us the tools we need to continue to grow our business and be successful.”
The services included in this article were prepared by Missouri Main Street Connection, Inc. using Federal funds under award 05-79-06056 from Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic Development Administration or the U.S. Department of Commerce.
