Blog Layout
High School kids make a difference in Shasta County – Project Hometown

Cloudwise Joe and co-host Chauncey Haworth are on a mission to help local businesses get their websites online and their products online the way customers want to buy them.

The goal of Project Hometown is to get all local businesses in Shasta county online the way their customers want them to be by train high school kids to do that for them. Reach Higher Shasta has made this program possible.

If you own a business and want to sell the way customers want to buy, contact us! Find out more about Project Hometown here: www.projecthometown.com

Joe: You’re listening to The Being Found Show, I’m your host, Cloud wise Joe, with my co-host Chauncey Haworth. Believe it or not you are listening to the best hour in radio for businesses. If your company’s not being found, who is? I’m your guide to being found by more buying customers. Your customers are using the Internet. The idea of this show is to help you understand how to use the Internet to find more buying customers.

Thanksgiving just passed and there’s a lot of news around and some incredible things happening on the Internet. We’re going to talk about that in this show. We are going to talk about Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Chauncey: I got to say that economically, Black Friday is probably an American holiday.

Joe: Yeah it might be, and as a matter of fact some of the stats we’re going to go over actually prove your point there. It’s more like Black month. You know it’s Cyber Monday, Black Friday or whatever. Well we’re going to talk about that and listen if you have a business, own a business, want to run a business, thinking about having a business, are an entrepreneur, I don’t care. If you’re involved in a business you’re going to want to listen to the show today because some of the stats that we’re seeing right now are crazy. Things are changing. Customers are changing how they buy. We want to go ahead and pull back the green curtain and explain that to you also.

I want to play a video about a coalition that’s going on called Project Hometown. The idea is to get every single business in Shasta County selling the way that customers want to buy. I’m telling you just about everyone that can be involved is involved. We’re training high school kids to help business build the right website and get products online.

We had our first high school class go through Cloud Wise Academy. I want to play a video, there’s about 8-10 kids in this class and they’re cute. Gosh I remember being a high school kid. I wasn’t as smart as these guys were or as cute. Jake, who was one of my first students and now is an instructor and works for me, was teaching these kid. Let’s go ahead and play this quick audio.

In this video, Jake interviews the 1st Project Hometown students.

Jake: You guys just finished the first ever Project Hometown class. You guys spent three weeks learning how to build a website. Can anyone tell me anything that they found shocking or surprising about the class?

Student 1:  I was surprised by how fun it was. I thought it was going to be pretty boring.

Student 2:  It was interesting to learn the business side of it because you don’t often think about that.

Student 3: I was surprised about how easy and simple it was.

Jake: That’s the mystery that people who charge a lot of money for this want to maintain and you guys are totally breaking up there.

Joe: So here’s the thing. The reason I wanted to play that is I’m super proud of these kids, I’m proud of Jake for teaching the class and here’s the thing. Those kids learned in three weeks what we teach the adult class in six weeks. Jake said he almost couldn’t keep up teaching his kids. Things are shifting. Average business people have talent that can help us manage this. This internet change, the shift in how people are buying, we’ve got talent everywhere around us. These high school kids do this naturally. The program that helped fund this is called ‘Reach Higher Shasta’. It helps high school kids get intern jobs for part of their credits. I don’t know much about how regular school works or why those things matter. But anyways there it is. Reach Higher Shasta thought it would be neat to help pay for these kids to go through our school, learn these skills, also help regular businesses get their websites and products online the way customers want to buy. The incredible thing is these kids get it naturally and they liked it. This is what they already do.

I’ve got to applaud the high schools and colleges and Reach Higher Shasta for working with schools like mine to help expose these kids to this. If you own a business right now and you want your website online you want to sell the way customers want to buy, you need to go over Project Hometown. You need to sign up because it’s really easy to just put your e-mail address in and we’ll get a hold of you. The next thing that’s going to happen is these kids are going to start working on websites with the other partners of Project Hometown and we’re going to get sites built for I think around $500 or $750. Half of that goes to the student and half goes to the partner, provider, or agency who’s managing that student. The time is here, there’s no reason businesses can’t be selling in the way your customers want to buy.

Chauncey: A lot of people come down on kids these days and their skateboards, the millennials and blah blah blah. But really this is a new business and these kids already know how to do practically everything. They just have no focus they have no linear path to getting it done. So, If you just give them a path they’re already on it.

Joe: Yeah it is funny. I can’t say that I am discouraged or disappointed in our youth because I’m not. I was probably the most discouraging, disappointing youth that ever walked the face of the earth.

Chauncey: Oh totally. People just cut to this disappointment thing. But then the next generation comes along and does something amazing. So imagine if we treated them like they’re going to do something amazing and like here let us help you you know.

Joe: Yeah you’re right Chauncey. Anyways it feels good. I’m super proud. Businesses, tap into this talent. Signup and see how we can help. There’s no reason not to.

Thanks for listening to The Being Found Show. Find out how Project Hometown can help you!

Join the movement at:  www.projecthometown.com

 

Create Professional Content Effortlessly with DreamSite Website Builder's AI Feature

24 Jun, 2023
Discover how to effortlessly create professional content using DreamSite Builder's new AI feature. Learn how to generate fresh content, enhance existing content, and overcome writer's block. Transform your business with Cloud Wise Academy's marketing school. Visit the link to explore the powerful AI improvements and take your online presence to the next level.

Unveiling the New and Improved Website CoPilot: Your All-in-One Digital Platform

29 May, 2023
Are you ready to take your online presence to the next level? Get ready to meet your new digital partner in success: the upgraded Website CoPilot. This all-in-one platform is now more powerful than ever, thanks to our latest AI improvements.
a screenshot of the website copilot, in the style of light purple and dark emerald, vibrant color

Epic Website Building with New Website Co-Pilot Features!

23 May, 2023
One of the most exciting new features is the AI-powered content creation tool. This tool assists users in creating an 'About Us' section and a customer avatar for their websites. The AI uses the information provided in the 'About Us' section to develop a customer avatar, recommend color themes, fonts, and keywords, providing explanations for each recommendation. This feature simplifies the content creation process and ensures that the website is tailored to the specific
Red haired lady on a green background pointing at

How to Construct URLs That Will Get You More Traffic

25 Apr, 2023
In this post, I'm going to show you how to construct URLs that will get you more traffic. I'll teach you how to make your URLs short and easy to remember, and how to make your URLs look good.

Chambers announce marketing & e-commerce workshop

By Joe Mckenna • 14 Apr, 2022
JOHNSON CITY & KINGSPORT – Cloud Wise Academy announced today a new local marketing and e-commence workshop, Amplify Our City, to teach local business owners how to best use the internet’s capabilities. The workshops will be taught in partnership with the Kingsport and Johnson City chambers of commerce. Amplify Our City is a three-step workshop to attract more customers online and in store. In this workshop, business owners will learn where to start and how to use online tools, free local marketing tactics, when to spend money and what savvy marketing peers are doing. Participants will learn how the internet favors local companies, how to market on a small budget, and how to avoid costly mistakes. “In today’s post-pandemic world, social media has become a key means of retail purchasing,” said Bob Cantler, President and CEO of the Johnson City Chamber of Commerce. “Learning tricks of the trade to maximize your business’ exposure will certainly enhance sales across the board.” “I don’t care what kind of business you have; one of the most important assets to your business is your web presence,” said Aundrea Salyer, senior business counselor for the Tennessee Small Business Development Center at ETSU Kingsport Affiliate Office. “That means making it easy for your customers to find you online and to shop online. I get asked all the time whether a business should invest in a web site or leverage existing social media platforms. I’m very interested to hear how Joe addresses this.” The two workshop sessions will be held in partnership with local chambers of commerce this month. You do not have to be member of the Chamber(s) to participate. Kingsport Chamber of Commerce: April 21 from 8-10:30 is an online webinar available to the public regardless of geographic location. Attendees must register in advance: https://clients.tsbdc.org/workshop.aspx?ekey=10420014 . Johnson City Chamber of Commerce: April 22 from 8-10:30 a.m., at the 602 Sevier St., Suite 101, in Johnson City. Attendees must register in advance: https://cca.johnsoncitytnchamber.com/EvtListing.aspx?dbid2=TNJC&evtid=105727&class=E The course is taught by Joe McKenna, founder of Cloud Wise Academy , which specializes in e-commerce training. “Many companies are surprised to discover that the internet favors local companies. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to put the internet to work for your company instead of against it,” said McKenna. By providing the workshop through the chambers of commerce, McKenna hopes this will broaden the education of citizens of Kingsport and Johnson City and help local businesses grow. For more information, email McKenna at joe@cloudwiseacademy.com or call 530-515-9851.

Local search engine marketing workshop

By Joe Mckenna • 14 Apr, 2022
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – (April 4, 2022) Grow your career or business by learning valuable search engine marketing skills. According to 99 Firms, 46% of all Google searches are linked to something local, so it is crucial to learn these valuable skills for yourself, your business and our community. This spring, Cloud Wise Academy, an East Tennessee State University Innovation Lab affiliate member, is hosting a "Local Search Engine Marketing" course aimed at local companies that want to rank better on Google and marketing professionals who want to learn valuable skills. "Students will learn the pros' skills and tools in search engine marketing," said Joe Mckenna, founder of Cloud Wise Academy. “Many companies are surprised to discover that the internet favors local companies. Around 93% of all web traffic is via search engines. Search engine marketing is the lifeblood of every company. We'll demystify it and teach you the valuable skill you need.” The workshop begins May 16 and runs through June 22, with classes on Monday and Wednesday nights from 6-8 p.m. In-person participants meet at the ETSU Innovation Lab, located at 2109 W. Market St. in Johnson City. The class may also be taken synchronously online. Registration fees are $350 per participant, and participants may use the code "early50" through May 1 to save $50. “This class will teach aspiring SEO professionals the ins and outs of local search engine optimization,” said Chauncy Haworth, course instructor. “With hands-on support, you will learn how to alter an existing website and properly create online profiles that will get search engines and local customers attention.” "We are pleased to have Cloud Wise Academy bring search engine marketing opportunities like this to the Appalachian Highlands," said Liz Bennett, assistant director of the Innovation Lab. "We've heard great feedback from previous students and are excited to see more classes like this offered in the area. We hope that students, community members and entrepreneurs will take advantage of these types of classes that help bring new business opportunities to this area." Learn more and register at www.cloudwiseacademy.com/seo-course . For more information about Cloud Wise Academy and future courses, visit cloudwiseacademy.com , or reach Mckenna at joe@cloudwiseacademy.com or at 530-515-9851. The ETSU Innovation Lab is a high-tech business incubator that assists aspiring entrepreneurs from concept through commercialization. For more information, visit etsu.edu/ilab or contact Dr. Audrey Depelteau, director of the Innovation Lab, at depelteau@etsu.edu .
Share by: