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I’m sitting on a ZOOM call one balmy October afternoon with two Harvard students, Felicia Ho, who just turned 18, and Sabrina Chok, one of the lucky students who graduated college in the middle of a pandemic. They are one part of the team behind Sticky Locals, a grassroots organization formed by five Ivy League students designing and selling stickers to fundraise and raise awareness for AAPI charities, non-profits, and businesses affected due to COVID-19.
For the past few months, they’ve launched punchy “sticker drops” for Chinatown establishments – ranging from old school favorites like Pearl River Mart to off-the-grid establishments like the 30-year-old Ming Qi Apothecary. The stickers have added a much needed “cool” factor vitality to some of the older non-English speaking, non-Instagrammed establishments that have been struggling due to Covid.
But more so, they’re defining a new cultural norm, where indifference is looked down on, and copping a sticker and popping it on your shirt, laptop or bag is the catchphrase of the year – “We came. We saw. We made a difference.”
Hello Sticky Locals Vote Sticker
Today, the team of 20+ college and local HS students have shifted their focus to spread the word about voting. With less than a week before Election Day, they’ve partnered with another grassroots organization Welcome to Chinatown, and ciaooo! (hey, that’s us) to sell stickers to support voters in the Asian American Pacific Islander community – you can get them HERE for $5. Designed by Harry Trinh and Sonya Lei from the Welcome to Chinatown team, the 3 stickers represent the MTA, food insecurity, and the Asian American vote.
This sticker, designed by Sonya Han, features a lion dancing performance typical in Chinatown’s Lunar New Year Celebrations. This year, COVID-19 tore through these celebrations and made what should have been a prosperous and exciting time one of anxiety and confusion. Beloved business after business shuttered in the months following. Take this year’s elections as the first step to celebrate once more. Voting is an act of triumph, a clear, jubiliatory statement that you will be heard.
While New York has been historically, a blue state – the Nov 3rd elections go beyond simply a presidential election on the ballot.
“It’s about voting for the state and town elections. It’s about the referendums. It’s about making your voice heard because every decision made will affect your life – and the life of many generations to come” Felicia said, “It’s such a unique opportunity for every single American to have a chance and opportunity to change the course of our history. It connects us, no matter what race or party you are, and it brings us all together to the mailbox or polls”.
Sticky Locals Team
At the age of 18, this will be the first time that Felicia votes. I think back to my first time voting, over 10 years ago, casting my vote for Barack Obama. Did I have the knowledge or passion to be so invested in my community? Honestly, I was much more interested in boys and whatevernondescript screamo band was making a comeback.
Why, does it seem that today’s young people, seem to be so much more involved and engaged? Sabrina Chok had this to say,
“What is the type of world that we want to live in? And if it doesn’t look like that now, what can I and my friends do to make it the world I want to live in and be represented?”
To the outside world, stickers may seem like a silly venture. In the world of startup though, they’re the perfect minimum viable product (MVP). They’re fast to design, quick to market, and easy to scale. It’s the perfect test to see if the idea has legs to stand on.
On top of that Sabrina says, “We chose stickers because they spark offline conversations. When someone sees a sticker – they ask questions. They’ll talk about the vote, or talk about the business. It’s almost a badge of honor”.
To me, it sounds like the start of a revolution, but how do you bring an idea to life? Sticky Locals started out as just an idea amongst a few college students, after all.
Harry Trinh, design lead at Welcome To Chinatown offers up, “Start small. When we started with Welcome To Chinatown all we did was help Chinatown businesses. We’ve been able to grow from that one route and THEN expand”.
Sabrina says, “Throw your ideas out there. We started with a Squarespace and everyone contributed $50. We sent out 100 emails overnight to every business in the NYC area telling them how we would help THEM. Of the 100 we canvassed, only five would respond, but then they’d tell their friends and they’d tell their friends”.
Since launch, Sticky Locals has gotten orders from all across the country, from Alabama to NJ. Whether it’s helping Chinatown or small businesses or simply encouraging people to vote – the message is sticking.
In New York, it’s estimated that 1/3rd of all small businesses will close permanently due to Covid. We’re doing our part to prevent that from happening. Every week, we’ll be profiling a different local to highlight so that we can all support their business. Know a small business we should feature? Email us at hello@ciaooomag.com.
Golden Stories is a jewelry subscription box company by New York native, Gwen Beloti. Her designs have been recognized by QVC & HSN, one of the top accessory platforms. Launched in 2019, with hand-selected and local, hand made golden jewelry – Golden Stories is our pick for the next up and coming subscription box.
If you’re a fan of jewelry and are looking for an affordable, golden luxury box – well, here you go! Check it out!
Where are you from and where did you grow up? If you are comfortable sharing your ethnic background – feel free to dive into that.
Brooklyn, NY. I am African American, my generation, and my parents for the most part are born and raised NY’ers (shoutout to Brooklyn #BKallday). My grandparents and theirs were from the South, mainly Alabama.
How did you start Golden Stories? (Feel free to dive into college, and the early days, any funny or tough anecdotes are fine )
So picture this, you’re 16 years old, in Jr. High and you and your girls play hooky to go to the mall for the latest jeans that this cool designer just came out with. Y’all get there, get to the jeans, look for your sizes, and head to the fitting room to try them on…. except you (me) are standing there twiddling your thumbs because they don’t have your size. Not fun right.. yea story of my life. With my weight fluctuating for most of the early part of my life, finding stylish clothes that fit well was a challenge. That’s when I fell in love with accessories.
I hung out in that section of the store because it didn’t size discriminate. My love and appreciation for accessories and jewelry prompted me to start Golden Stories. Golden Stories is a seasonal box of stylish minimalistic golden jewels designed to build out a perfect and complete collection for our members. It’s for the busy woman overwhelmed with all the choices out there. We take the guesswork out and ensure you have what you need for your daily style looks, and at an affordable price. This way you’re not standing anywhere twiddling your thumbs ;).
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGlC7OohprV/
How has your business changed before and after COVID?
COVID has forced me to focus more on what was working well prior to COVID. We sent out members feedback surveys, we wanted our community to know that their voice matters. We looped them in on our growth plan and asked what their preferences were, what they wanted to see from Golden Stories.
We made it our mission to not just be a community in the literal sense but to really engage and connect.
For me, that meant that I would lean 100% into our jewelry line and Golden Stories. With the attention, I’ve been able to pay to it and the connection I’ve made with current members, we’ve been able to grow the membership over 300%.
This article is a full breakdown of what these payments are and how they will affect you, what actionable steps you can take, and what to expect for the future – regardless of whether you’re unemployed or not. Like the Coronavirus, the passage of the second Stimulus Package (Democratic driven HEROES or Republican-led HEALS Act ) will drastically affect each and every one of our lives, regardless of class, color, or the number of Instagram followers. This post was crafted with our friends at ExtendPUA.org. Let’s get to it, shall we?
Today, the $600 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) officially expired for millions of Americans. You can read our full breakdown here. Join us on Tuesday, August 4th for a virtual CALL PARTY where we call our senators and #jamthelines. If we all call – they have to listen! More info HERE.
This additional payment was sent out on top of regular unemployment insurance to qualifying Americans. When this package was created in March, the supplement was meant to:
Allow workers to pay rent, bills, & expenses
Buy groceries
Prevent the economy from collapsing entirely into the dumpster fire that has been the year 2020 (but more on that later).
PS – Check out our article about how NYC literally WAS a dumpster fire during the 1960s!
Before we dive in, you should know about the three different stimulus packages that surround this $600 pandemic unemployment. We will break these down later on in the article.
CARES ACT – First Stimulus Package passed by the government that included the first $1200 Stimulus Check plus funds and loans for businesses.
HEROES ACT – Second Stimulus Package Proposed by the Democratic Party. This was passed by the House of Representatives and was waiting for review by the Senate (more info below).
HEALS ACT – Second Stimulus Package proposed by the Republicans and led by Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell in response to the HEROES Act (more info below).
In May, with no vaccine in sight, rising unemployment and COVID cases rising by the day, the House of Representatives immediately went to work, crafting a second stimulus package called the “HEROES ACT”.
This called for:
The FPUC $600 extended to January 2021.
The PUA (Unemployment Insurance coverage for self-employed, gig workers, and other people that are not normally eligible for UI) extended through March 2021.
A second round of stimulus payments, but this time with more for dependents, adult dependents, and immigrants included.
Student loan forgiveness extended through September 2021.
Rental assistance and a ban on evictions for nonpayment for a year following its enactment date.
Mortgage relief – a homeowner assistance fund meant to prevent mortgage defaults and property foreclosures.
Debt collection freeze – a moratorium on debt collections during the Pandemic and 120 days thereafter.
Extension of the Payment Protection Program (PPP) to all nonprofits and increased program flexibility.
100% Cobra subsidies through January 2021.
An additional $10 million added to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and direct funding for cities and state arts programs.
*stats provided by @ExtendPUA
Here’s the rundown on the Heroes Act
The HEROES ACT was passed by the House of Representatives on May 15, two and a half months ago. But, for every bill to be passed, it must be approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Republicans in the Senate however, disliked the HEROES Act because they say it spends too much and provides services to people who don’t deserve it, claiming the economy is in “recovery mode.”
Since then, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Senate have been debating the passage of their own version of the stimulus package, called the HEALS ACT, which is drastically different from the HEROES ACT.
Here’s the rundown on the Heals Act
The Republican led HEALS Act is a bit more complicated:
Instead of the $600 PUC, the amount would be reduced to $200. Once that runs out in October, the $200 will be converted into a wordy math problem reminiscent of AP Calculus where your benefits would then be calculated based on 70% of your previous wage earnings.
While that sounds livable, for those on the bottom end of the income scale, according to ExtendPUA.org, “this does not provide the federal minimum wage, let alone a basic income of $15 per hour.”
Additionally, there would be a cap of $500 inclusive of your regular state unemployment.
For the next 10 weeks, the FPUC will be cut to $200 from $600
During those 10 weeks, states are to transition their incredibly old and fussy systems to this new plan of 70% of income. Unlikely.
If a state does not want to transition or can’t, they can stay at the $200 level for another 8 weeks. This means people would be at the $200 benefit for 18 weeks. It leaves only 4 weeks of the 70% benefit before it would be set to expire on December 31.
There would be a drastically reduced rate for individuals and no additional extensions for SNAP, essential and frontline workers, or state and local governments to improve their unemployment sites and more.
“The Democrats dislike the HEALS Act because it further plunges large groups of people into financial turmoil, adds billions for new weapons and jets, guts essential healthcare relief for front-line workers and provides no additional funding for individual states”
Provided by ExtendPUA.org
On August 7th, the Senate breaks for a month-long recess.
Stephanie Freed, a Production Electrician and Lighting Designer, and Grant Mcdonald, a Video Director for Concerts, Theatre, and Live Events, both saw their industry shut down overnight. Within weeks, Stephanie and Grant decided to take action and start ExtendPUA.org, a grassroots movement dedicated to educating and inspiring people to call for legislation to extend FPUC and expand PUA.
Since launching in early July, the organization has been featured by TeenVogue, NYTimes, Deadline, and the Washington Post for their call to, well – literally call, House-Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell and demand an extension.
We spoke to Stephanie and Grant to hear their full story on ExtendPUA and what needs to be done next.
“The live entertainment industry is at a standstill. Our work is all about people being in the same room, shoulder to shoulder, having an experience together. So when the coronavirus happened, all work was cancelled and it is likely to remain cancelled well into 2021, or however long it takes for people to be safe and comfortable at large events again”
30 million people are currently unemployed in the US. In New York alone, that number is close to 1.5 million people. In June, 300,000 new jobs were added but even with the growth of new jobs, it’s not enough to bridge the gap between the working and not working. It’s not enough to just ”get a job”, when there are 4x as many unemployed people than there are new jobs.
What is ExtendPUA.org and why did you start it?
We started ExtendPUA.org because our social media was plastered with people passing around petitions for the $600 payment and hashtag/photo campaigns that weren’t linked to larger calls to action. We couldn’t find a singular, consolidated resource that contained information and tools to take action. So we made one.
We aim to empower and mobilize the unemployed and their allies to take bold, informed actions to extend and expand the FPUC and PUA. We offer tools, talking points, and information to make it easy.
We also acknowledge that while our industry is hit particularly hard, it is an industry with visibility and we wanted to make sure, as we all fought for our own needs, we also fought for all of the people without access to the microphone.
What’s the $600 Pandemic Unemployment Compensation?
It *should* benefit everyone unemployed living in this country, but it currently benefits those approved for state unemployment insurance (which was expanded to include gig workers and self-employed individuals by PUA, which is good!). The $600 is currently being collected by about 26 million people.
However, it does exclude immigrants, students with no prior work history, and is more difficult to access for hybrid “gig” workers with mixed incomes from freelance 1099’s and standard W2’s. It is also disproportionately inaccessible to BIPOC communities (BIPOC and FPUC).
The people receiving the $600 are spending it on rent, utilities, health insurance, medicine, and groceries. This means people don’t suffer AND the economy keeps functioning. Here is more information on the $600 and the economy.
OK, so I get that ending the $600 will suck. But what do you suggest needs to change?
We demand that Senators pass COVID relief legislation that:
extends the full $600 until the pandemic is over
expands the PUA to those excluded (immigrants, families with undocumented family members, college students without w2’s, etc)
supports state agencies to pay out backlogged claims
provides hazard pay and protections for frontline & essential workers
provides live entertainment industry relief, healthcare relief, rent and mortgage relief, and long term small business and venue support
What will happen if the $600 isn’t extended?
The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that extending the $600/wk FPUC payments through the middle of 2021 would provide an average quarterly boost to the GDP of 3.7% and employment of 5.1 million workers. They also said that “cutting off a policy that helps households maintain spending is a terrible idea, both for these households’ welfare and for macroeconomic stabilization.”
People across the US are putting the $600 benefit money back into the economy by paying rent, providing for their families, and buying food and supplies. Without that money being spent, the economy will inevitably hit new lows.
If the $600 isn’t extended, we will both likely lose our apartments and have to weigh if or when we’ll be able to return to NYC. And we’re the ones on the good side of things.
Many others are telling the same story of packing up and leaving the city that they love, but they’re also dealing with debt, healthcare bills, or expenses from caring for loved ones through all of this, and inaccessibility to the very lifeline that we had access to until now.
Explain (like I’m 5) what would an ideal situation look like?
Plainly, an ideal situation would be our “for the People” government acting like they care about the People.
They must put politics aside and look at the numbers today versus when they passed the first stimulus when they all agreed that a stimulus was desperately needed.
They must recognize that today, the country is in worse shape with higher infection and death rates, then pass relief that both continue the existing programs that are working and keeping the country afloat, and retroactively include those who weren’t included in the first bill.
But like you’re 5?
The government needs to be fair and care about the People.
What can I do?
You have to do more than sign a petition and share a meme. If you can share a photo, you can write your Senator. To learn more, visit us at our site ExtendPUA.org.
We have resources for you to write, call, or tweet your Senators, reach out to the local press, attend or plan an event, share your story, and text voters in swing states. There’s something for everyone.
The people we are interacting with every day in this work are just like you and they are calling their Senators every day and planning events (virtual and in person) in their states for the first time and crushing it.
The site can answer any question you may have about all of this. There are talking points, answers to the common arguments (like “get a job”) and more information on acronyms and legislation. We just started all of this a month ago. This is life or death for people, we have to do something about it.
You Can Support by:
Follow and share @ExtendPUA on FB/IG/Twitter. We post new actions and events daily. We also update followers on new legislation and tweet sassy things at McConnell. Spread the word to others and tell them to take action too.
Join us on Tuesday, August 4th for a virtual CALL PARTY where we call our senators and #jamthelines. If we all call – they have to listen! More info HERE.
Last month, Mayor DeBlasio announced a new Executive Order to support women and minority-owned businesses.
This comes on the coattails of the already flourishing Minority/Woman-Owned Enterprise (M/WBE) program which was established in 2005. According to the website, the program “expands opportunities for minority and women entrepreneurs to access government contracts and grow their businesses. When eligible businesses are certified with the City they become more visible to prospective buyers, including City agencies and private contractors seeking to purchase goods and services.”
Since 2015 alone, the City has awarded over $13 billion in contracts to women- and minority-owned businesses, with a goal of reaching $25 billion by 2025. The new Executive Order will boost the number of City Contracts reserved for M/WBEs, encouraging City agencies to utilize them for contracts worth up to $500,000. The official press release stated:
“Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order on Tuesday requiring all city agencies to appoint a Chief Diversity Officer and use minority and women-owned businesses to procure goods and services valued up to $500,000 in an effort to help them survive the economic downturn caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic”
The Executive Order also partnered with the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity to connect Black and Latinx entrepreneurs to business opportunities, including government contract matching, access to pro bono business consultants, and mentorship networks. The project also will provide an opportunity for non-certified businesses to learn how to do business with the City.
Black Entrepreneurs can also apply for the BENYC initiative, which provides resources to Black-owned businesses . Best of all, the Order establishes a Chief Diversity Officer in all City agencies to incentivize using W/MBEs for government contracts.
Census SHORTENED by ONE MONTH to Sept 30th (from Oct 31)
The 2020 Census is a count of how many people live in the United States and 5 territories. It provides critical information about the country’s population and helps the government make decisions. For the next decade, the data collected through the 2020 Census will inform billions of dollars in funding and will impact communities and community programs.
Did you know that the US population grew 9.7% between 2000 and 2010 according to the census? As a result, eight states gained seats in the House of Representatives, and ten states lost seats.
Census data can be used to build public and private spaces and shape the future of more than 100 programs including food nutrition programs, highway construction and education. The count will also determine the number of seats each state has in the House of Representatives based on population. Having accurate info from the census ensures accurate representation.
Businesses also rely on the data to determine where they’ll open new locations as well as where to recruit employees and what products/ services to offer. It’s not too late! You can complete your questionnaire online, by phone, or by mail. Find out how HERE.
NYC to keep “Open Restaurants” for 2021
To help struggling restaurants, NYC has extended its “Open Restaurants” every summer, starting June 1st – Oct 31st. So far, over 80k jobs have been saved!
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If you are a small business, freelancer, or someone who is looking to start a new career due to the Coronavirus, this article is for you.
We spoke to Kristina Ross, 27, a whiz kid known for growing businesses on social media (Instagram, specifically). She has worked hard to create a dedicated and widespread following for notable Instagram page @thefabstory, which she grew from 10,000 to 1 million followers in the span of ONE single year, garnering over 35,000 downloads for the app every month. She’s kind of a big deal…
As small businesses face obstacle after obstacle, and thousands are left unemployed, searching up new career paths, we spoke with Kristina about how social media can be used to transform one’s business and how it could ideally become your business. Keep reading to learn how she learned the ins- and- outs of digital media and content creation.
Where are you from, how old are you and where did you grow up? If you are comfortable sharing your ethnic background – feel free to dive into that.
Hello! I’m Kristina, I’m 27, half Filipino and I grew up in Scotland!
How did your story lead you to NYC?
A few years ago, I finally went freelance and saw it gave me this opportunity to travel on my own terms. Before then, I worked in retail and eventually a creative agency – no matter how exciting my day would be, I was always rooted back to an office in a specific location. When the day came that I realized I could go anywhere at any time, I finally decided to take a 3 month trip to New York City.
Although I live in Scotland, I spend all my free time in NYC. My friends are in NYC, my favorite food is in NYC, everything I know and love is in that beautiful concrete jungle. I feel most at home when I’m on Canal and Orchard.
I came to NY only knowing 2 people, a guy I met on a night out in London and the other guy was a photographer on Instagram. Within 3 days, I met what felt like everyone. For the first time in my life, I felt like I belonged somewhere. Every time I land in New York, I let out a big sigh of relief to be back. I’ve never felt like that before in my life.
You’ve got a super fun job, most notably bringing @thefabstory to a million users. What is something most people don’t know about working in digital media?
So, a few years ago, I was working as a Producer and Copywriter in a creative agency. As time went by, I noticed fewer tv ads and more short videos for social media. I guess I always thought that to have a job in social media, you had to be an influencer. But when I started seeing companies and brands looking for ‘content creators’ – I realized that I didn’t need to be good at yoga to be good at social media. You just need to be creative, ahead of the social curve, and be willing to learn.
Everything you learn in advertising can be adapted to social media. It’s actually more exciting because you don’t just create campaigns and send them off to a client never to be seen again – you watch what you make go live and see people react. Comments, likes, shares – you see how people respond to what you’ve made in real-time.
It could be good, it could be bad… but the shaping experience of learning is much faster on social media because of the way an audience will let you know in real-time.
What was your journey like to work as a social media expert?
I didn’t step into the world of social media as an expert, that’s for sure. I never went to university, I did one year at art college and dropped out because I didn’t think I wanted it anymore. So I took a job in an airport Hugo Boss store where I would start my shift at 4 am and finish at 1 pm. I met people from all around the world, especially because most of the time I’d be working in that shop all by myself. I quickly learned the power of meeting people. The excitement of hearing what one person does and why another is traveling to Fiji for 3 days. I realized quickly that I wanted to work in a way that let me be one of those people in an airport. Traveling the world without a place they need to return to urgently. Next thing I knew, I was writing articles for free behind the cash desk. I started a print magazine, on a loan, which the owner of a creative agency happened to pick up on their flight to London before tracking me down on Facebook and asking me to work for them as a copywriter and Producer.
After a few years of learning about advertising, I saw a job posting for a remote blog writer. I did an interview and asked them why they thought they needed a blog writer – they told me because they’re trying to reach more people. Then I looked at their Instagram and said maybe that’s how they should be reaching people. Long story short, I ended up turning their social audience of 10k to 1m in 18 months. It never hurts to ask for the job you actually want!
Now that we are post-pandemic, many people may be out of work or switching careers. What are some actionable steps they can do to learn more (courses, online classes, sites, books)?
Damn, it’s so nice to see the word ‘post-pandemic’!
For anyone who wants to apply for a job in social media, practice running social media accounts first. Seriously. As far as I’m aware, there’s no bachelor’s degree in Instagram, so experience is key here.
Before I went freelance, I took over the social accounts of the companies I worked at and ran some of my own. Even if you don’t have a lot of followers, it’s a massive benefit to approach a company and show them an example of how YOU run a social media account. Saying, “I ran XYZ”, but not showing the posts or specifics is not enough.
The way you curate, repost, the language you use in captions, how creative you can be with stories, how you manage comments… this is everything I look at if I hire someone who wants to be on a social team. Screenshot your favorite posts, funny ways you reply to people, the assets you’re most proud of.
I’d suggest signing up for any FB groups or communities like Girlboss to learn from others in an industry you’re interested in. I learned a lot from Girlboss!
I’d also suggest reading up on books like ‘Little Black Book’ by Otegha Uwagba which was a very inspiring toolkit for me when starting out. I LOVE the Planoly and Later newsletters too. And never underestimate the power of friendship – I was really fortunate to have friends at Meraki Concept Studio (who knew A LOT more about digital marketing than I did). They took me for coffee and gave me the tips and answers to my questions that I needed to get started. Very grateful for those girls!
When I started working in social media, my mum gave me one piece of advice. She asked that I only work with clients who are contributing and influencing people for good. Social media is a powerful thing and in the wrong hands can become toxic quickly. I’ve always worked with inclusive brands that focus on self-care and mental health in an honest way. I don’t think the world will ever stop needing that kind of influence.
What is your best tip for the small business owner or creator who wants to transition and find new clients?
Know your analytics. Compare your numbers. Honestly assess what you’re posting.
Each week, take note of your most liked post, your most shared and if any posts received follows. Take note of your least likes, least shared too. Eventually, you’ll create a backlog of numbers (even if they’re not that high!). Compare them. Ask yourself why one week you had 20 likes on a post and the next week you had 0. Take note of the times you’re posting and what you’re posting about. What works? What doesn’t? There will be patterns. Be patient, keep learning.
How can we get in touch with you?
Follow on IG is perfect @kristinamakescontent ! You can also read my full tips to Instagram growth HERE.
