Gravity Blog

News about Gravity, the industry, and resources to help community businesses succeed.

How To Use Gift Cards to Grow Your Small Business

Do you need to reinvigorate your online marketing or maximize brand growth in a few months? It might sound counterintuitive, but offering gift cards to current and potential customers could help you grow your business. Why Use Gift Cards? Whether you only have a digital e-commerce store or your business is both online and retail, … Continued

How to Lead Through Crisis

Adapt Your Business Through--and Beyond--Covid-19

The outbreak of COVID-19 severely impacted hundreds of thousands of small businesses. Even as many of them begin to reopen, the lasting uncertainty and ongoing financial pressure can make it difficult for business owners to stay motivated and focused. How do you reopen while keeping people safe? How do you rally your employees and engage … Continued

Communal Table

How the Fat Hen Is Staying True to Its Roots Amid the Pandemic

Upon entering The Fat Hen restaurant in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, several adjectives come to mind: Quaint. Cozy. Cute. Charming. Friendly. Inviting. But perhaps the best word to describe this favorite neighborhood establishment is “communal.” A sense of community pervades everything The Fat Hen does. The menu, featuring hearty brunch dishes like eggs Benedict, … Continued

9 Ways to Future-Proof Your Coffee Shop

For many java junkies, their favorite local coffee shops provide more than just a daily caffeine fix. They’re also places to congregate with friends, meet neighbors, work on their screenplays/novels/business plans/app ideas, and generally experience a sense of community. But when COVID-19 forced coffee shops to close their cafes and dine-in services, owners had to … Continued

How Local Restaurants Are Adapting Under COVID-19

Since COVID-19 forced many businesses to shut down or scale back operations, restaurants have been particularly hard hit. While certain states are starting to allow dining rooms to reopen after months of restrictions, in many places the future is still uncertain. When restaurants are able to reopen, they’ll likely have to operate at less than … Continued

Reopening Your Boise Restaurant

Under Phase 2 of Governor Brad Little’s four-phase “Idaho Rebounds” reopening plan, restaurants in Idaho will be able to re-open their dining rooms beginning Saturday, May 16th. Unfortunately, given that the United States still lacks sufficient testing or a vaccine for COVID-19 and the virus continues to pose significant threats to the population, businesses will … Continued

11 Things Bridal Shops Can Do to Adapt During and After COVID-19

Social distancing guidelines and state-mandated business closures have devastated retail shops across the country. Bridal salons have felt a particularly harsh impact given the inherently personal nature of the industry, and salon owners have been forced to pivot their businesses quickly in order to stay afloat. One of those owners is Janice Yoder of Adore … Continued

How to Grow Your Business with Online Payments

As e-commerce solutions continue to evolve, organizations that take advantage of this technology will have a competitive advantage over those that don’t. Arguably the most important part of this equation is setting yourself up to accept online payments, and if you’re not already able to process digital payments through credit cards or another online service, … Continued

Merchant Spotlight: Schack Art Center

Two exhibition galleries; a live glassblowing hot shop; seven production studios; classes, workshops, and a kids summer arts camp; event spaces–and 19,000 square feet dedicated to exhibiting the work of prominent regional visual artists in the Northwest. These are just some of the things you’ll find at the Schack Art Center in Everett, Washington. Originally … Continued

Small Business Tax Tips

Numerous businesses overpay their taxes every year by overlooking various tax deductions. Keep Proper Records and Understand Available Deductions Proper record-keeping year-round is the first step to ensure taxes are filed accurately. Save essential paperwork that could be needed to back-up deduction claims, should there be an audit. Keep in mind that tax credits and … Continued