7 Star Pivot Plan to Save The Bulls of Durham

Sheila Amir Durham Hotel Mick Schulte

Hey Bull City Enthusiasts.

I hope this finds you in good spirits, healthy, and hopeful.

Don’t stop BULLieving that better days are coming with Durham Bulls baseball and all the hugs you can physically handle. 

Oh hey, it’s me, Sheila Amir, creator The Bulls of Durham. I’m also a human-impacted by the Corona chaos.

I’ve created a plan to help keep this company afloat through Rona. I’m going to serve it up dessert-first style – key points first with details following. Dessert first is the key to both creating incrediBULL content and to being a great auntie.

If you do nothing else, CLICK HERE to buy your copy of “The Bulls of Durham.” It’s an incrediBULL book. You’ll love it.

The Bulls of Durham 7 Star Pivot Plan

Here’s the plan. If you want to now more about each star-point, keep reading.

  • ⭐Sticking to Our Purpose, Mission & BULLiefs
  • ⭐Going for a Win-Win-Win
  • ⭐What’s Needed
  • ⭐How We’re Helping The Community
  • ⭐Stop. Collaborate. And Listen.
  • ⭐Going Lean But Not Mean.
  • ⭐Our Promise to You

Seven stars as in the seven stars on the Durham flag as in the 7 stars of the Pleiades in the Taurus constellation. Seriously.

⭐But This Is Durham

As a Small Business Owner and a human, this is hard. You don’t need my fears, worries, frustrations, or “Tiger King” thoughts. You have more than enough of your own. I won’t share mine. Instead, I’m going to be hopeful and share from my Bull City Loving Heart.⁠

I’m being brave and asking for help.

I’ve gotten as far as I can alone through this pandemic and now it’s time to ask for help. The only way to survive this is together, but apart.

I’ve waited as long as I could because I know that once you ask for help in Durham, you best be ready to receive. I am ready.

Since this all began, my inboxes have been overflowing with requests for help, connections, and a loving, listening ear. To be clear, no one has asked too much of me and I’m honored to get to be a thread in this Durham fabric. The need is just so great for so many. At the time of writing this, I have 1078 emails that genuinely need a response.

It turns out Rona is badder bitch than I am.⁠ Right before Rona hit ‘we,’ as in I had a small but mighty team, were laying the foundation for MASSIVE expansion that would provide job, marketing, and small business owner education opportunities.⁠

We’re building an entire company that would tell wild-eyed, big-dreaming creatives, “What you’re doing is awesome. We BULLieve in you. We’re in. What do you need?”

We had potential investors lining up and I had just sent off a job-offer to the PERFECT Executive Assistant. Life was good. Real good. It felt like when you order nachos and a margarita at your favorite taco joint and the owner hooks you up for free.

And now, here ‘I’ am, as in a team of one, navigating SBA forms, bank ish, pivot plans, business school work and running/saving The Bulls of Durham alone, solo. And what would Han Solo be without Chewbacca? Dead and gone.

But this is Durham.⁠

⭐Our Purpose, Mission & BULLiefs

Purpose⭐

The purpose of The Bulls of Durham is to return and spread the Bull City Magic that has been shared with me. Period.

Mission⭐

To create a space where creatives and small business owners can cultivate their skills to build a life and community they love.

This company is my way of being the person I needed when I was younger for others, ESPECIALLY marginalized creatives.⁠ This company is a defiant “F you” to anyone who didn’t BULLieve in me, in women, & in my city.⁠

BULLiefs⭐

This too shall pass. There will be baseball. There will be hugs.

Rising tides float all boats.

We’re all in this together but apart.

This is Durham. If you get that and you with that, throw your horns up.

⭐Going for a Win-Win-Win

Durham is the love of my life. In sickness and in health. In the good times and during bizarre, global pandemics. So the way I’m going to do this is for Durham – we all win. 

You win.

The Bulls of Durham wins.

The Durham Community wins.

⭐What’s Needed

Money

Well, that was blunt. Here it is folks. In order to keep things going, the company needs money. It’s that simple. Not even my Prius runs exclusively on love and sparkles. What’s more, in order to continue to serve the community and at least attempt to meet the community needs, I need my Executive Assistant.

Purchasing ANYTHING from The Bulls of Durham Store is a tremendous help. I’m focusing heavily on selling out every last copy of “The Bulls of Durham” to show those investors who are kindly on hold that not even Rona can stop this company. We’ll discuss purchases of Community Partnership Opportunities BULLow.

If you’re interested in either making a one-time monetary contribution or setting up weekly contributions through the end of June 2020, email me at Info@TheBullsOfDurham.com. Hardest sentence to write, ever.

The following is very Durham. I could really use a second monitor to maximize workflow. I feel like borrowing one for the next couple of months is doaBULL in Durham. Holla at me if this is your truth – Info@TheBullsOfDurham.com

Shouts *FROM* Durham

Word-of-mouth is still the greatest marketing of all time – ALL TIME. Testimonials and reviews of any Bulls of Durham product are an unBULLievaBULL help. Send us your Mug Shots and tell us your Mug Shot Love Story. There’s 5200+ Bull Love Mugs out in the world and each has a love story. Send those over to Info@TheBullsOfDUrham.com and/or tag us on Facebook and Instagram.

Tell all your friends and family about us. Make sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook. Like up all our content as far back as you can go. Leave positive comments of three words or more on our posts to boost placement in the algorithm. 

⭐How We’re Helping the Community

TheBullsOfDurham.com is a community resource. A place where Durham businesses can share their latest and Durhamites can find out. A place where you can learn how to help your neighbors in need.

We’re providing opportunities for other small businesses, organizations, and individuals can share what they’re doing during this time and how we can support them. If you’re wanting to share your dopeness and ask for help on our platform, email me at Info@TheBullsOfDurham.com and let’s talk.

Also, it’s a space where you can up your skills with tutorials like the incrediBULL 6 part series on photography by Radian Photography.

Supporting, advocating, and endorsing Rona Resources like LocalListNC.com. DurhamEats.com, and NCHereForGood.com.

Adjusting our Community Partnership Program. Now through June 30th, all our marketing opportunities are pay-what-you-can. Purchases made during this time must be used in the 2020 second quarter. Quantities limited to calendar dates. The Bull City Business Package price has been reduced by $202.

You *CAN* purchase these opportunities to be given to someone who cannot afford to pay for them and we’ll envelop it into a scholarship. If what you can pay is zero dollars that’s understandaBULL. Email Info@TheBullsOfDurham.com to get information on our scholarship opportunities.

Helping with the online pivot. Save time and make money by maximizing your online presence. I’m working on an 8 week, online course in digital marketing called the Pivot Academy. Until that is released, download 10 Tactics for Growing Your Instagram Audience with Loyal Customers for FREE.

⭐Stop. Collaborate. And Listen.

The only way to survive Rona is together but apart. We’re collaborating with other local businesses to give you an opportunity to save two businesses with one purchase.

Inkfinity NC Here for Good Program

Hometown Apparel Collaboration- Details coming soon.

Aspire and Co. Pivot Summit

⭐Going Lean But Not Mean

I’m selling our subsidiary Made in Durham ***to the right owner.*** This platform is bursting at the seams with potential and needs the right owner to cultivate it into its potential.

It’s the Raju of platforms. Raju is my rescue pup. He’s only one year old and I’m his THIRD and final owner. He’s a good dog in the making. He just needed the right owner who would give him the dedication, patience, attention, love, and nourishment to be his best self.

Made in Durham has SO MUCH potential and I’m sitting on the data to back that up because you cannot take high hopes to the bank. It’s simply not in alignment with The Bulls of Durham business model. Every day it remains in my ownership is a day it’s not making a Durham creative money.

Either stay tuned for details OR email me at Info@TheBullsOfDurham.com to learn more.

⭐My Promise to You

I’m going to keep the faith.

Keep the faith.

Lawd you gotta keep the faith.

Faith that this will all work out and on the other side of the Corona Chaos is a new, better norm. I will do absolutely EVERYTHING in my power to keep The Bulls of Durham open and on it’s way to becoming what it has the potential to be. I will keep all communication kind, hopeful, and encouraging. I will be a light in this dark time. Only love today and every day.

Love you, Durham,

Sheila Amir

Love. Faith. Gratitude. Durham.

Ink by Brandon Palmer. Photo by Mick Schulte. Yes, it’s real and for-ev-er.

P.S. My personal definition of faith is ‘F fear.’ And that’s my mantra right now. Feel free to use that.

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