While some businesses are laying people off, a Mission Valley technology company named to Inc. Magazine's 2020 Top Places to Work list is looking to hire more than 100 people over the next year.
GoSite is among the companies seeing a business boom helping other businesses move online.
“Having a digital footprint for a small business has shifted from being nice to have to an absolute must have,” said GoSite Founder Alex Goode. “Today, doing business online is one of the only ways these small businesses can attract new customers. It’s really created an opportunity to transition more of their operations online to really make it easier for customers to find them.”
According to business consulting firm McKinsey and Company, data shows “we have vaulted five years forward in consumer and business digital adoption in a matter of around eight weeks.”
The Crack Shack is seeing that digital shift now more than ever since the communal seating vibe at their Little Italy location is no longer allowed thanks to COVID-19. That’s meant more online take-out orders.
It’s a trend the restaurant’s marketing director Nicole Rogers said may continue after a recent survey they conducted.
"At least 50% of people will continue doing a mix of takeout and dine-in, which for a restaurant like The Crack Shack is, you know, a little bit more than we had seen in the past. But then at least a quarter of those people said they would still only feel comfortable online and ordering takeout," said Rogers.
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The Crack Shack has been a GoSite customer since before the pandemic.
GoSite, a 7-year-old company with 250 employees, has helped a combined 6,000 small businesses across the country set up their digital footprint making it easier for customers to find them online.
“We instantly launch a new website for the small business and instantly connect them to all those major consumer platforms like Yelp, Google, Apple maps, Google maps Facebook, and then we help them establish a better online reputation,” said Goode.
GoSite also helps small businesses interact with customers through their digital dashboard. It's available in app form so business managers can tasks anywhere, 24/7.
With six different locations to manage, Rogers says the dashboard makes it easy to update their various social media sites and talk to customers during a time of ever-changing business regulations.
“We’re continually communicating with guests way more than we ever have, and just continuing to have that kind of presence online and making sure that, you know, guests are in the loop constantly because everything's changing," explained Rogers.
Goode says it only takes 30 minutes to get a business up and running online.
