Fostering Growth and Collaboration in Bentonville's Business Scene
Mar 30, 2024
Todd Whatley
When Jasmine Rara made the trek from the sun-kissed coast of Southern California to the community-centric landscape of Bentonville, Arkansas, her journey became more than a change of scenery—it became a story of transformation and empowerment, especially for women entrepreneurs. Tune in as Jasmine, from the Greater Bentonville Chamber of Commerce, takes us through the evolution of the Business Women's Conference, now a powerful quarterly series, and reflects on the shifts of adapting to a new environment that many of us face. Her insights are rich with the spirit of collaboration and the importance of building a supportive ecosystem for those planting new roots.
As we navigate the growth spurts of our own communities, it's the stories of small businesses, the enhancements in public services like Ozark Regional Transit, and the passion projects like the Bentonville Moves Coalition that keep us intrigued. I'll share my own enchanting discovery of Arkansas's four seasons and outdoor marvels, mirroring the community's embrace of change and development. Through a conversation about the Chamber of Commerce's role in this dynamic landscape, we uncover the gym-like approach to maximizing membership benefits, the ins and outs of connecting entrepreneurs, and the Chamber's fresh visions for a high-touch future. Join us for this episode where the personal meets the communal, and inspiration meets actionable insights.
When Jasmine Rara made the trek from the sun-kissed coast of Southern California to the community-centric landscape of Bentonville, Arkansas, her journey became more than a change of scenery—it became a story of transformation and empowerment, especially for women entrepreneurs. Tune in as Jasmine, from the Greater Bentonville Chamber of Commerce, takes us through the evolution of the Business Women's Conference, now a powerful quarterly series, and reflects on the shifts of adapting to a new environment that many of us face. Her insights are rich with the spirit of collaboration and the importance of building a supportive ecosystem for those planting new roots.
As we navigate the growth spurts of our own communities, it's the stories of small businesses, the enhancements in public services like Ozark Regional Transit, and the passion projects like the Bentonville Moves Coalition that keep us intrigued. I'll share my own enchanting discovery of Arkansas's four seasons and outdoor marvels, mirroring the community's embrace of change and development. Through a conversation about the Chamber of Commerce's role in this dynamic landscape, we uncover the gym-like approach to maximizing membership benefits, the ins and outs of connecting entrepreneurs, and the Chamber's fresh visions for a high-touch future. Join us for this episode where the personal meets the communal, and inspiration meets actionable insights.
Speaker 1:
Welcome to Wealth for Generations, the podcast where you learn to grow, protect and preserve your wealth for generations. Our hosts on today's show are Todd Whatley, a certified elder law attorney, and Ian Weiner, a certified financial planner. Join us and our expert guests as we uncover the mindsets, tools and strategies to help you maximize your wealth and impact. Let's embark on this journey to secure your legacy. Please note this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as financial or legal advice. Always consult with a professional regarding your specific situation.
Speaker 2:
That's right. This is the Wealth for Generations podcast and I am one of your hosts, ian Weiner. I am not here with my co-host, todd Wiley, today, but we do have a special guest and I think we're going to have a great conversation today. I am here with Jasmine Rara from the Greater Bentonville Chamber of Commerce. Yes, jasmine, welcome.
Speaker 3:
Hi, thank you. I'm happy to be here. I'm excited to learn more about you all and as well as talk about the chamber and what we're doing and what's new and what's hip and what's coming. We're excited.
Speaker 2:
I'm excited to hear that, because I'm more out of the loop than I would like to be, frankly, and so and I know you're the exact opposite, you are the in the loop person, and so you know, we, we met um a little while ago at our grand opening or at Todd's grand opening Um, and I just was um, just kind of captured by your energy and your passion and what you're working on, and so I'm hoping that you'll share that with us today. But tell us about your title, your official title, and what you do, and I want to talk about how you got here.
Speaker 2:
And then what you're liking about being here.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, so my official title ready, it's long.
Speaker 2:
Okay.
Speaker 3:
It's the Director of Community Development and Education.
Speaker 2:
Okay, hang on, I'm taking that Got that. Okay.
Speaker 3:
Yes, and so part of my role is really going out to the community and gaining those partnerships, as well as some of the programmings that we have at the chamber, and one of them is our business women's conference and this is where we really empower our women, business entrepreneurs, local businesses, to expand and think outside the box.
Speaker 3:
And also, I think the most important thing is to let them know that we are a resource for them. We're here for them, we're here to support them. We want to see you grow. And so our Business Women's Conference back in the day it was before the pandemic it was this big one, you know day conference event where you have a keynote speaker and breakout series.
Speaker 3:
Because of the pandemic it kind of halted, but the community told us that it was still needed, so we made it into a smaller scale four part series every quarter. That's great, and each quarter we talk about different topics every quarter, and each quarter we talk about different topics. It could. Last year we talked about health equity and what that looks like. The one that's upcoming right now, on March 26th, we're going to talk about leading through change, and for me it's the beginning of the year, it's a new year. So let's really look at the foundation of our community and our community leaders and then hearing from them and seeing how they were able to rise above all of the intricacies of the pandemic and then their personal life, but still was able to give back positively to the community where they created leaders themselves and then, moving forward from that, I love it.
Speaker 2:
These are, to me, one of the things that I want to do with this podcast besides just talk about money stuff is to share these stories and the stories that are in our community and the stuff that's happening, and I think, as many times as these stories are shared, they could still be shared a little bit more. Yes, and so that's. I love that. My wife is an entrepreneur, which we talked about, and so I'm like, okay, I need to get her involved in this because, you know, it's it, being an entrepreneur is so different than being, you know, an employee, and it's not necessarily good or bad, it's just. It's just different.
Speaker 2:
And I think people need to know that there are other people like them that are working through the same things.
Speaker 3:
You know the life of an entrepreneur is like a roller coaster all the time. Yeah.
Speaker 2:
And it can be easy to get get overwhelmed. So, yeah, I love that, oh good, but I want to ask about you. Know, speaking of stories, I want to talk about your story a little bit, because you're not. You're not from here originally, so how did you get here?
Speaker 3:
So I came from Southern California. A lot of the reasons why we moved here is because of family who needed support, and so we looked at my husband and I looked at each other and we're like you know what? We have the opportunity. My biological daughter is off, you know, to college. And so I was like, okay, let's, let's go. And we packed, we, we sold a lot of our stuff, we packed up our two cars and drove here.
Speaker 2:
This. It's a story that many folks you know, that hear this or like you know what? That's kind of what happened with us. That's what happened with us. So you know, we just kind of did it and here we are and you know how's the change been. I mean, what's the besides allergies.
Speaker 3:
Um, I think I think we moved here blind so I didn't really know what to expect. I didn't really hear anything about arkansas so I had my own stigma and I was kind of fearful. But good thing my husband used to live here.
Speaker 2:
I was going to say how did you find this place?
Speaker 3:
So he knew what was a dynamic of the community and whatnot, so he put us in the perfect location. We used to live in Rogers in the Pinnacle Heights area, and to me it looks like if you've been to Orange County, it looks like Irvine, and now we've settled and um planted roots and we have a house in bella vista I love it, that's exciting.
Speaker 2:
I just it's it's fun to talk about. You know how folks get here, because not everyone is from here. Yeah, you know, and and the folks that are from here, we appreciate you and your patience, you know. But, um, so, coming from from southern california, uh, would you give us some context on traffic? How's the traffic here from your perspective?
Speaker 3:
I mean, now that I feel like I've been here, it seems like, okay, there's traffic everywhere. But I have to put it in perspective. I have to step back for a second and think about okay, you're not on the 405, which is, if you've never been there, it's bumper to bumper, two miles. It will take you 30 minutes, 30, 45 minutes to get there.
Speaker 2:
It's like, as far as you can see.
Speaker 3:
Yeah.
Speaker 2:
Backed up.
Speaker 3:
So when there is traffic, I do have to gain perspective and just think about okay, well, at least this isn't. You know, in California you had to do this, so it'll take a while to get there, but it won't take you two hours to get there, my goodness.
Speaker 2:
I know Well. I appreciate that, because sometimes I get a little frustrated with some of that construction on J Street right now. But you know what? Yeah, it could be worse.
Speaker 3:
I think we have to just be patient, because as we're growing, we're growing so fast A lot of the things are kind of overlooked or wasn't understood.
Speaker 2:
It's growing pains when you're growing. Stuff has to break a little bit.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, so be patient. And I tell myself that too.
Speaker 2:
And it's going to continue to happen. But I think the big picture is I think it's going to be generally positive overall and I think you probably have a pretty interesting perspective on some of this getting to see kind of the inner workings of this happening and getting to see a lot of different types of small businesses and how they're growing and adapting of small businesses and how they're growing and adapting. I want to just hear some things that you're thinking are interesting right now, or some of your favorite kind of stories of what you're seeing right now.
Speaker 3:
So one of the partnering organizations that are our members is Ozark Regional Transit, and what they're doing is phenomenal.
Speaker 2:
We're big fans of that. Yes, what they're doing is phenomenal.
Speaker 3:
We're big fans of that. Yes, and growing just their transit line alone, as well as having a door-to-door service for $1.25.
Speaker 2:
That's amazing.
Speaker 3:
It's like I haven't heard of that before and it's very concierge and very intentional for the community. And to me that's just amazing because it provides accessibility, it provides freedom, if it just it just provides also barriers to people that can't, you know, have that access, or from Fayetteville all the way to you know, NWAC, it's like you just get to ride there, and so that's really cool in knowing that it's growing. And again, please be patient, there's a lot of cool stuff happening. And then also, as you probably know, a Bentonville Moves Coalition, um, a Benville moves coalition. They're helping, you know, looking for active transportation and different ways to um get from point A to point B without using your car. So so really allowing that access for for our community, which is almost an active community.
Speaker 2:
Jessica Pearson right, she's kind of spirited in that. Okay, my wife is also Jessica, so it's like they know each other and so it's like I remember that name. Yeah, that's a really cool. I mean, these are infrastructure things that are beginning to come up because of all the folks that are moving here, and I think that's a really cool thing to see sort of the nonprofit but also like kind of business sector solve some of those problems. Yes, yes, that's what we're passionate about. That's the way stuff should be handled If you see a problem, fix it.
Speaker 3:
Exactly exactly, and I feel like for the most part people, our community is patient because they know what growing pains are and they know that with our economy, growing is more opportunity, that with our economy, growing is more opportunity. So so, just having that mindset and perspective of, okay, look at the bigger picture, it's going to going to be, it's going to benefit all of us at the end of the day.
Speaker 2:
I think that is definitely the key thing to keep in mind as it continues to grow. I'm curious you know what are some? Um, you know you guys. You said you're in, you're in Bella Vista and coming from Southern California, you know that's, that's a change as far as like outdoors and lifestyle stuff. Have you found some like favorite, you know like things to do or restaurants? I'm just curious, what, what you, what you like? I'm a food person, so I always like to ask.
Speaker 3:
Okay, you're a foodie, so as far as restaurants, I haven't found my favorite. We meal prep, so it's kind of hard to just go, but we are outdoorsy. So the reason why we chose Bella Vista is, for me, it was the picturesque of what it looked like living in Arkansas, where I could go in the backyard and all of these deer are like—.
Speaker 2:
You're in the Ozarks for me.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, going through my yard and hearing all the coyotes and seeing fox, and I'm just like in California, southern California, you don't see that. So it's still. I'm still in awe every time and I'm like take out your phone, get your phone, record this, this is what's happening, and I send it to you. Know, my friends in California and they're like, wow, that's cool. I'm like, yeah, that's my backyard, it's right there. Yeah.
Speaker 2:
That's amazing. We talked a little bit before the show but I want to get your take on kind of the change of seasonality here I think that's really interesting. So in California it's pretty steady all the time.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, for the most part there's, I would say, less than 10% of rain, and when it does, everybody freaks out.
Speaker 2:
It's like if there's snow in Dallas, it's a national emergency.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, but I think this season I love it. I love the change in the seasons, I love the fact that if I get too hot, it's like, okay, just wait a little bit and it'll get cold, or the breeze will come, and to me that's it's. I mean, I was born in the Philippines, so you know, like a tropical island and always hot.
Speaker 3:
So, I've always been drawn to the cold. I think I will regret these words when I'm older, but for right now, it's the four seasons is fun. It's fun, it's exciting and it's magical.
Speaker 2:
I think that's really interesting. I just I came from a similar well, I came from Colorado originally. It's exciting and it's magical. I think that's really interesting. I just I came from a similar well, I came from Colorado originally, and so I'm used to very defined seasons and so it's this climate reminds me of that. But it was just interesting hearing how big of a change that is. I want to ask too when people think about the Chamber of Commerce I don't know, like there's different ones and they have different, it's like can be kind of confusing a little bit, you know, for people who are either have an established business or are starting a business. How should they interact with the chamber and what should that experience look like?
Speaker 3:
I think it should be a positive experience. Again, if you don't know, the purpose of the chamber is to help economic growth. So, with that in mind is bringing in new companies, and that could include big and small companies. But for this particular chamber, because we're such in a great niche right now where there's a lot of local businesses, that's what we want to also focus on is our local businesses again and helping them grow. And to me, what my colleagues and I, the more you'll get results from it.
Speaker 2:
That makes sense, and that was what I was going to say is. You know, my thought is it's probably you kind of get out of it what you put into it, yeah yeah.
Speaker 2:
I like the gym membership analogy there, because I could probably use a couple extra days there. So what kind of events do you? So you mentioned a little bit about the women's events what other types of events do you guys do Kind of walk through, like even just what a month looks like for you and also like I'm just curious what your day-to-day looks like for you and also like I'm just curious what your day to day looks like Cause.
Speaker 2:
I don't think people understand like you know when. When I hear you know chamber of commerce, I think like, like gears and stuff. But it's run by people like you. And so I want to like flesh that out a little bit.
Speaker 3:
So it's run by wonderful, passionate individuals that really want to help the community. Um, my is again going out to the community and just being a resource for them, helping them bridge the gap of wherever they need assistance. I always say, if I don't know the answer, I'm sure I know somebody who does and I could connect them. We're the connectors for our community. A day-to-day to me is meetings and admin stuff and coordination. March has been really busy with our Business Women's Conference, but we do have our State of the Chamber on April 16th and this is where we really celebrate our community and, as well as the premise of the State of the Chamber, is celebrating again the foundation of our community, which are the Arkansans, and then also integrating and celebrating the transplants. That's really also helped us evolve with such diversity that we have in our community now.
Speaker 2:
I think that's really cool. We'll put a link in the show for that. How many business owners do you talk to on a daily basis? Like 50, 60? I mean, you're probably just all the time talking to different people. It's like 50, 60.
Speaker 3:
I mean, you're probably just all the time talking to different people, like today, I probably just from one lunch, I probably met like 10 entrepreneurs. That's awesome. Yeah, it's awesome because I love to learn and I love to genuinely get to know people and get to understand their whys and, again, like I am a natural connector I'm a natural like I love to help people. That's, that's my background, is non-profit, so so for me to to be able to help, whether big or small is, is a huge win for me I love that.
Speaker 2:
That's kind of what, what drives you and your, your focus there. Yeah, um, I think that's. I think that's really neat. I forgot what.
Speaker 3:
I was going to ask.
Speaker 2:
Hold, Todd, hold, we can cut that Water break. I'll see what part of the recording that is so that I can tell him, so that I can tell him. So, when you're thinking about what the community is doing in the next few years, what are some of the things that you're excited about? I mean, of course, these quarterly events. That's really fun, but what are some other things that you're starting to see and you don't have to give away any, any secrets but that that just you're you're excited about.
Speaker 3:
I am excited for our new CEO, brandon he. He has a vision and his vision is really leading the community and bringing putting it together in a sense, like an example is when I mentioned small businesses are the majority of Bentonville, bella Vista, northwest Arkansas, and we really again want to be purposeful and intentional with helping these small businesses and he's you know. We've created this kind of lunches where we invite five to seven members to have lunch with him and just have a casual conversation on what can we do better? Or we are here, no matter how busy we are. There's always time to help an individual, to help a member, to help them be engaged or to direct them to marketing. Again, we're a resource for them and we want to be able share that to the community, no matter how busy we are.
Speaker 2:
That's really high touch. I mean to be doing small, you know, lunches like that. Yeah, that's really cool that you know. I've only interacted with him briefly, but that is the sense that I get is that you know, this is, this is a passion for him.
Speaker 3:
You know he's not just kind of a figurehead there and he's not paying kind of a figurehead there, and he's not paying me to say this no, he's very genuine and he really truly has a vision for the chamber and a vision for how we serve our community.
Speaker 2:
I think that's really important and what I'm hoping is that you know business owners and people that are thinking about starting a business are listening to this going. You know that that's something that I would want to be part of. I want to be with people who are passionate about the same things that we're passionate about, even if there's different business interests. I think that's something where the small business community I say small, I mean that could be 100 employees the small business community in northwest Arkansas is fairly tight-knit and growing pretty quickly. I mean, we're underappreciated in terms of what sort of economic activity happens. You don't think of Arkansas as being a small business hub, but it really is.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, and I think that's really cool and I think what makes it special is that the community has an? And mentality. It's either buy from me or buy from this person. It's buy from me and this person, and so it's a really, like you mentioned, a tight-knit community where we all want to see each other succeed. There's taking away the siloness of the different chambers or the different cities and really getting together and showing the community that hey, we're all here for you, as you know as a chamber, and whether you utilize us or you know the other chambers in the cities, but at the end of the day, we're all one community.
Speaker 2:
I think that is a really important thing because there's because, in the way that people talk about this region and they talk about it as Northwest Arkansas, there's some brilliance in that, and I don't know if it's unconscious competence or it was designed that way, but it builds a sense of unity and community that's outside of the actual city lines and I think that's a really key thing that people don't realize as much.
Speaker 3:
Yeah.
Speaker 2:
You know, because whether you're in Benville or Bella Vista or Rogers, you're still in. You know, you're still in Northwest Arkansas, yeah, and that brings people together and I think that it's very clever the way that the Greater Benville Chamber of Commerce has, you know, attached to that and is encouraging that, because those lines are blurring more and more, and I think that's a really good thing.
Speaker 3:
And I think that's what we're. One of the things we're proud of the most especially the staff is is again going out there. No matter you know what barriers there are, we always try to find a solution where it benefits everybody.
Speaker 2:
I think what that, what that suggests to me and this has been my interaction with you guys so far but there's definitely an abundance mindset that everybody has. It's that and thing that you said. There's no reason that everyone can't do. Well, this is not a zero-sum game and I think that's really important and it's contagious, and the more that that continues, the better that's going to be.
Speaker 3:
Yeah.
Speaker 2:
So that's really exciting to me.
Speaker 3:
I think that's just part of being positive.
Speaker 2:
Yeah.
Speaker 3:
Having that positive outlook and positivity is contagious and and spreading that out to the community. And what does it hurt?
Speaker 2:
I think that's such a simple but great way to say that, because I find that, you know, despite all of the challenges that we have with growing and the growing pains, there is this underlying positivity that a lot of folks in this area have, and I think that attracts people together and that causes that to to continue, yeah, and I think part of that is people want to genuinely engage in conversation.
Speaker 3:
So if if somebody doesn't understand one thing, there's this and there's people that is willing to have that understanding and or empathy within the conversation and really provide education for so that person can really understand and or grasp what is happening.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah, I think that's a big piece, and education is. There's no downside to educating. There's no downside to educating, and I think that's something that I've seen that you guys do really well and continue to do. What other things are you excited about right now that we haven't gotten to talk about?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, so we are partnering more with the Rogers Lowell Chamber. We've already had, I think, a handful of networking events that we partner with them and again this is exciting to us because it's again taking away all those siloness within the community. And for new members, we have our members perk on March 28th and this is where if you're a member already, a new member, or you want to decide to see what you know, if it's going to benefit you, we provide that educational piece as well and definitely networking at the end of that. Networking is a huge proponent of the referrals of businesses, right. So again, it's like a gym membership the more you put in, the more you'll see results.
Speaker 2:
So for folks who are, you know they have a business, maybe they're not as connected. You know, what would you tell folks, you know, to kind of encourage them to step out a little bit, Even if they're more like some people, are a little bit more introverted with these kind of things, you know?
Speaker 3:
Yeah. So what I say is that look for chamber staff and let them know hey, I'm new. Or what we do now is we have this new sticker program where it's like I'm new and so we have an ambassador who will introduce you. And it's very understandable that not everybody is comfortable just walking up to strangers, and we completely understand that. So we will hold your hand, in a sense, and to make sure that you feel comfortable enough to want to put yourself out there. To help to make those connections, yeah.
Speaker 2:
I think that's super helpful, and so if someone either wants to learn more about events or learn more about the chamber, what should they do? What should those steps be?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, so they can go to the greaterbettenvillechambercom. There is an event section there and all of our events throughout the year is there, whether they're paid events or they're free events.
Speaker 2:
Okay, yeah, Awesome. And if someone wants to like sponsor an event, do they talk to you. You're the person.
Speaker 3:
I'm the person I love it. It's jrara at greaterbettenvillecom.
Speaker 2:
We will add that in the show notes there for people to reach out to you. Well, it's been so lovely chatting. I hope you'll come back to the show again when we have some more updates.
Speaker 3:
Definitely.
Speaker 2:
Anything that I didn't ask that I should have.
Speaker 3:
I think we hit all the bullet points and again, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2:
It's a pleasure.
Speaker 3:
I'm excited to just be here and be part of this community. As a transplant, it's exciting to feel like this is home.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I definitely get that a lot. I feel that pretty deeply. So thank you, Jasmine. We will talk again soon and look forward to seeing you at the next event.
Speaker 3:
Yay.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for joining us on Wealth for Generations. We hope today's insights inspire and guide you in your financial journey. Remember, the path to wealth and legacy is unique for each of us and we're here to help illuminate your way. Before we part, a quick reminder this podcast does not provide financial or legal advice. The content discussed is for informational purposes only. Please consult a financial planner or legal advisor for advice specific to your situation. Visit us at wwwwealth4generationscom for more resources and don't forget to subscribe to Wealth for Generations. Until next time, keep building your legacy, one decision at a time.