Creating Superfans: Kara Jensen’s Be Outdoors Arizona Hub Connects Agencies and Outdoor Enthusiasts

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Kara is a marketing professional with a passion for the outdoors.

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Proficient in website design and social

media use, she has been hired by the

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Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society,

Arizona Antelope Foundation, and

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Arizona Predator Callers to rebuild and

manage their websites, and she manages

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the Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife

Conservation social media platforms.

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She also has experience in public

speaking and has been the Master

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of Ceremonies for the Antelope

Foundation and the Valley of the Sun

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Chapter of Quail Forever Fundraisers.

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Kara specializes in marketing

messages, video and follow up

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systems, and event planning.

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Originally on a volunteer basis, she

built the website for Be Outdoors

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Arizona and cultivated an impressive

11, 000 plus followers on Facebook.

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In 2020, she took over the

reins of Be Outdoors Arizona.

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and is building a community of

supportive outdoor enthusiasts,

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businesses, and non profits.

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Hello, Kara.

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Welcome to the Business

Superfans podcast show.

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Kara Jenson: Thank you, Frederick.

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It's a pleasure to be on here and,

everything's going absolutely fabulous.

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Thank you.

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Freddy D: Tell us your story

of what led you to become the

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owner of the BeOutdoorsArizona.

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org website.

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Kara Jenson: I was involved in a bunch

of conservation organizations and Ran

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into these guys that were running this,

several years ago their website had

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crashed and I thought I can help you out.

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I can rebuild your website,

put your calendar back up.

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their goal at the time was to connect

a bunch of the smaller organizations

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that had outdoor workshops or camps

for kids that taught outdoor skills.

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they had 35 partners at the time

and, I helped them grow that to

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about 150 partners rebuilt their

website with a robust calendar

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system and started a Facebook page.

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I had gotten that up to close

to 10, 000 people following

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and it was going very well.

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and then one day the board came to

me and said, we've met our goal.

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This is what we wanted was to

connect all these organizations,

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to create a next steps program.

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So if you went to one of that and

you started to learn something,

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you wanted to learn more.

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There was another event by another

organization to continue your

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process until you're comfortable

enough to feel that you could

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go out on your own and do it.

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They met their goal.

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They didn't know what else they could

do with the organization, and the board

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hadn't even met in about six months.

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they told me they were going to try to

sell it to, the Environmental Education

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Association or state parks, and they

turned out that they didn't have the money

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or the manpower to keep the program going.

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, The board came back to me and said

we're just going to shelve the

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program and maybe somebody will

take it up in another year or two.

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You'll lose absolutely everything.

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And you'll start all over by

scratch in a couple of years.

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Freddy D: Oh, absolutely.

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Because you've got those partners that

invested and are counting for the traffic

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off of the website for their businesses,

It's got a lot of value for Arizonans,

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as well as visitors to the state of

Arizona, because it helps them find

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activities events and a multitude of

different things, which is all outdoors

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kind of stuff, so it's really cool.

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But you're absolutely correct,

because those partners would have

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lost confidence, and they would have

affected their business, and they

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would have not wanted to come back.

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Kara Jenson: And then even at

that, their boards of directors

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change every year or two.

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So it had all new people on board.

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They wouldn't even know who we were

and just a lot of different factors.

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Then just the social media factors.

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If that page stops posting, no

one's going to come back to it.

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I don't know what possessed

me, but I just blurted it out.

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Let me run with the organization, let

me have it, I'll run with the mission,

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and, it was what did I just say?

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Tried to put the words back in my mouth,

but I thought, I'm really passionate about

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it and I enjoyed doing what I was doing.

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So I had the organization and, so if I

planned a big, to do a expo at the Game

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and Fish Expo, they have an outdoor

expo, it brings in about 40, 000 people.

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So I bought some t shirts and hats and

some, I made some brochures and banners

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and such, and was going to launch, and

that was going to be March of: 2020

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And then of course, we all

know what happened then.

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It was like great, I have an organization

all about events and there are no events.

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So it gave me a year to really

figure out how can I run a nonprofit

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by myself and build a board,

and what could the nonprofit do?

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The rest is history, I've got huge

organization of what it does for

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the nonprofits, for the businesses,

and for the end users parents.

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Freddy D: Let's talk about

what it does for those three

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groups that you just mentioned.

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So let's talk about one of the groups

and then we'll talk about the next one

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and the next one as to how that site

benefits, because it's a bi directional

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benefit, so it benefits you as well

as it benefits them and actually

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it's a trifecta because it actually

benefits also the user on your website.

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Kara Jenson: Yeah, my partners

would be, what I consider my

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partners are my non profits.

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These are organizations that are

environmental conservation or

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youth oriented, and they have

educational programs outdoors.

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Now, some of them can have tours,

some of them have camps where they

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actually take you out and teach

to fish, teach you how to hunt.

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teach you how to camp, how to set up

a tent, all sorts of things like that.

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Some of them actually have work projects

where you go out and you clean up

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trails or, streams or even highways.

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So there's a lot of different, types of

activities, and all those people are free

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to put their calendar on my calendar,

and so I'll import their calendars.

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They have a very small description.

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There's no picture.

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There's no information that

would really entice anybody to go

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check it out for the first time.

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So we put a little marketing effort

into it and give all the information

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that somebody needs to feel comfortable

enough to go for the first time.

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I'm creating a membership for partners

now where they'll get a lot more

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where I help them out with grants.

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do extra promotion like

professional video of their events.

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we'll also help with volunteers.

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I have a volunteer database that I

can put their listings on, to say

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we need this kind of volunteer.

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We also, will do events they won't have

a table fee to come, be at an event.

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I also will help them with things

like warehousing, printing, if they

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need fulfillment services, all sorts

of things like that a nonprofit

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really needs to be successful.

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Freddy D: Going back to your

background, which is marketing.

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Kara Jenson: Yes.

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Freddy D: Now, what about businesses?

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How can businesses benefit

from being on the website?

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Kara Jenson: What I have for businesses

is there's several different types

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of membership that they can have.

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They can have something as

simple as, a small fee to put

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their events on the calendar.

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A lot of them have classes

and, outdoor skills classes so

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they can put their events on my

calendar for a very small fee.

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I can also offer hyper

targeted advertising.

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So if they're in, say, Flagstaff and

they're a fishing store, they can be on

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the fishing events in the Flagstaff area.

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Same thing with if they're in Sierra

Vista or if they're in Tucson.

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So I've got multiple markets and

they can be the exclusive retailer.

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In that area on those sorts of events

so in the ads that they're paying for

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are going directly to the Targeted

customer that they want to reach.

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It's not going to Someone who will never

be interested in walking into their store.

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I can plan events where I bring

in some of these non profits

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and have activities for kids.

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We make it a big to do to where we have, I

was going to call them parking lot events.

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And we bring the non profits in, have

activities, have displays, and maybe

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a special sale, and more people come

in to visit the store on that day.

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Freddy D: Very cool.

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So to tie this into, creating business

superfans, you're basically helping

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promote those businesses, whether it's

a nonprofit or for profit, exposure

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onto your platform, which has got a big

audience because people are searching

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for activities, of what they can do and

adventures that they can go on, et cetera.

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So those businesses and organizations

are going to be, grateful

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and become your superfan of

promoting the website to patrons.

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Kara Jenson: And when we connect the

businesses to these nonprofits, what

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they're going to end up doing is, aligning

them with, what their customers value

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most, that allows them to no longer

have to resort to discounting to attract

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or retain those customers, because

they're offering more than just being

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a place to sell something, which makes

them a superfan to their customers.

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Freddy D: What about, your

donors and stuff like that?

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I noticed on the website there's a

place for donors, how does that work?

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Kara Jenson: I do have a donation

button and right now we're asking

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just for operating expenses to

keep the website up and running.

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I just signed up with a donation platform

called Harness, and it is another thing

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that I will be offering my non profit

partners, we can create campaigns on this

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software, and they can be sent via text,

social media, and I can help raise money

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for them, or they can actually get their

own version of Harness for themselves.

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So that's what we're going to be doing,

is Taking donations for ourselves just

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to keep the doors open, just to keep

that calendar going and all the other

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resources that are on the website for

end users in finding outdoor activities.

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Freddy D: Can you share a story of,

how the portal helped one of your

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partners in attracting more business?

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Kara Jenson: I'm in process of

one in particular right now.

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they're going to be my poster

child for the campaign software,

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and we'll be launching that soon.

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He's a new nonprofit that, takes

kids out, teaching outdoor skills to

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young men that don't have fathers.

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they're brand new and, I met him about

six months ago, so he can't get grants

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right now because they have to be in

business for two years to qualify for a

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grant, but I can get a grant for them.

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So I'm working on getting grants

and then getting them donations

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until they can get their own.

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right now I'm driving traffic

to, it's called, Field and Faith.

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So we're driving traffic to them and we

was starting a donation campaign to help

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them ramp up until they can get grants.

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Freddy D: That's going to

be a super fan for life.

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Kara Jenson: I just, I

love what he's doing.

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I even mentioned it to him and he's

told me that he's gotten the request.

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I was like, you need to have one

for fatherless girls and have

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some male influence in these

girls, and teach them the sort of

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confidence through outdoor skills.

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I thought it'd be a great idea.

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Who knows, I might be

starting something else.

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Freddy D: What he's providing is

really important because, I went

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through Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts

I still remember some of the things

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from those days, and I still remember

how to tie some of the knots.

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I did the 22 mile hike

and stuff like that.

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I was one of the top in our troop.

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I ended up being one merit badge

short to being an Eagle Scout, but

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that's another story for another day.

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I understand the value.

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Through, Be Outdoors Arizona,

you're helping a non profit do some

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things that are very important,

especially in a young life, helping

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them build confidence in themselves.

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Kara Jenson: and with the way our youth

right now are experiencing so much

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stress, mental health issues are just

off the charts right now, it's just

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amazing what these kids are going through

and what they see and are exposed to.

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the need to get them outdoors

in nature is so important.

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in effect, our whole organization

is based off of Richard Lube's book,

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Last Child in the Woods., He coins

the term, Nature Deficit Disorder,

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and that's what we're all about.

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Getting the kids out there.

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Freddy D: If you think about

it, when you and I were kids,

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we were out riding our bicycles.

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we were climbing trees.

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We were going camping.

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We were, playing games outside.

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We were playing catch baseball.

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I remember even building model cars and

going into the hobby shop and they had

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slot cars and you would race them on a

track and there was a prize for winners.

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We had hobbies back then and activities,

so what you guys are doing with Be

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Outdoors Arizona is helping people

get back to that, and it's also what I

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really like about it is it's a portal.

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So I don't have to go to 12 places to

find what do I want to do this Sunday.

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I can go right to here and find out

what's going on outdoors in Arizona

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Kara Jenson: Exactly, and some of

these organizations are really small

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and even if you search for them, they

can be hard to find on the internet.

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I also have all the resources you need.

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I have all the maps to different

trails and waterways and

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boat ramps and fishing spots.

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I have all the county parks in the state

are listed where you can go find them

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and what events they have going on.

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Then just a lot of other educational

things as far as the different kinds of

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land, the public land and private land

and state land and what you can and

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can't do on that and how to do that.

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So that, and all the fees too, so if you

want to know if you're going somewhere,

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if there's some sort of fee that you have

to pay, you know that too ahead of time.

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Freddy D: Yeah, we went traveling,

we pull up to State Park, and she

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says, you gotta pay to get in.

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Fortunately, I sweet talked the guard

lady and she says, okay, I'll give

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you 15 minutes to go tour the park.

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Before we paid for anything, we

want to see what it was like to

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come back and do camping there.

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Kara Jenson: I do, a plan on a

membership, where, the end users get

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discounts to different, attractions,

such as the Butterfly Wonderland,

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the Bearizonas, the Wildlife Park,

and Arboretums, and Desert Botanical

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Gardens, and those sort of places.

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I just haven't started that program yet.

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Freddy D: Let's dive deeper, how can

people help you get the word out?

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Kara Jenson: Basically, just going

onto my website, theoutdoorsarizona.

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org, and sharing it with friends.

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We also have a, Instagram page and a

Facebook page and a Facebook group.

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we're building that group up.

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I also have one of my volunteers.

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She does video editing for me.

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She's over in New York and she

started a TikTok page for me.

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So we're on TikTok and she makes some

really cute videos there, any one of

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those just type in Be Outdoors Arizona and

we'll pop up on any of those platforms.

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Tell you what, my volunteers have just

been so instrumental and that's where

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I really use the Superfans ideas.

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When they come on board, I send them

one of our Be Outdoors hats, I recognize

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them on the website, I do a post about

them on Facebook and LinkedIn, and

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give recommendations on their profiles.

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I've got the video editor, I've been

helping her build her own video business,

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so anything I can do to help them,

because of what they've done for me.

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I usually get a volunteer for a month

or two, but these guys have stayed

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with me for six months to a year now.

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It's just been awesome.

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Freddy D: So you're applying the

things from my book, and they work.

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Kara Jenson: Yes, they work.

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In fact, I have a little

mascot, he's a stuffed Catalina.

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So I take pictures of him and take

him places and post those, and

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three of them said they wanted one.

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One had already gone out and bought one.

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So I shipped the other two, their

Javelinas, and then reimbursed the

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other woman who bought one, and they

do, they go out wherever they are and

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take pictures of, his name's Javiel,

and they post them for me, and they're

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very happy with working with me and

being on my team, and it's awesome.

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Freddy D: So those are your superfans

in your organization, and they're doing

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it for free because they believe in the

cause, and more importantly, as we've

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talked in the past, you, appreciate them,

recognize them, and express gratitude

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for the things that they're providing,

which are the three key components, in

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the creating business superfans book.

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Kara Jenson: That is true.

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Freddy D: Very exciting.

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Kara Jenson: Thank you.

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Freddy D: So can we talk about how

we can help blow this up for you and

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more importantly for all your partners

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Kara Jenson: I am having a webinar,

next tuesday august 13th, at 6 p.

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m.

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It quickly touchs on the benefits of

being outdoors, especially for your kids,

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and then I'm going to go into how to

use the website as far as where you can

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find events, how to use the filter bar,

and then where to find all these other

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maps and other resources that I have on

there, and then the social media aspect.

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It's only 30 minutes.

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I will have a Q& A session, because

I want to find out what the end user

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wants from the website, suggestions.

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I want to hear some ideas from my end

users or what else would be helpful.

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So I'm excited to have that.

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Beoutdoorsarizona.

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org slash webinar and you can

sign up there free, it's only half

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an hour and you'll learn a lot.

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Freddy D: Are you going to create that as

a video and then share it on social media?

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Kara Jenson: I could probably do that.

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I like to do my videos more

live, like out in doors,

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Freddy D: Oh, that's why I created a

business superfans accelerator is to come

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up with clever little ideas to, accelerate

your superfan creation capabilities.

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Kara Jenson: That's a good idea,

I hadn't thought about using the

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webinar as that video, so I'll

record it and we'll see how it goes.

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: 00:17:44

Freddy D: Yeah, you can record it

while you're doing live and you can

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always edit it, but then you've got

something you can repost and who knows?

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: 00:17:53

I really like what you're doing and,

it's why I'm really glad that you were

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able to come on to the show because I

think a lot of people need to know that

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: 00:18:02

this site exists because it makes it

super easy to find a multitude of events.

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: 00:18:08

Kara Jenson: Every time I go to an expo

and, I have a bunch of stuff for the

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: 00:18:11

kids to look at and play with, and the

parents, when I tell them exactly what it

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: 00:18:15

is that we do, they're just so grateful.

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: 00:18:17

They're like, Oh, this

is exactly what we need.

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: 00:18:19

We always have a hard time finding things.

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: 00:18:20

I knew I was onto something when

I did my first expo and people

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: 00:18:24

were really clamoring for it.

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: 00:18:25

Freddy D: Yeah.

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: 00:18:26

you walked into your calling.

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: 00:18:29

You're doing some good things, Kara.

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: 00:18:30

Anything else you want to chat about?

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: 00:18:32

Hopefully our listeners will,

go to check out the website

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and help donate for the cause.

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: 00:18:37

Kara Jenson: That would be awesome.

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: 00:18:38

The only other thing is

my little side thing.

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: 00:18:41

This has taken up a lot of my

time and I just never got back to

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: 00:18:45

getting some meetings, but I would

like to launch that again and make

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it a little more comprehensive.

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: 00:18:50

it's social, but it's all

business, talk, solving problems.

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: 00:18:55

Freddy D: Those are good events.

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: 00:18:57

Kara Jenson: No, we run it pretty

organized as far as one person speaks

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at a time, one topic at a time.

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: 00:19:02

Then when that person feels that

they've got the answers that they

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: 00:19:05

want to work with, then if we

have time, we go to another one.

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: 00:19:08

So I have a couple ideas in mind, but

maybe when I get that started this

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fall, you can help me out with that.

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: 00:19:14

Freddy D: Sure.

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: 00:19:14

All right, Kara it's been a

pleasure having you on the

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: 00:19:16

Business Superfans podcast show.

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: 00:19:18

some great, tips for our listeners about

some outdoor activities that they can

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: 00:19:24

go and participate in, and they can

find all those activities at where?

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: 00:19:30

Kara Jenson: The OutdoorsArizona.

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: 00:19:32

org.

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: 00:19:33

Freddy D: All right.

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: 00:19:34

Thank you very much for being on

this Business Superfan podcast.

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: 00:19:36

Kara Jenson: Thank you for having me.