Ep. 181 The Power of Hyper Local Marketing for Startup Growth

Show Notes:In this episode of Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk sits down with Shashi Subbarao, Founder and CEO of Activity Bees, a platform designed to help people connect locally through shared interests and activities.Shashi shares how a simple, real-life moment with a neighbor sparked the idea for Activity Bees and evolved into a tech-driven solution to combat isolation, increase activity, and build meaningful community connections.They dive into:👉How Activity Bees connects people based on location and shared interests👉The importance of solving a real problem before building a product👉Lessons learned from early-stage growth, including churn and scattered user acquisition👉Why hyper-local growth beats mass marketing for community platforms👉How instructors and coaches can leverage the platform for visibility and revenue👉The role of trust, safety, and verification in building a scalable platform👉Upcoming features including marketplace functionality, scheduling tools, and gamification👉The power of validation, feedback loops, and incremental progress in startupsShashi also shares candid insights on what didn’t work, including broad Google Ads campaigns, and how shifting to localized partnerships is unlocking more sustainable growth.Bio:Founder & CEO at Activity Bees with more than 20 years experience in technology development, technical and strategic leadership in social networking, large scale systems including biometrics and AI.To connect with our guest, click on the links below:LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/shashi-s-43473a4/Website: www.activitybees.comConnect with me:LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidischalkcoaching/🎁 Grab your Spotlight to Scale Blueprint:  https://spotlighttoscale.com/blueprint