When Rhonda Jean first moved to little old Pittsboro, North Carolina, she quickly learned it was difficult to find local businesses. Buildings had no signs out front and traces of business locations were uncommon online.
She started scouring the Internet, seeking out interesting local events in Chatham County—an unsuspecting hobby that led her to build the website Chatham County Events. Jean soon began logging the addresses of parks and local businesses as well. Within two years, she had over 2 million visitors spending an average of nine minutes on the site.
Users attending the events Jean listed often became curious about surrounding locations, asking: what’s nearby? Ultimately, these questions (and a six-month hiatus from Chatham County Events) led to nearly four years spent compiling data to create a new platform and budding startup called Nearby Nearby.
This startup is now receiving support in its development process as part of the current cohort at CED’s GRO Incubator (GrepBeat recently covered fellow cohort member Brainery Labs as well). As a solo entreprenur, Jean said the mentorship and information she has received has helped her gain further understanding of the business launching process.
“That’s been really interesting and exciting for me to learn and grow as a business owner,” she said. “I’m just excited to start actually getting out in the community and seeing how much it actually helps a local economy and community thrive.”
Using Nearby Nearby
To use the platform, Jean said users drop a pin or input their desired location. Nearby Nearby then automatically populates all secondary points of interest including parks, trails, businesses, events and volunteer activities.
While other apps and websites offer information about events and locations, Nearby Nearby simplifies this process, instantly displaying all relevant points of interest without requiring users to jump between platforms.
One problem people often encounter, Jean said, is that parts of rural America have poor internet service. To address this issue, Nearby Nearby displays only the most important information, with minimal pictures or large files that would otherwise eat up data.
Jean added that the platform is specifically designed for rural communities that often go ignored by big tech companies. Early experience has taught her that partnerships with local governments, Chambers of Commerce, tourism boards and community development organizations will help Nearby Nearby promote and strengthen local economies across the region.
Building Up The Platform
Creating a website with no tech background—especially with such an intricate system—hasn’t been easy for Jean.
“It started out as self-taught where I would spend hours and days just trying to figure out the simplest thing because I didn’t even know the term I was looking for to be able to do what I was doing and I would use the most obscure things that were never actually relevant,” Jean said.
After navigating WordPress with her adviser, Barry Davis, Jean realized that her idea was too complex for her to scale on her own. Currently, she is interviewing several different companies that can assist with the development of the wireframe and platform. This will allow Nearby Nearby to provide its full range of features to an expanding number of communities.
As for monetizing the platform, Jean initially had an investor who wanted the platform to charge a monthly subscription fee for the users. Jean said no; people were “subscriptioned out.” Instead, Nearby Nearby aims to charge just $125 a year for businesses to promote themselves on the platform.
QUICK BITS
Startup: Nearby Nearby
Co-Founders: Rhonda Jean (CEO)
Founded: 2021
Location: Asheboro, NC
Website: nearbynearby.com
Funding: Bootstrapped
“We want people in the community to be able to find [the businesses],” she said. “We want the local dollars to go back into the community, not our pocket.”
Nearby Nearby’s ultimate goals, Jean said, are to make it easier for local economies to grow and to help people get out there. She likened the importance of these benefits to “a ripple effect for World Peace.”
As the platform continues to develop, Jean looks forward to expanding into rural counties across America based on the interest of those communities. She said the easier it is for a community to collaborate with Nearby Nearby, the faster they can expand.
To keep up with the development of the platform, she asked people to sign up for the Nearby Nearby newsletter. The company will also be attending events like Converge South and the Outdoor Economy Conference this October.
