Employee Ownership Expansion Network

growth game plan. A TECHNOLOGICALLY SAVVY SOCIAL STRATEGY While grassroots outreach remains pivotal, EOX also acknowledges the power of technology in amplifying its message. According to Storkan the question to be answered is how to best connect with business owners from a storytelling perspective. So,by leveraging social media and targetedmarketing, they aim to not only reach business owners directly but do so in a way that isn’t too technical and more easily understood. To better accomplish this, EOX is currently looking into AI-driven solutions to help them accurately pinpoint the marketing areas in which they can most effectively promote the benefits of employee ownership. While these efforts are just in their beginning stages, this innovative approach perfectly encapsulates the extent of this organization’s passion, in that all strategies–both old and new–are viable if they can help further the cause. Another example of this can be found in EOX’s preference and method of storytelling. “We deliver our storytelling through partner organizations…we go to places that have built in audiences like trade associations, chambers, economic developers, and community groups,” Storkan says. As he explains, these types of operations naturally address the skepticism of those who know nothing about employee ownership while giving the organization much more authority and legitimacy as advocates. By advocating as a party that has no vested interest in whether or not a company becomes employee owned, business owners are much more likely to want to hear about the model’s value, and so far, this angle has made a world of difference in how it is received by business owners. 6 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 11, ISSUE 05