50 Businesses, 50 Solutions
For 20 years, Advanced Kiosks has been designing and building self-service solutions for businesses around the country and around the globe. Using engineering and programming, the Concord-based company produces kiosks that allow people to complete tasks ranging from ordering at a restaurant to purchasing tickets or paying bills.
As the partner at a marketing agency, Mike Visconti is adept at communications. Marketing can encompass everything from search-engine optimization to brand management and even crisis support. But nothing could have prepared Visconti for the pandemic, and what it would mean for both his clients and his business, V12 Marketing.
Before the pandemic, Margaret McClellan, owner of Modern Look Hair Salon in Henniker, regularly found herself working 12- or 14-hour days. Over more than 30 years in business, McClellan has built a large clientele, and she wanted to be as accommodating as possible, even if she needed to squeeze extra appointments in before or after normal hours.
Six years ago Bartlett opened a store in Loudon, where she sells rug hooking supplies and offers classes to other people interested in the craft. Normally, the store is bustling with women learning rug hooking, troubleshooting a project or purchasing supplies. But since the pandemic, the store has been largely empty. In addition, events where Bartlett might sell her supplies or teach a class have also been cancelled. Overall, her revenue is down about 85% this year.
Last year, Trevor Yanuszewski spent about $100,000 — including money withdrawn from his 401k retirement plan — to start Hot Dogs and Cool Cats Mobile Grooming, LLC. He went to school, scoured the country for a van, had it retrofitted and registered his business. When Yanuszewski was finally ready to open, it was the realization of a long-time dream — happening at the start of the pandemic.
Mary Macdonald, president of the Belknap Food Shed, started 2019 with big plans. She had been working for two years toward the goal of rejuvenating the Laconia State School property and making it home base for the Belknap Food Shed, a business designed to support and promote local food production. Macdonald envisioned an “agricultural maker-space,” a campus filled with agriculture, food processing, classrooms, restaurants and stores.
In April, a new group sprung up for fitness enthusiasts in and around Contoocook: the Stormettes. Cindy Glass, owner of Storms Fitness, a Contoocook gym, began live streaming workouts for her clients who were stuck at home, with the help of two personal trainers at the gym, and the group quickly earned the nickname.
When the coronavirus hit the state, the New Hampshire Liquor Commission was already in the midst of a multi-million dollar overhaul of its software system, updating everything from the website to the point-of-sale system in the 76 liquor and wine outlets in the state. The system hadn’t been overhauled in decades, and the liquor commission knew it was time for a more modern feel and eventually an order-online service.
