Public Square – Purchase With A Purpose – with Christina Werner – [Ep. 230]

Linda J Hansen: Welcome. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Prosperity 101® Breakroom Economics Podcast. My name is Linda J. Hansen, your host and the author of Prosperity 101® Job Security Through Business Prosperity: The Essential Guide to Understanding How Policy Affects Your Paycheck, and the creator of the Breakroom Economics online course.

The book, the course, and the entire podcast library can be found on Prosperity101.com. I seek to connect boardroom to break room and policy to paycheck by empowering and encouraging employers to educate employees about the public policy issues that affect their jobs. 

My goal is to help people understand the foundations of prosperity, the policies of prosperity, and how to protect their prosperity by becoming informed, involved, and impactful. I believe this will lead to greater employee loyalty, engagement, and retention, and to an increased awareness of the blessings and responsibilities of living in a free society. Listen each week to hear from exciting guests, and be sure to visit Prosperity101.com. 

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Speaking of business and economies and business growth, it's no secret that the economy is in shambles. It's hard to make ends meet, whether you're running a business or raising a family, and every purchase matters.

Are you tired of giving your dollars to companies that do not share your values? Would you like to support American manufacturers so jobs can be created and sustained here in America and in your local community? Would you like to have a larger purpose with every purchase? If so, stay tuned as I interview a returning guest, Christina Werner, Senior Vice-President of Strategic Partnerships at PublicSquare.

Not only is Christina a friend, but she is an inspiration as she shares her love and enthusiasm for building a new kind of marketplace, PublicSquare. PublicSquare is a place where you can buy everything your family needs from businesses who respect traditional American values. Whether a big box retailer's agenda crossed the line for you or you're just trying to support more small businesses, PublicSquare is ready to help you find your new favorites from people just like you.

PublicSquare is on a mission to restore the culture through the power of commerce. And it's not about boycotts. It's about helping you switch to supporting those who support you and your values. So welcome back, Christina. It's wonderful to have you returned to the podcast. 

The last time you were on, it was the day after PublicSquare went public. So I'm excited to have you back to share news about what's been happening with PublicSquare since and what's ahead. So thank you for joining with me today.

Christina Werner: Linda, thanks so much for having me. It was really fun to hear when you say, you know, find an alternative, just boycott doesn't do it. I like to say boycott, right? So you got to go farther than the boycott. You got to go further than just complaining, but what else are you going to do? 

So it's really fun to have been compiled like your business with 80,000 plus other businesses that share these values that are taking action, that are making a difference in America, that are creating this new parallel economy with us. So we're really grateful to have you.

Linda J Hansen: Well, it's a joy to be a part of this whole movement. And I've always wanted to support PublicSquare since I first learned about it. And as you and I were talking before recording, our very first conversation was going to be like a 15-minute short call.

And we ended up talking for two and a half hours, I think, and forming a fast friendship and finding we're very like-minded, and your concern for America, for our culture, for kids growing up, and your love for the Lord, it's just exemplary and inspirational.

And this is true about so many people involved with PublicSquare. It's just an amazing company and to see the growth and how the Lord has blessed this is incredible. 

So, you have some events coming up the business summit in October. I know that's one of the first things I want to inform listeners about, so they have time to sign up, to plan, to attend because it's important to come and network with other businesses that share your values. 

And so please, you know, take time to listen to the rest of this podcast interview, but also consider attending this business summit that's in October. So Christina, can you share details about this important event?

Christina Werner: Sure. I would love to. It is going to be in the great free state of Florida in Orlando, Florida at the Rosen Shingle Creek. It is a beautiful place, not very far from the airport if you have to fly in. It's going to be October 10th and 11th and it's, you know, PublicSquare has been really well known for connecting the consumers and the businesses.

But this is a little different, you know, now that we have, are still building this parallel economy, it is really time to connect these businesses with other like-minded businesses and more of a B2B connection, and really, you know, help this trust-based transaction, not just happen from the consumer and the business side, but the businesses together. 

So we have heard some really phenomenal testimonies and stories of businesses that have connected with other businesses through PublicSquare. And we said why not do this in person? So, it's going to be a lot of that––the B2B connection. It's also going to be unlike, you know, a typical business summit.

It really is going to be, I mean, what we're all a part of, what you're a part of, Linda, is creating this parallel economy, right? So we're navigating different waters than just a typical business summit. This is going to be how you navigate cancel culture. What are your options with, you know, cancel culture and big tech? What are the companies that are coming out? What are the products and services available to you? 

Mindset. I think that's actually a really huge one. And we are going to have Tony Robbins there, who is an expert on mindset, just connect with our businesses in a different way than he normally connects with the business community.

So there's going to be a lot of great speakers, quite a few, Bethany Hamilton, one of my favorites. She has navigated so much in the space of fear and conquering that and moving past and being courageous, so phenomenal speakers. There's going to be some great breakout sessions and, of course, we would love to see our amazing businesses there.

Linda J Hansen: Well, and  would be just so great for everyone to attend, and what types of businesses are on PublicSquare? I know that some of our listeners maybe new to this podcast, they may be new to learning about PublicSquare.

And so, as I've watched this platform grow, it's just been a really great to see so many different businesses come on board into the PublicSquare marketplace. But it's such a variety and it's really becoming something that, you know, really replaces so much of our e-commerce that we have right now. And so what types of businesses can a person find on PublicSquare?

Christina Werner: Linda, that is such a great question because you really can find any and all businesses. We did start local. We, and I think that's something that's so special about PublicSquare is you can go onto a local map. You can find businesses in your areas.

If you're sick of the Starbucks of the world, or the one near your home looks like transimperialism, when you walk in the door and you just simply want to get a cup of coffee, you can go onto PublicSquare and hopefully find a business that share your values. They might not even be upfront about the values. They just give you a good cup of coffee, and that's what you were looking for in the morning. 

So you can go onto that map. You can find local services, as well as we did launch e-commerce. And so the e-commerce portion is where you can go online and you can find all types of products. There's still also nationwide services on there.

So there's anything from nonprofits. There's churches on there. There's services that are local, services nationwide. And then there's products that are simple, everyday essential products like diapers, like the wipes, like toilet paper, all the way to high-end fine-crafted products from more small mom-and-pop shops that have just the sweetest products that you're actually not going to get from Amazon. 

You know, it's not going to be something that's mass shipped from a sweatshop in China, but these are just handcrafted quality American-made products.

Linda J Hansen: Well, that's so true. There's so much quality there and so much variety, and the e-commerce platform in PublicSquare is growing so rapidly. It's exciting to see. I have been on PublicSquare for years now. 

And so listeners, if you would like to use the code “PSQ” when purchasing any of my products from the website, please do so. And you get a discount when you use the code “PSQ” because I want to support PublicSquare and I want to support and encourage those who also do business with PublicSquare. 

So, and that's how we do it. You know, we form strategic partnerships. We support one another. We help one another to grow our businesses, to enhance our mission and to bring value to others.

You know, none of us want to hold it all for ourselves. We want to be able to share and be able to give back to others the blessings that we have. And so, we just really appreciate how PublicSquare is doing that as you have grown. I remember the day that we did the interview right after you went public. Actually, PublicSquare went public on your birthday. Correct?

Christina Werner: You have such a great memory. Yes. That was quite a fun birthday gift.

Linda J Hansen: Yeah, it was really fun. And you know, the rapid growth, when did Michael Seifert first found PublicSquare?

Christina Werner: Oh, let's see. We actually started building an internal team. Let's see. That was April 2021. Launched the first, oh, no. The first line of code was April 2021. And then MVP product, that was October and started our nationwide expansion January 22. So we then, that ended in July. Mind you, I'm just thinking of all these dates in my head. So we've really been nationwide for a little over two years.

Yeah, and it's quite miraculous. It's really amazing that the support and the businesses that have jumped on board to be a part of this, it truly is, you know, it's a miracle and it's definitely God. And we're definitely grateful for all the support, and the timing, I also think is just, is God's timing as well. 

Our country needs it right now, which is a little crazy that this is something that's so needed, right? You would think America. Go support American small businesses, but we're not in that season anymore. You know, as we kind of talked earlier. U.S. Chamber of Commerce, like it's not there to support the small businesses anymore. So who is?

Linda J Hansen: True. And the first time I heard Michael speak about this was actually in July of 2021. I was at a conference in D.C. and he was speaking and I had heard about PublicSquare before. 

I had been following what was happening and just was so inspired by Michael and everything. I knew I had to do everything possible to keep spreading the word and making sure that people know about this amazing company and resource for people all across the nation.

And what have you found to be maybe the most impactful thing that, you know, has kind of come across your plate from other businesses or, you know, some great story that, you know, their life was changed? I know for one, I know James Staake from Your American Flag Store, one of my Strategic Partners and a dear friend to both of us. And he's also been on the podcast several times. 

So, listeners, if you've not heard the episodes with James Staake, go to my website, search his name on the podcast page, and you will find an incredible story of resilience, and real faith and purpose-driven tenacity to fight the incredible cancel culture that affected him and his family and his business.

But I know he credits PublicSquare with helping to turn their business around when so many forces came against them to cancel their flag-making business. So, apart from him, have you had other stories like that?

Christina Werner: Oh, gosh, all the time. It would actually be fun sometime to come on here and just share story after story that we get, that’s sent to us if I have those up. And there's a radio show I've done that on. And it's so encouraging to hear just testimony after story. 

And speaking of James, he will actually be at the summit talking about that cancel culture and pushing back, and the things that you can do. But the stories are so beautiful. 

A lot of them are small businesses. You know, they're great at their craft and that's for them, right? They're going to hopefully come to the summit and grow and learn some new things and learn how to market, and learn some new tools to help them. But it's been really sweet to see certain businesses jump on PublicSquare.

And we had one, Trunkers, they said in the first week on PublicSquare, they sold more than they did the entire year before that. I know that's not every business's story, but that's just by getting onto PublicSquare. And we were saying yes and Amen. This is great. This means that you know, your consumers that love you have found you. Fantastic.

We had another one. Let's see, America's First Healthcare. He had said he did one email blast with us and came back and said, “Oh, my goodness, I'm going to have to hire seven more employees. This would have cost me $100,000 if I was to go out and, you know, create these sources to try to get these customers.”

And so, fantastic. He didn't have to spend $100,000 to get new customers in his America-first healthcare approach. This is what we're, this is what our goal is, you know, is really to support these small businesses and to bring them to the consumers that are so fantastic that already love them, that want to work with them. They just didn't know they existed. 

So it's the stories like that that come in all the time. And, you know, another one. They said 95% of their traffic now comes from PublicSquare. You know, we would have just a few customers and now it's just blown up our business. That's great. 

You know, so our goal and our hope is we can't say that every business is going to have the exact same, you know, impact depending on their product and their service and if they're local or nationwide, but it really is a beautiful thing to get to see these businesses, not just Survive, but really go from surviving to thriving.

Linda J Hansen: Well, that's true. And I want to emphasize too, and maybe you can, you know, speak to this and that, you know, we talk about small businesses and these small mom and pops or whatever, but it isn't just for small businesses. 

I mean, you may have, you may be listening right now, listener, and you may have, you know, a medium to large company, and you would love to be able to share your American values with other American value consumers. And you know, there's B2B that happens on the platform. There's B2C that happens on the platform. 

So, don't be afraid to reach out to PublicSquare and talk about how to best utilize the platform for your business, because we all need to buy products and services, and finding people who share the values that made this nation great is what's going to help keep this nation great for the future. 

So, before we close, I'd like you to share anything else new and exciting that you want to about anything coming up with PublicSquare or another note about the business summit, another reason people should attend. What is it that you'd love people to take away before this interview closes?

Christina Werner: Sure. Well, I think one fun thing that I haven't mentioned yet about our business summit coming up. If, when you mentioned not just small businesses, but medium-sized businesses as well, and larger businesses that are values aligned, they're pro-life, they are pro-family values, they are pro-freedom and love America, we would love to have you there and hopefully even connect you with like-minded investors.

We know that's something that really matters and putting that capital into the parallel economy. We are doing a think tank, like shark tank type idea there. So you can go to PublicSquare.com/summit and you will be able to find that application on there. If you think you have a product or service and you just need a little capital behind you and want to connect with some investors, I think that would be a very fun place to start. It would be great to see you there. 

The other things I could say, since we have connected, Linda, is EveryLife has grown to now B, and if you don't know what EveryLife is, it is a diaper company that is also turning into a baby brand. They have diapers and wipes currently, but it is the fastest-growing baby brand in America currently and doing fantastic.

They have donated over 1.5 million diapers to moms and needs across America, helped out with the Maui fires and that has just been an incredible blessing, not just to us, but to the community of people that want to support a brand that supports life.

Linda J Hansen: Yes, EveryLife is a wonderful company. And so I invite people to go visit that website too, and see how you can support life and the freedom economy by supporting that baby brand. It's exciting to see what they're doing. And I know that they have really put their money where their mouth is when he comes to supporting pro-life causes and helping moms and babies in needs and, you know, in families in need. 

So, we're just really grateful for that. So, you know, PublicSquare is really about creating a whole network of people that share the values of America really. And so we just appreciate so much what you're doing. What would you say to businesses who might be, you know, a little bit on the fence about joining?

Christina Werner: I totally understand that. You know, when we started, it was really in a heightened political season and we have businesses on PublicSquare that will tell us we're not political. We love America. We are Christian-based, but our business outward-facing is just the business. We just sell glasses or we just sell our dresses. That's actually okay. We promote that. We support that. 

What we're asking of the businesses that might be more hesitant is to know that they are, our customers just want to know they are not donating to all the woke agendas and causes. And of course, these businesses come back and say, “Oh, no, no way. We would never.” That's fine. You know, so I think there was a little misconception in the beginning. You have to be this very, you know, vocal outward-facing with your company about your political values. 

No, in fact, we want you to feel comfortable to be on there. Just sell your product, just sell your services, but internally our customers know, we know that when you're supporting your business, that it's going to a solid business that does love this country, that does support life, that does support family values. And so that's just hopefully a word of encouragement to the businesses that might be on the fence.

Linda J Hansen: That's such a good point. And I'm glad that you were able to share that. So for listeners, what website would you like them to go to?

Christina Werner: You know, everyone can go to PublicSquare.com and that would be the place to get started if you are a customer and you want to find these businesses, a business locally or a business online. 

If you are a business that would like to be a part of this network, a nonprofit, a church, a business, you can go to PublicSquare.com and the very top, it says, there's a button that says add your business. And that is the first way to get started is a pretty simple process. You do not get verified immediately. 

We, on the back end, actually are vetting and verifying each business, making sure this business is aligned with these values to the best of our abilities, so it will not go live immediately, but that's how you get started and we will connect with you afterwards, and it would be great to see you on PublicSquare.

Linda J Hansen: Well, and that's also where to learn more details about the business summit coming up in October, and you can register there. So, listeners, we hope to see you at the business summit in October. And we look forward to seeing you and your business and your family purchasing on PublicSquare. 

So thank you, Christina. We just are excited for all that's happening with PublicSquare and what you're contributing to America and to the American economy. So thank you.

Christina Werner: Well, thank you. It takes businesses like you to be a part of it. So you're just as much a part of this as we are.

Linda J Hansen: Well, it's an honor. So thank you so much.

Thank you again for listening to the Prosperity 101® podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share, and leave a great review. Don't forget to visit Prosperity101.com to access the entire podcast library, to order my newest book, Job Security Through Business Prosperity: The Essential Guide to Understanding How Policy Affects Your Paycheck, or to enroll you or your employees in the Breakroom Economics online course.

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