Anastasia Volynsky was slowly building her company’s social media presence by showcasing Lucky Goldie’s custom charm jewelry. But she wanted to quickly grow brand awareness of her San Francisco Bay Area-based company, so she turned to Verizon Small Business Digital Ready. After applying learnings from the program’s free courses, Volynsky increased her social media followers by 80% and boosted holiday sales — her busiest time of year — by 144% over the previous year.
She credits the sales growth in part to the AI aptitude she gained in Verizon courses, which allowed her to save time and automate processes. As a solo entrepreneur, Volynsky found that using AI freed her to do things she simply wouldn’t have time for on her own. “I took a course called ‘Getting started with AI,’ and it completely opened up my eyes to a whole different world,” she says.
Along with automating invoicing and experimenting with sales-generating chatbots, Volynsky began strategizing how to use AI wherever she could. After taking a Digital Ready course on writing contracts, for example, she then used AI to draft a contract for corporate events. “I put two things I learned together and ended up with a final contract that I now use,” she explains.
Social media strategies Volynsky learned through the program also helped grow Lucky Goldie’s audience. “A lot of clients end up finding Lucky Goldie through social media,” Volynsky says. “So it’s a very important tool.” At an in-person Digital Ready event, she learned to build her social media editorial calendar, to feature new products and promote pop-up events, and to post consistently. After that, Volynsky says she saw her followers increase. To further personalize the brand, Volynsky now posts behind-the-scenes content, too. “It definitely makes [customers] feel like a real person is behind the brand,” she says.
While the free courses from Verizon Small Business Digital Ready aren’t the only place Volynsky goes for business ideas, she considers the program a step above other resources. “I kind of look at Verizon as a mentor,” says the young entrepreneur.
After researching ideas through search engines and social media, Volynsky decides what she needs to do next, and then takes the relevant course on Digital Ready. “The courses that are on Verizon are from real people in the industry. So I definitely trust what they’re saying because I can see they’re very successful,” Volynsky says.
She also values Verizon as a resource she can return to, thanks to constantly refreshed offerings. “One thing Verizon Small Business Digital Ready is really good at is keeping up with their courses, depending on what’s going on and what’s trending,” Volynsky says. “They’re really good at adding new things like that.”
Verizon Small Business Digital Ready is part of Verizon’s goal to support 1 million small businesses by 2030 with free resources to help them succeed. To sign up, visit Verizon Small Business Digital Ready. Visit CitizenVerizon.com to learn more about the company’s responsible business efforts. An individual user’s experience may vary and results are not guaranteed.