A young man walked into a small donut shop in San Francisco, looking to buy a donut with the change in his pocket.
He was hungry and was struggling to pay rent.
He had a sudden realisation as he stood in line seeing others queueing to get their coffee before work.
“That morning, I saw how the greater economy is not run by large corporations, but by the small business labour force,” Will Lee, CEO of Verlocal, told Forbes.
In 2014, Will started up Verlocal, a community-driven marketplace for freelancers and small business owners and provide them with the tools and resources to sustain and scale.
The San Francisco-based company has set up shop in Singapore and it is organising its inaugural two-day Verlocal Design Fest in conjunction with this year’s Singapore Design Week (SDW).
Verlocal Design Fest 2018
The event happens over two days, 17 and 18 March 2018, from 11am to 7pm at Funan Showsuite.
Anyone can participate in a host of creative and artisanal craft workshops at the fest.
Some of the hosts for the workshops and activities include, Ng See Min of Henn.Drawn, Shirley Khoong of The Miniature Kitchen, and Ai Geok of Wearable Crafts.
Verlocal hopes participants will be “encouraged with the incorporation and experimentation of design in everyday life” through the fest.
Sharing Is Caring
Verlocal has four types of services: Marketplace, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), an online booking software, and Intelligent Advertising.
As described by Forbes, Verlocal is a “platform (that) connects individuals seeking to take courses, attend events, purchase handmade products and commission services”.
They want to lead the open-resource economy and create a foundation where the individuals they empower can become a “one-person business (that) can have access and opportunity to grow the same way as a large corporation can”.
They are basically a sort of Airbnb Experiences for the consumers, and a smart, virtual hub that includes services and networks for creative freelancers and small businesses.
So, if you’re a solo artist, a one-man show, or even the owner of a mama shop, you can take a look at what Verlocal can do for you.
Sign up for their event here. To find out more about Verlocal Singapore, visit their website here.
Featured Image Credit: Vulcan Post, Asian Entrepreneurs, Wayneston Bears
