Creating Superfans: Kara Jensen’s Be Outdoors Arizona Hub Connects Agencies and Outdoor Enthusiasts
Episode 35 Frederick Dudek (Freddy D)
Creating Superfans: Kara Jensen’s Be Outdoors Arizona Hub Connects Agencies and Outdoor Enthusiasts
Hey there, Freddy D here! In this episode of the Business Superfans podcast, I had an inspiring chat with Kara Jensen , the owner of Be Outdoors Arizona. We dove into her journey of turning a struggling conservation website into a thriving platform that connects families with outdoor activities and conservation organizations across Arizona. Kara shared how she overcame challenges, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, to build a robust resource for nonprofits, businesses, and outdoor enthusiasts. We also discussed the importance of outdoor education, collaboration, and community support. Tune in to learn how Kara’s passion is making a big impact!
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Mentioned in this episode:
Be Outdoors Arizona
BeOutdoorsArizona.org BeOutdoorsArizona.org/webinar
Business Superfans Accelerator
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Transcript
Kara is a marketing professional with a passion for the outdoors.
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:Proficient in website design and social
media use, she has been hired by the
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:Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society,
Arizona Antelope Foundation, and
4
:Arizona Predator Callers to rebuild and
manage their websites, and she manages
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:the Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife
Conservation social media platforms.
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:She also has experience in public
speaking and has been the Master
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:of Ceremonies for the Antelope
Foundation and the Valley of the Sun
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:Chapter of Quail Forever Fundraisers.
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:Kara specializes in marketing
messages, video and follow up
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:systems, and event planning.
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:Originally on a volunteer basis, she
built the website for Be Outdoors
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:Arizona and cultivated an impressive
11, 000 plus followers on Facebook.
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:In 2020, she took over the
reins of Be Outdoors Arizona.
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:and is building a community of
supportive outdoor enthusiasts,
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:businesses, and non profits.
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:Hello, Kara.
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:Welcome to the Business
Superfans podcast show.
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:Kara Jenson: Thank you, Frederick.
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:It's a pleasure to be on here and,
everything's going absolutely fabulous.
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:Thank you.
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:Freddy D: Tell us your story
of what led you to become the
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:owner of the BeOutdoorsArizona.
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:org website.
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:Kara Jenson: I was involved in a bunch
of conservation organizations and Ran
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:into these guys that were running this,
several years ago their website had
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:crashed and I thought I can help you out.
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:I can rebuild your website,
put your calendar back up.
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:their goal at the time was to connect
a bunch of the smaller organizations
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:that had outdoor workshops or camps
for kids that taught outdoor skills.
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:they had 35 partners at the time
and, I helped them grow that to
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:about 150 partners rebuilt their
website with a robust calendar
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:system and started a Facebook page.
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:I had gotten that up to close
to 10, 000 people following
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:and it was going very well.
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:and then one day the board came to
me and said, we've met our goal.
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:This is what we wanted was to
connect all these organizations,
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:to create a next steps program.
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:So if you went to one of that and
you started to learn something,
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:you wanted to learn more.
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:There was another event by another
organization to continue your
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:process until you're comfortable
enough to feel that you could
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:go out on your own and do it.
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:They met their goal.
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:They didn't know what else they could
do with the organization, and the board
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:hadn't even met in about six months.
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:they told me they were going to try to
sell it to, the Environmental Education
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:Association or state parks, and they
turned out that they didn't have the money
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:or the manpower to keep the program going.
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:, The board came back to me and said
we're just going to shelve the
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:program and maybe somebody will
take it up in another year or two.
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:You'll lose absolutely everything.
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:And you'll start all over by
scratch in a couple of years.
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:Freddy D: Oh, absolutely.
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:Because you've got those partners that
invested and are counting for the traffic
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:off of the website for their businesses,
It's got a lot of value for Arizonans,
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:as well as visitors to the state of
Arizona, because it helps them find
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:activities events and a multitude of
different things, which is all outdoors
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:kind of stuff, so it's really cool.
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:But you're absolutely correct,
because those partners would have
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:lost confidence, and they would have
affected their business, and they
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:would have not wanted to come back.
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:Kara Jenson: And then even at
that, their boards of directors
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:change every year or two.
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:So it had all new people on board.
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:They wouldn't even know who we were
and just a lot of different factors.
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:Then just the social media factors.
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:If that page stops posting, no
one's going to come back to it.
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:I don't know what possessed
me, but I just blurted it out.
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:Let me run with the organization, let
me have it, I'll run with the mission,
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:and, it was what did I just say?
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:Tried to put the words back in my mouth,
but I thought, I'm really passionate about
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:it and I enjoyed doing what I was doing.
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:So I had the organization and, so if I
planned a big, to do a expo at the Game
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:and Fish Expo, they have an outdoor
expo, it brings in about 40, 000 people.
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:So I bought some t shirts and hats and
some, I made some brochures and banners
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:and such, and was going to launch, and
that was going to be March of:
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:And then of course, we all
know what happened then.
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:It was like great, I have an organization
all about events and there are no events.
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:So it gave me a year to really
figure out how can I run a nonprofit
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:by myself and build a board,
and what could the nonprofit do?
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:The rest is history, I've got huge
organization of what it does for
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:the nonprofits, for the businesses,
and for the end users parents.
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:Freddy D: Let's talk about
what it does for those three
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:groups that you just mentioned.
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:So let's talk about one of the groups
and then we'll talk about the next one
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:and the next one as to how that site
benefits, because it's a bi directional
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:benefit, so it benefits you as well
as it benefits them and actually
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:it's a trifecta because it actually
benefits also the user on your website.
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:Kara Jenson: Yeah, my partners
would be, what I consider my
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:partners are my non profits.
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:These are organizations that are
environmental conservation or
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:youth oriented, and they have
educational programs outdoors.
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:Now, some of them can have tours,
some of them have camps where they
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:actually take you out and teach
to fish, teach you how to hunt.
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:teach you how to camp, how to set up
a tent, all sorts of things like that.
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:Some of them actually have work projects
where you go out and you clean up
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:trails or, streams or even highways.
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:So there's a lot of different, types of
activities, and all those people are free
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:to put their calendar on my calendar,
and so I'll import their calendars.
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:They have a very small description.
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:There's no picture.
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:There's no information that
would really entice anybody to go
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:check it out for the first time.
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:So we put a little marketing effort
into it and give all the information
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:that somebody needs to feel comfortable
enough to go for the first time.
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:I'm creating a membership for partners
now where they'll get a lot more
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:where I help them out with grants.
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:do extra promotion like
professional video of their events.
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:we'll also help with volunteers.
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:I have a volunteer database that I
can put their listings on, to say
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:we need this kind of volunteer.
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:We also, will do events they won't have
a table fee to come, be at an event.
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:I also will help them with things
like warehousing, printing, if they
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:need fulfillment services, all sorts
of things like that a nonprofit
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:really needs to be successful.
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:Freddy D: Going back to your
background, which is marketing.
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:Kara Jenson: Yes.
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:Freddy D: Now, what about businesses?
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:How can businesses benefit
from being on the website?
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:Kara Jenson: What I have for businesses
is there's several different types
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:of membership that they can have.
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:They can have something as
simple as, a small fee to put
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:their events on the calendar.
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:A lot of them have classes
and, outdoor skills classes so
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:they can put their events on my
calendar for a very small fee.
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:I can also offer hyper
targeted advertising.
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:So if they're in, say, Flagstaff and
they're a fishing store, they can be on
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:the fishing events in the Flagstaff area.
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:Same thing with if they're in Sierra
Vista or if they're in Tucson.
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:So I've got multiple markets and
they can be the exclusive retailer.
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:In that area on those sorts of events
so in the ads that they're paying for
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:are going directly to the Targeted
customer that they want to reach.
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:It's not going to Someone who will never
be interested in walking into their store.
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:I can plan events where I bring
in some of these non profits
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:and have activities for kids.
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:We make it a big to do to where we have, I
was going to call them parking lot events.
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:And we bring the non profits in, have
activities, have displays, and maybe
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:a special sale, and more people come
in to visit the store on that day.
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:Freddy D: Very cool.
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:So to tie this into, creating business
superfans, you're basically helping
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:promote those businesses, whether it's
a nonprofit or for profit, exposure
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:onto your platform, which has got a big
audience because people are searching
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:for activities, of what they can do and
adventures that they can go on, et cetera.
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:So those businesses and organizations
are going to be, grateful
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:and become your superfan of
promoting the website to patrons.
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:Kara Jenson: And when we connect the
businesses to these nonprofits, what
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:they're going to end up doing is, aligning
them with, what their customers value
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:most, that allows them to no longer
have to resort to discounting to attract
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:or retain those customers, because
they're offering more than just being
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:a place to sell something, which makes
them a superfan to their customers.
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:Freddy D: What about, your
donors and stuff like that?
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:I noticed on the website there's a
place for donors, how does that work?
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:Kara Jenson: I do have a donation
button and right now we're asking
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:just for operating expenses to
keep the website up and running.
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:I just signed up with a donation platform
called Harness, and it is another thing
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:that I will be offering my non profit
partners, we can create campaigns on this
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:software, and they can be sent via text,
social media, and I can help raise money
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:for them, or they can actually get their
own version of Harness for themselves.
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:So that's what we're going to be doing,
is Taking donations for ourselves just
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:to keep the doors open, just to keep
that calendar going and all the other
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:resources that are on the website for
end users in finding outdoor activities.
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:Freddy D: Can you share a story of,
how the portal helped one of your
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:partners in attracting more business?
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:Kara Jenson: I'm in process of
one in particular right now.
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:they're going to be my poster
child for the campaign software,
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:and we'll be launching that soon.
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:He's a new nonprofit that, takes
kids out, teaching outdoor skills to
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:young men that don't have fathers.
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:they're brand new and, I met him about
six months ago, so he can't get grants
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:right now because they have to be in
business for two years to qualify for a
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:grant, but I can get a grant for them.
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:So I'm working on getting grants
and then getting them donations
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:until they can get their own.
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:right now I'm driving traffic
to, it's called, Field and Faith.
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:So we're driving traffic to them and we
was starting a donation campaign to help
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:them ramp up until they can get grants.
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:Freddy D: That's going to
be a super fan for life.
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:Kara Jenson: I just, I
love what he's doing.
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:I even mentioned it to him and he's
told me that he's gotten the request.
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:I was like, you need to have one
for fatherless girls and have
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:some male influence in these
girls, and teach them the sort of
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:confidence through outdoor skills.
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:I thought it'd be a great idea.
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:Who knows, I might be
starting something else.
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:Freddy D: What he's providing is
really important because, I went
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:through Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts
I still remember some of the things
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:from those days, and I still remember
how to tie some of the knots.
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:I did the 22 mile hike
and stuff like that.
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:I was one of the top in our troop.
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:I ended up being one merit badge
short to being an Eagle Scout, but
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:that's another story for another day.
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:I understand the value.
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:Through, Be Outdoors Arizona,
you're helping a non profit do some
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:things that are very important,
especially in a young life, helping
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:them build confidence in themselves.
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:Kara Jenson: and with the way our youth
right now are experiencing so much
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:stress, mental health issues are just
off the charts right now, it's just
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:amazing what these kids are going through
and what they see and are exposed to.
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:the need to get them outdoors
in nature is so important.
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:in effect, our whole organization
is based off of Richard Lube's book,
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:Last Child in the Woods., He coins
the term, Nature Deficit Disorder,
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:and that's what we're all about.
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:Getting the kids out there.
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:Freddy D: If you think about
it, when you and I were kids,
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:we were out riding our bicycles.
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:we were climbing trees.
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:We were going camping.
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:We were, playing games outside.
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:We were playing catch baseball.
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:I remember even building model cars and
going into the hobby shop and they had
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:slot cars and you would race them on a
track and there was a prize for winners.
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:We had hobbies back then and activities,
so what you guys are doing with Be
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:Outdoors Arizona is helping people
get back to that, and it's also what I
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:really like about it is it's a portal.
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:So I don't have to go to 12 places to
find what do I want to do this Sunday.
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:I can go right to here and find out
what's going on outdoors in Arizona
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:Kara Jenson: Exactly, and some of
these organizations are really small
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:and even if you search for them, they
can be hard to find on the internet.
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:I also have all the resources you need.
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:I have all the maps to different
trails and waterways and
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:boat ramps and fishing spots.
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:I have all the county parks in the state
are listed where you can go find them
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:and what events they have going on.
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:Then just a lot of other educational
things as far as the different kinds of
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:land, the public land and private land
and state land and what you can and
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:can't do on that and how to do that.
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:So that, and all the fees too, so if you
want to know if you're going somewhere,
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:if there's some sort of fee that you have
to pay, you know that too ahead of time.
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:Freddy D: Yeah, we went traveling,
we pull up to State Park, and she
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:says, you gotta pay to get in.
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:Fortunately, I sweet talked the guard
lady and she says, okay, I'll give
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:you 15 minutes to go tour the park.
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:Before we paid for anything, we
want to see what it was like to
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:come back and do camping there.
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:Kara Jenson: I do, a plan on a
membership, where, the end users get
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:discounts to different, attractions,
such as the Butterfly Wonderland,
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:the Bearizonas, the Wildlife Park,
and Arboretums, and Desert Botanical
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:Gardens, and those sort of places.
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:I just haven't started that program yet.
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:Freddy D: Let's dive deeper, how can
people help you get the word out?
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:Kara Jenson: Basically, just going
onto my website, theoutdoorsarizona.
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:org, and sharing it with friends.
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:We also have a, Instagram page and a
Facebook page and a Facebook group.
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:we're building that group up.
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:I also have one of my volunteers.
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:She does video editing for me.
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:She's over in New York and she
started a TikTok page for me.
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:So we're on TikTok and she makes some
really cute videos there, any one of
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:those just type in Be Outdoors Arizona and
we'll pop up on any of those platforms.
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:Tell you what, my volunteers have just
been so instrumental and that's where
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:I really use the Superfans ideas.
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:When they come on board, I send them
one of our Be Outdoors hats, I recognize
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:them on the website, I do a post about
them on Facebook and LinkedIn, and
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:give recommendations on their profiles.
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:I've got the video editor, I've been
helping her build her own video business,
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:so anything I can do to help them,
because of what they've done for me.
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:I usually get a volunteer for a month
or two, but these guys have stayed
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:with me for six months to a year now.
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:It's just been awesome.
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:Freddy D: So you're applying the
things from my book, and they work.
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:Kara Jenson: Yes, they work.
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:In fact, I have a little
mascot, he's a stuffed Catalina.
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:So I take pictures of him and take
him places and post those, and
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:three of them said they wanted one.
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:One had already gone out and bought one.
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:So I shipped the other two, their
Javelinas, and then reimbursed the
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:other woman who bought one, and they
do, they go out wherever they are and
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:take pictures of, his name's Javiel,
and they post them for me, and they're
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:very happy with working with me and
being on my team, and it's awesome.
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:Freddy D: So those are your superfans
in your organization, and they're doing
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:it for free because they believe in the
cause, and more importantly, as we've
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:talked in the past, you, appreciate them,
recognize them, and express gratitude
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:for the things that they're providing,
which are the three key components, in
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:the creating business superfans book.
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:Kara Jenson: That is true.
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:Freddy D: Very exciting.
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:Kara Jenson: Thank you.
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:Freddy D: So can we talk about how
we can help blow this up for you and
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:more importantly for all your partners
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:Kara Jenson: I am having a webinar,
next tuesday august 13th, at 6 p.
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:m.
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:It quickly touchs on the benefits of
being outdoors, especially for your kids,
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:and then I'm going to go into how to
use the website as far as where you can
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:find events, how to use the filter bar,
and then where to find all these other
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:maps and other resources that I have on
there, and then the social media aspect.
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:It's only 30 minutes.
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:I will have a Q& A session, because
I want to find out what the end user
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:wants from the website, suggestions.
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:I want to hear some ideas from my end
users or what else would be helpful.
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:So I'm excited to have that.
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:Beoutdoorsarizona.
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:org slash webinar and you can
sign up there free, it's only half
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:an hour and you'll learn a lot.
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:Freddy D: Are you going to create that as
a video and then share it on social media?
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:Kara Jenson: I could probably do that.
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:I like to do my videos more
live, like out in doors,
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:Freddy D: Oh, that's why I created a
business superfans accelerator is to come
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:up with clever little ideas to, accelerate
your superfan creation capabilities.
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:Kara Jenson: That's a good idea,
I hadn't thought about using the
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:webinar as that video, so I'll
record it and we'll see how it goes.
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:Freddy D: Yeah, you can record it
while you're doing live and you can
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:always edit it, but then you've got
something you can repost and who knows?
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:I really like what you're doing and,
it's why I'm really glad that you were
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:able to come on to the show because I
think a lot of people need to know that
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:this site exists because it makes it
super easy to find a multitude of events.
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:Kara Jenson: Every time I go to an expo
and, I have a bunch of stuff for the
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:kids to look at and play with, and the
parents, when I tell them exactly what it
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:is that we do, they're just so grateful.
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:They're like, Oh, this
is exactly what we need.
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:We always have a hard time finding things.
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:I knew I was onto something when
I did my first expo and people
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:were really clamoring for it.
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:Freddy D: Yeah.
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:you walked into your calling.
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:You're doing some good things, Kara.
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:Anything else you want to chat about?
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:Hopefully our listeners will,
go to check out the website
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:and help donate for the cause.
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:Kara Jenson: That would be awesome.
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:The only other thing is
my little side thing.
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:This has taken up a lot of my
time and I just never got back to
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:getting some meetings, but I would
like to launch that again and make
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:it a little more comprehensive.
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:it's social, but it's all
business, talk, solving problems.
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:Freddy D: Those are good events.
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:Kara Jenson: No, we run it pretty
organized as far as one person speaks
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:at a time, one topic at a time.
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:Then when that person feels that
they've got the answers that they
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:want to work with, then if we
have time, we go to another one.
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:So I have a couple ideas in mind, but
maybe when I get that started this
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:fall, you can help me out with that.
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:Freddy D: Sure.
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:All right, Kara it's been a
pleasure having you on the
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:Business Superfans podcast show.
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:some great, tips for our listeners about
some outdoor activities that they can
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:go and participate in, and they can
find all those activities at where?
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:Kara Jenson: The OutdoorsArizona.
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:org.
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:Freddy D: All right.
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:Thank you very much for being on
this Business Superfan podcast.
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:Kara Jenson: Thank you for having me.