Gravity Talks

Gravity CEO Dan Price gets a lot of interview requests. In addition to queries from various media outlets, he also regularly receives emails from business owners and business students who want to learn more about our $70,000 minimum wage. Although these conversations are usually private, they often reveal insights into our policy and how we’ve managed to make it a success that traditional and social media commentary usually miss.

Recently, Dan was approached by Chris Wayne, a military veteran who is currently studying business at the University of Southern California. For one of his classes, Chris was tasked with interviewing a CEO and reached out to Dan. In a wide-ranging conversation, Chris and Dan discussed why income inequality in America is so harmful to our society and economy and what it is really going to take to solve this crisis at a systemic level. Hint: it’s going to take a lot more than one CEO deciding to pay a living wage to all of their employees.

For more information on conversations with business leaders like these, visit www.gravitypayments.com/talks

If you’re a java junkie, you know that your favorite local coffee shop provides more than just a daily caffeine fix. It’s also a place to congregate with friends, meet neighbors, work on your screenplay/novel/business plan/app idea, and generally experience a sense of community. But when COVID-19 forced coffee shops to close their cafes and dine-in services, owners had to scramble to figure out how to adapt. Fortunately, many of them were able to innovate in ways that have, in some cases, allowed them to keep generating pre-pandemic levels of revenue.

This week, Gravity invited several experts from the coffee industry to discuss some of the most creative solutions they’ve seen and share strategies that other shop owners can use to thrive during—and after--this time. The conversation was moderated by Angie McKenzie, a food and beverage consultant, and the panel included Nick Martin, CEO of the mobile-ordering app joe coffee; Dane Atkinson, CEO of Odeko; Andrea Ramirez, trends and insights expert at Torani; and Dan Price, founder and CEO of Gravity Payments.

For more information on conversations Gravity hosts with business owners like these, visit www.gravitypayments.com/talks.

Independent bookstores have survived the rise of ebooks and Amazon and the ever-increasing costs of running a brick-and-mortar business, but their strength has been further tested by COVID-19. In this episode, hear from store owners Lexi Beach (Astoria Bookshop, Queens, NY) and Christy McDanold (Secret Garden Books, Seattle, WA) and Bookshop.org partnership manager Sarah High as they discuss how they’ve adapted and offer advice for retailers as they look to the future. For more information on how other conversations Gravity hosts with business owners, visit www.gravitypayments.com/talks.

Brooke sits down with Limor Fried, founder and CEO of Adafruit Industries. Founded in 2005 from Limor's kitchen table, Adafruit has grown into a multi-million-dollar business with headquarters in lower Manhattan. On this episode, Limor discusses how she's been able to grow the company without outside investment and while remaining true to Adafruit's core values.

When COVID-19 forced Red Door Café in Moses Lake, WA, to shut down its dining room, co-owner Lisa Boorman wasn't sure how her family business would survive. Fortunately, they were saved by an unlikely hero: donuts. 

In this episode of Gravity Talks, Lisa shares how her restaurant has been able to pivot during this global pandemic, all while keeping its entire staff employed full time. She also offers advice to other small business and restaurant owners about how they can keep their heads above water during this unprecedented time. "Right now it's so important to find out what is your community needing?" Lisa says. "What can you give them that's maybe missing?"

COVID-19 forced most “non-essential” medical practices to shut down their offices. As a result, many practice owners turned to telehealth and other technologies in an effort to continue to serving patients. One industry that was especially impacted was audiology. After all, hearing loss doesn’t stop just because there’s a pandemic, but it’s difficult to treat hearing disorders unless you have proper testing in place.

Gravity serves many members of the audiology community, so we wanted to find out how they were faring during this time. Several weeks ago, we invited Brian Urban, CEO of the audiology practice management software company CounselEar to discuss some of the innovations he’s seen among his clients. He was joined by Gravity CEO Dan Price, and their conversation was followed by a live Q&A with more than 300 audiologists across the nation. For more information on other conversations Gravity hosts with business owners, visit www.gravitypayments.com/talks.

The process of shopping for a wedding dress is intensely personal. When COVID-19 forced retail shops to close, bridal salons had to scramble to figure out how to continue providing these services. One such salon owner, Janice Yoder, came up with several programs that allowed her shop—Adore Bridal in Morton, IL—to adapt while maintaining the safety of her employees and her brides. Several weeks ago, we invited Janice to share her experience with other salon owners and discuss strategies they can use to thrive during and after the pandemic. For more information on other conversations Gravity hosts with business owners, visit www.gravitypayments.com/talks