In just a few days, the World Cup arrives in Texas.
For years, cities, sponsors, tourism boards and major corporations have been preparing for this moment.
The question is: Are small businesses ready?
Over the next several weeks, millions of visitors will travel through our state. Hotels will fill. Restaurants will be packed. Airports will buzz. Texas will have the attention of the world.
And yet, I’ve noticed something interesting.
Most conversations about the World Cup are focused on sports, tourism and entertainment.
Far fewer conversations are happening about small businesses. Especially women-owned businesses. That absolutely feels like a missed opportunity to me.
For years, I’ve talked about the importance of directing more visibility, spending and opportunity toward women-owned businesses. The World Cup gives us a chance to do that on a much bigger stage.
The question isn’t whether opportunity is coming, it’s what we do with it.
Moment of Clarity This Week
Major events don’t automatically create economic opportunity. People do.
The World Cup may bring millions of people to Texas, but that doesn’t guarantee they will discover your business. That part is up to us.
So what can women business owners do right now prepare for one of the biggest economic moments in Texas? Here are five strategies to consider and implement right now:
1. Create a World Cup Offer
Over the next several weeks, visitors and locals will have lots options competing for their attention. They’ll be deciding where to eat, where to shop, what events to attend and which experiences are worth their time and money.
Give them a reason to choose you.
Consider creating something specifically tied to the World Cup:
That could be:
• A special product
• A limited-time service
• A themed menu item
• A welcome package
• A curated experience
• A promotional offer
Not every business needs a World Cup-themed product. But every business should be asking the same question:
Why would someone choose us during this moment?
The easier you make it for someone to say yes, the more likely they are to become a customer.
2. Make sure people can find you online.
Many businesses are harder to find than they realize. That’s a problem.
And it’s important to state the obvious – the way people discover businesses is changing. For years, most of us focused on search engine optimization. We wanted our websites to appear when someone searched for a specific keyword.
Today, people are increasingly asking AI tools for recommendations.
Last month, Google announced the next evolution of Search, one that relies heavily on AI-generated responses and conversational search experiences. Instead of simply serving a list of links, search engines are increasingly helping users discover businesses through direct recommendations and summarized answers:
• Where should I eat in Dallas?
• What are the best women-owned businesses to visit during the World Cup?
• What local experiences are worth checking out?
What does this mean? Well that clarity matters more than ever.
Is your Google Business profile updated?
Does your website clearly explain what you do?
Are your hours accurate? Can someone quickly understand who you serve and how to work with you? Can visitors easily find your location, products, services or booking information?
The businesses that get discovered now won’t necessarily be the ones with the biggest marketing budgets. They’ll be the ones that make it easy for both people and technology to understand who they are.
Take thirty minutes this week and look at your business through the eyes of someone discovering you for the very first time.
Because if people can’t find you, they can’t support you.
And increasingly, “finding you” may begin with an AI-generated recommendation rather than a traditional Google search.
3. Partner instead of competing.
One of the fastest ways to expand your reach is through collaboration. Some ideas:
• A restaurant can partner with a retailer
• A photographer can partner with an event organizer
• A wellness brand can partner with a hotel
• A consultant can partner with a coworking space
Think about who already serves your ideal customer and explore ways to work together such as:
• Shared promotions
• Curated experiences
• Referral partnerships
• Cross-marketing campaigns
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned through building HER Texas is that economic opportunity rarely moves in a straight line. It moves through relationships.
Sometimes the most valuable opportunity isn’t the customer you gain directly. It’s the person who introduces you to your next customer.
4. Position yourself to be discovered.
Relationships still matter. Visibility and proximity are EVERYTHING. Showing up still means something.
While the World Cup will bring millions of people to Texas, there are surprisingly few spaces intentionally designed to showcase women-owned businesses during this historic moment.
That’s one of the reasons we created HER Texas House.
From July 9–12, HER Texas House will serve as a four-day destination experience celebrating the women building businesses, creating jobs, leading organizations and shaping communities across our state.
Throughout the four-day pop-up event, you can explore The Texas Marketplace, a curated showcase of women-owned businesses from across the state. Each morning kicks off with The Morning Social, a casual gathering featuring coffee, conversation and the afternoon will feature The Global Salon, a place where big ideas, emerging trends and important conversations take center stage.
The House is part gathering space, part business hub and part celebration.
Most importantly, it’s a space designed to help direct visibility, traffic, spending and opportunity toward women-owned businesses during a moment when the world’s attention is on Texas.
Whether you join us for a single day or all four, you’ll have an opportunity to connect with other women, discover new businesses and experience one of the most exciting moments happening alongside the World Cup. Grab your tickets here.
For businesses looking to increase their visibility during the event, sponsorship opportunities are still available. Shoot us a line: hello@hertexas.org.
5. Make it easy for people to spend money with you.
The World Cup will bring attention. But attention alone doesn’t pay bills.
Can I get an amen?
Look at your business through the eyes of a first-time customer.
• Can they easily buy from you?
• Can they quickly book an appointment or a service with you?
• Can they purchase a gift card?
• Can they understand what you do in less than thirty seconds?
• Can they find pricing, availability or next steps without sending three emails?
Every unanswered question creates uncertainty and every complicated process increases the likelihood that someone moves on.
Major events create spikes in attention, but the businesses that benefit most are often the ones that remove barriers between interest and action.
When someone discovers your business, make it easy for them to become a customer.
Why This Moment Matters
What happens during this time matters. And not simply because of the economic impact the World Cup generates, but because moments like this influence who benefits from that impact.
Every visitor will make decisions about where to spend their time, attention and money.
That’s why it is so important that we’re prepared. Or as my dad used to say, “if you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.:
Economic opportunity doesn’t move through events. It moves through people! It moves through convos, intros and recommendations. It also moves through the decisions people make every day about who they support, who they hire, who they invest in and who they tell others about.
The World Cup creates the conditions for those interactions to happen at a larger scale. The businesses that benefit most won’t necessarily be the largest or the loudest. They’ll be the ones that are visible, prepared and positioned to engage with the people this moment brings to Texas.
My hope is that long after the World Cup ends, all small businesses across Texas can point to customers gained, partnerships formed and opportunities created because they chose to show up and engage during this moment.
As always, thanks for reading!
LET’S STAY CONNECTED
• Schedule a business strategy call with me
• Book me to speak with your organization or company
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• Donate to the BankHER General Fund
• Shoot me a line: jasmin@hertexas.org
This article originally appeared on The Start by Jasmin Brand.