When the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to shutter countless small businesses across America, TAOS Digital Managing Partner Aditya Pandurangan didn't stand by—he stepped up. Alongside former Anomaly CCO Eric Segal and leaders from companies like PixelMEDIA, Accenture, Capgemini, and Indiegogo, Pandurangan volunteered his expertise to launch #KeepSmallStrong—a collective effort to save the businesses that form the backbone of American communities.
The Mission
The goal of #KeepSmallStrong is bold but clear: change the downward trajectory of as many small businesses as possible. The initiative offers struggling businesses the same expertise, experience, and technical solutions typically reserved for enterprise clients—completely free of charge.
For businesses that relied on foot traffic, the collective helped create online storefronts in a matter of hours or days. They set up local delivery, ship-from-store logistics, and customer service capabilities. For those tethered to local neighborhoods, they helped expand exposure regionally and nationally.
Why It Matters
The statistics were alarming: 51% of small businesses surveyed said they could only continue operating for zero to three months. Small businesses aren't just economic engines—they're responsible for nearly half of the U.S. economy and two-thirds of all new job creation. They're the bakeries, hardware stores, and local shops that give communities their character.
"Imagine a world without your 'local.' Saturday mornings with nowhere to run out to in your sweats. Your corner, just a place where two streets meet."
— #KeepSmallStrong Initiative
The TAOS Digital Commitment
This initiative reflects TAOS Digital's core belief that technology should empower businesses of all sizes. By pooling the collective knowledge and resources of top agencies worldwide, the #KeepSmallStrong team brought enterprise-grade solutions to small business owners at no cost and with no strings attached.
The initiative brought together an inspired collective of designers, developers, CCOs, CEOs, and business owners—all volunteering their time to ensure that small businesses could weather the storm and emerge stronger.
Commerce Tech Vendors Band Together To Help Small Businesses
Forrester Principal Analyst Emily Pfeiffer highlighted the #KeepSmallStrong initiative, noting how commerce vendors typically busy consulting with enterprise clients pivoted to help small businesses adapt quickly. The mission: help small shops move online fast—with projects well underway within days and fully functional in just a few weeks.
TAOS Digital was recognized alongside industry giants including Astound Commerce, Capgemini, and PFS/LiveArea as part of what founder Adam Grohs called "inspired individuals"—employees of the largest consultancy and vendor firms in commerce technology who rallied together in a matter of days.
"We all needed to stop focusing on what we did before and start focusing on what these businesses needed to do to survive."
— Aditya Pandurangan, Managing Partner at TAOS Digital
The Forrester article highlighted impressive early results: with only the first couple of businesses live, around 50 more were in the pipeline, with capacity to support hundreds to thousands within weeks. Small business accounts for about 43% of GDP in the US—making this initiative critical to economic recovery.
Read the Forrester ArticleHow You Can Support Small Businesses During COVID-19
Thrive Global's Rhett Power detailed the #KeepSmallStrong initiative, highlighting how TAOS Digital Managing Partner Aditya Pandurangan joined fellow industry leaders in volunteering their time to help struggling small businesses. The collective included designers, developers, CCOs, CEOs, and business owners from companies like PixelMEDIA, PFS Corp., LiveArea, Accenture, Capgemini, Envoy, Astound Commerce, Elastic Path, and Indiegogo.
The Alarming Statistics
- • Nearly 1 in 5 American households experienced layoffs or cut hours due to the pandemic
- • 51% of small businesses could only continue operating for 0-3 more months
- • 96% of small businesses had already been affected by COVID-19
- • Natural disasters cause 40% of small businesses to fail
"Small businesses and commerce are the backbones of our communities and our country. This is one of many reasons the fight against coronavirus is so disruptive and the consequences so far-reaching. These businesses are in survival mode—and some may not make it without assistance."
— Jim Butler, Executive Vice President, LiveArea
The article emphasized how #KeepSmallStrong's first order of business was helping small businesses relying on foot traffic create online storefronts and set up local delivery, ship-from-store logistics, and customer service—services typically reserved for enterprise-level clients, now offered completely free.
Read the Thrive Global ArticleRead the Full Forbes Article
By Amy Blaschka • Forbes Contributor