It was exactly a year ago that struggling small business owners who were desperately trying to keep their heads above water got their first glimpse of a rather unconventional lifeline that appeared in Jewish media print and video announcements.

The concept was called Branding Together, a contest that would award a complete marketing services package valued at $60,000 to one COVID-impacted business.  The competition was a ray of hope in a pandemic-stricken world where short term business closures had evolved into months-long lockdowns and many an entrepreneur was seeing their life’s work disintegrating before their eyes.

Branding Together was the brainchild of Elisheva Perlman, founder and creative consultant of The Anelis Group.  An out of the box thinker whose boutique marketing agency is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs succeed, Elisheva knew that by curating a top tier team of stellar creatives she could form a group whose collective talents had the ability to turn a COVID-ravaged business in a positive direction.  It was equally clear that countless others could benefit as well, with a Mishpacha series giving readers a play by play of the transformation, providing them with valuable advice that they could apply to their own small businesses.

The past twelve months have been a whirlwind of activity for Elisheva and the creative partners involved, all of whom jumped at the chance to give contest winner Dr. Suss a complete, pro bono branding makeover.

Opened in late 2018 as a family and sensory-friendly horse farm in Jackson, New Jersey, Dr. Suss was drawing visitors who came to enjoy year round programming including riding, a petting zoo, hayrides, kids clubs and more, but it had been hit hard by COVID and a relatively small number of people knew of its existence.  Addressing those challenges, branding copywriter Avi Webb renamed the farm Calmin’ Ground last summer, repositioning it as a place with universal appeal that catered to all children, where the hustle and bustle of everyday life were replaced with an overwhelming sense of serenity and tranquility.

Watching the many pieces of the puzzle coming together and seeing Calmin’ Ground solidify its brand position through Yossi Belkin’s new logo and the photography and videography of Dani Diamond, Hudi Greenberger and Gi Orman has been an incredible journey for the entire team, as well as Yossi and Leah Lowenstein, proprietors of Calmin’ Ground.  Equally rewarding has been seeing those building blocks used to create all new Calmin’ Ground content which is in currently being rolled out on the pages of Mishpacha Magazine, the Between Carpools lifestyle site, digital ads and banners distributed by the Chayala Kaufman’s Jewish Content Network and on a website designed by Kalman Groner’s Kangaroo Partners.

Elisheva admitted that it is striking to imagine how much has transpired over the last twelve months, with an idea born of a tragic pandemic giving way to the rebirth of a struggling business.

“Having every one of the hand-picked creatives I turned to saying yes as soon as they heard about this idea was incredibly humbling and once the team was set in place, I was confident that this was going to be something special,” said Elisheva.  “Looking back on the entire process now and seeing how far we have come over the year, we are all incredibly excited to watch Calmin’ Ground thrive now that it has found its niche and the brandsformation is complete.”

To learn more about Calmin’ Ground, schedule a visit or book a sensory hour visit them online at https://calminground.com/