It started as a one 6,000 chance. Fredonia was chosen for Season Five of Small Business Revolution. The series started streaming on Hulu and on Deluxe's website Tuesday at 3 a.m.

What You Need To Know

  • Fredonia's season of Small Business Revolution is streaming now

  • The seven episodes went live on Hulu at 3 a.m. Tuesday 

  • Lessons learned went well beyond the businesses' four walls

  • Amanda Brinkman and Ty Pennington hope to return soon to see finished products in-person

Minnesota crews who are part of Deluxe Corporation were hard at work, capturing the first meetings back in March. But as quickly as it was lights, camera, renovations, it all stopped.

COVID-19, like for many of us, changed everything.

"They sort of coordinated the distance filming for us,” said Jessamine Daley-Griffin, who owns Ohm Nom Bakery and Café. “They would set up panels with our faces so we could have discussions."

Griffin is episode five in the series. Because she is focuses on gluten free items, she made the decision to keep her cafe closed to the public. So, she's been doing porch pick-up and farmer's markets. It was a tough choice, one in the name in of safety.

Griffin says the team with Small Business Revolution quickly became much more than mentors, but rather cheerleaders.

"They were like the 'Yes Team,'” she smiled through a Zoom call.

The team provided the support she needed to get her business online, with unintended lessons learned along the way.

"Seeing the renovations go about it was so inspiring and it helped stripped the fear,” Griffin said. “It also gave me confidence."

For the show's co-host Amanda Brinkman, the feeling is the same.  

"I think we were just blown away with the support and that people were getting really creative on how to help small businesses right now," Brinkman smiled.

Brinkman says they felt lucky to experience Fredonia at all. Typically, they spend at least 90 days at a location. That was not the case this time around.

"We used technology to our advantage, Brinkman said. “It wasn't just a bunch of Zoom calls, we got very creative."

That they did, creating their own studio of sorts to bring everyone together, from across the country.

"For us, the most important thing was just helping these small businesses as much as we could no matter what challenges we faced," Brinkman said.

Brinkman says looking back, the team couldn't be more proud of everyone who worked on this season.

"It was just so wonderful to intimately work with these seven businesses to help them not only survive this, but thrive this," Brinkman said.

Griffin says what she learned along the way, will go well beyond her newly painted walls.

"And I think that's a lesson I didn't expect, that the resilience of humanity is just so resound and beautiful," she recalled.