Susan Evans survived a beating and attempted rape in the downtown Minneapolis skyway system in 1988. Her assailant pulled her into a service closet, she screamed and passersby forced the door open, freeing her.
What happens now? It’s what anyone facing a crisis or its aftermath asks. Evans never forgot how the question loomed, or her gratitude for the help she’d received.
Two years ago, she funded and launched whathappensnow.com, a free “e-zine” that’s not just for dealing with crises, but “to help others through exciting or unexpected life-changing experiences,” says Evans, who’s also founder and president of Evans Larson Communications in Minneapolis. The site—which addresses bike theft, air travel, natural disasters, weddings, birth, and hospice care, among other topics—is the result of thousands of interviews with experts, and advice from people who have hands-on experience. An editor and staff of 20 freelance writers around the country update content daily.
Late last year, Evans opened the site up to advertising, sponsorship and content licensing. The site is now “part of what the New York Times recently called the fourth business sector, in that we’re out to save the world while also making money,” she says.
