In March of 2020 there was a moment of widespread panic – it wasn’t just about public health, it was also economic. Would our economy survive a prolonged pandemic? A few years in the answer is clear – it did survive and it was able to because of the spirit and the resolve of our people. Hard working mom and pops working overtime to implement new revenue streams for the businesses, artists and creators finding new ways to collaborate and share their art with their fans and folks from every neighborhood in the country finding ways to adapt and carry on. We wanted to honor those stories by creating a space to share those stories and you’ll find some of the below.

Faiz Aly

I absolutely love the concept of remote work. Especially in the world of digital marketing. As long as you have your phone and your computer with you, you can get your work done from anywhere in the world. I have the unique luxury of hiring talents from across the country–and even around the world. My goal is to build Aly+ based on talent and culture-fit instead of location. The main objective is and always will be to get the work done with the highest quality and client in mind. With virtual meetings and emails, calls, Slack and Teams, everything gets efficiently done. Read more>>

Ginni Saraswati

Since the beginning, Ginni Media has been a 100% remote company. Having worked the 9am-5pm model since my early 20’s, there was something about it that didn’t fit me. It was like that really cool dress or outfit that all the cool kids were wearing that was hanging in your closet, yet each time you tried it on, something didn’t feel good about it. It felt restrictive and just not for you. Read more>>

Ebony Muhammad

Prior to the big tech companies and social media platforms, the industry of retail and selling physical products were done in department stores, malls, outlets, street markets, pamper parties and such. However, we’ve seen a tremendous shift of how goods are sold as well as an increase of online marketing. We now see that it’s not a fleeting trend, but in fact a whole new way of doing business virtually. Read more>>

Shante James

In 2019, I opened a local Beauty Supply Boutique with a family member. Due to schedule changes, Covid-19, and personal events, we pivoted to e-commerce and a mobile store in the summer of 2020. We pivoted from a storefront to an online and mobile Beauty Supply Store. We recently placed our 1st Beauty Supply Vending Machine inside Katy Mills Mall -near Houston. Our machine is located near Ross and AMC. We also sell beauty supplies on many platforms such as Amazon, Walmart Market Place and eBay. Read more>>

Brendon Rogers

The last time there was a pandemic of this level, film festivals didn’t exist. All film festivals in the world have had to adopt a more organic and “real time” business model to reflect the changing circumstances, based on their location and whether or not their venue was even open at any given time. While we were lucky in that our festival theater was open and we could hold a non-virtual event, being an international festival, we’ve had to contend with travel restrictions for our filmmakers, who fly in from all over the world. Read more>>

Keyeshia Watson

Only Two Things Changed For My Business Due To Covid.. Firstly, I No Longer Appear at Pop-Ups, Markets,etc… Secondly, I Only Work with Models & Influencers on a PR Basis… These Adaptions Have Made A Positive Impact… I know that in many ways the Pandemic Was Supposed To Hurt The Small Business, But My Business Actually Has Scaled Up Beyond My Stats I Predicted.. Covid Era Has Grown My Business Tremendously… Read more>>

Dara Eckart

During the initial wave of COVID in 2020, we were under the safer at home orders for Pinellas County. We had to close down the shelter due to the requirement for remote work so we put a call out to our community to help us get all of our animals adopted or fostered so that we could operate with a skeleton crew at the shelter. Once all of the animals were out of the shelter, we weren’t quite sure what to do with ourselves with no animals to care for. Read more>>

Imari Graves

Absolutely. The pandemic has given me more clarity when it comes to my business. The time during the shutdown gave me a moment to take a step back and reevaluate how to position my brand in this climate. My ultimate goal has always been to help others. I am grateful for the time to reset and refocus on my brand’s mission. Read more>>

Lisa Agens

When I started Your Lean Life LLC in 2018, the intention was a 1:1 nutritional coaching business where I travel to clients. Busy professionals and parents don’t always have time to step away from their daily obligations to go to a meeting or location. That worked well until Covid started. In order to service my existing clients, we all had to learn Virtual Meetings. We found it actually worked even better! I was able to share information and teaching, via screen shares, more effectively. Read more>>

Gary Peterson

The reality is that work from home “works” and is not going away – working from home is a permanent fixture in American business. In hindsight, we were in a strong position going into the pandemic as we lived by foundational core values, which held us together during the 1.5 years apart. A company’s core values are what you lean on when you don’t know what to do, they clarify behavior. Our values of Ownership & Trust were cornerstones of our success, especially Trust. Read more>>

Karissa Merrill

Covid has taught society many lessons. One of those lessons being that employers put too much emphasis on start and end times of the work day, and the need for employees to be in person. While I recognize that there are many careers where being in person is absolutely essential, there are many where it’s not.I remember being young listening to my mom celebrate her employer allowing her to work from home, so she could be with her young children. Read more>>

Douglas Ferguson

At Voltage Control, we know that keeping our remote team connected is integral to remote work. Connection in the virtual world isn’t something that happens by accident. As a result, our team intentionally creates and maintains connectivity to foster support, healthy relationships, psychological safety, and productivity. Read more>>