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.

Laura Ward

Pre-Covid I was focused on my physical moving pop-up shop. I was looking to sell at local breweries, distilleries, coffee shops and other high traffic venues. When everything shut down, I was home and if I wasn’t physically selling to the public, then I wasn’t making money. Post Covid shut down, my focus is on adding different revenue streams to my business. One of my biggest endeavors is to grow my online business. I have learned to have multiple income opportunities for my business. We have all learned that things can change at any time & it’s important to be prepared for the unexpected. Read more>>

Julie Wilhite.

Covid has significantly changed the wedding industry and it has made it more important than ever to pay attention to the market and adapt accordingly. All of our expenses have risen including products and labor. It is important to make sure you are charging your worth, but also that you are up-leveling your overall client experience to match your new pricing. How can I serve my clients even better? How can I sharpen my skills and learn new skills? Staying still is not an option anymore. Growing, reaching higher, making important connections are more important than ever. Read more>>

Yvonne Conti-O’Brien

Before Covid we were at the Brownwood Farmer’s Market and being very successful. We would sell out almost every Saturday morning within 2-3 hours! It was very exciting! We loved seeing our loyal customers and meeting new people. We would also be in the town square holiday festivals. We have three town squares; and we had been in festivals at two of them. We were finally going to be in the square closest to our neighborhood. We prepared for a week baking and packaging. It was thrilling to know we would be close to home, near our neighbors with one of our most popular cookies, Irish Cookie Bomb! Read more>>

Shannon Rohrer-Phillips

Like so many business owners, COVID forced me to change my entire business model. Prior to COVID, I had produced 13 live Voice + Visibility Women’s Summit live events in Sarasota, FL serving thousands of women from SW Florida. The momentum and growth was trending in the right direction to increase the size and scope of our VVWS live event platform. Due to COVID, the live event industry was completely shut down. My choice was to either collapse the Voice + Visibility Women’s Summit, or imagine a new, Read more>>

Shuvonta Smalls

COVID has changed things DRASTICALLY. Especially still in the Apparel side of what I do. When it comes to Ordering Blanks the shipping time takes longer and because factories are backed up or short staffed, inventory numbers are inconsistent. Certain brand Tshirts are out of stock that I’ve never seen be out of stock before COVID. The issues with this is that I’d have to do research and test new brands or make limited edition items. This isn’t the case for everything, but it happens often enough. Read more>>

Jeff Ruffin

During the beginning phase of Covid-19, I had an opportunity to sit back and reflect on my long-term goals and where I saw the future of my business going. As a leader and entrepreneur, it’s important to revisit your business model to both maintain and exceed current operating levels. I was able to make sure JDR Financial had the proper systems and processes in place to not only give my clients the best service possible but grow my book of business from a telephone and or computer screen due to not being able to meet in person. Read more>>

Andre Morris

Initially Covid shut down a lot of my vending machine profits based on them being placed in office buildings that were shut down during the pandemic. However, I started placing them in essential businesses like coin laundromats and profits soared. Read more>>

David Biber

After twenty years in the event and catering business, in 2018 I purchased Hidden Oaks Ranch to pursue my dream of building a movie studio. After two years of construction on the studio and remodeling an old horse barn, COVID-19 struck with a vengeance in February/March of 2020. There was still work to do in the new studio, and The Barn still needed a bathroom and kitchenette. Plans to have a full service studio supported by a bunkhouse and activity venue were seriously derailed. Conditions worsened when in April of 2020, COVID-19 claimed my mother. Read more>>