Small Business is Booming
Dear reader,
When lockdown 1.0 hit, I felt lost; I felt unsure about what it meant for my client’s businesses and mine. At this point, I had been running my business for around a year and a half, and I decided to give myself some breathing room to reflect on what I wanted and what I enjoyed most in my business. I took time to do the same as so many others, pot around in the garden, bake banana bread and enjoy the sunshine.
At the same time, I felt a need to connect with my community, and I decided that the best way to do so was through my podcast, Let’s talk shop. I interviewed 35 business owners and industry professionals, and from these conversations, I gained confidence, resilience and motivation to keep on doing what I love so much.
My guests, clients and those in my community showed me that when faced with challenges, small business owners are resourceful, resilient and agile, and so many of them flourished throughout lockdown.
The independent retailer who shared that despite being closed or online only for large parts of 2020, they grew their business 200% that calendar year. They now feel more connected to their customers than ever before, even with the distance.
The business owner who was trying to do it all and who’s sales exceeded all expectations and who’s now able to offer other mums flexible and distanced employment.
The young side-hustler who’s gone from a very modest turnover of a few hundred pounds to thousands and fulfilled their dream to buy a home by the sea.
The brand owner who had mainly been focusing on growing their trade sales, and who threw themselves into improving their retail sales and now have several strong sales channels and a much more resilient business for the future.
The shop owner, who never had a desire to become an online store, set up their online store and listed thousands of products within a couple of months of having to close their physical shop doors temporarily.
All these stories of businesses flourishing, doing good, supporting their local and online community is so inspiring, and it’s a great reason to be cheerful.
Of course, all this has not come without struggle, and not everyone has experienced the same growth, and there have been plenty of businesses who've not fared as well, but today I wanted to share and celebrate the positive stories that have come out of this.
These stories and so many others make me feel more positive and inspired than ever before about our industry and the future of small business.
Much love,
Therese Oertenblad
P.S. If you are a product-based business owner, I share lots of tips over on Instagram, and I have a few freebies that you can download here to help you grow your wholesale business.
Therese has a background in sales and has worked in the home and gift industry for over 12 years selling to both independent retailers and nationals on the high street as an introvert.
She is passionate about the retail industry and helping product-based business owners make more sales, increase their profit and develop a strategy for growing their businesses with confidence.
Therese mentors business owners and offers 1:1 mentoring runs regular courses as well as being the host of a small business podcast called Let’s Talk Shop.
Website: https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/small_business_collaborative/
Podcast: Let’s Talk Shop https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/podcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sbusinesscollab
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallbusinesscollaborative
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/letstalkwholesale
Clubhouse: @sbusinesscollab
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/therese-oertenblad-18298729/