In this economic situation, single mothers might be finding it hard to get back to where they had been before the pandemic. While the months of isolation allowed for more time with children, financial stability had been on the rock.
Many alternative businesses have saved families during the desperate months of last year. These businesses had previously been delegated to the role of side hustles, just augmenting the regular salaries most of us had been dependent on. But that was before the massive lay-offs.
Looking for opportunities, while the lockdowns had curbed location-dependent businesses, it allowed online businesses to thrive. Particularly, these were online businesses that didn’t have to source out raw materials from elsewhere. For some time, consumers had been restricted to what was already in the stocks. Speciality items such as drinking straws and maybe a baby feeding bowl made from bamboo, a material that has to be imported, became more difficult to acquire.
What remained flourishing, however, were businesses that local supplies can sustain. Although the trade industry has already put up safeguards should another wave of lockdowns occur, it would be best if you consider a small business, for now, that isn’t too dependent on the movement of goods internationally. Here are the simple options that you have.
Food Business
If you have the talent for it, the best business to go into right now is something that comes from your kitchen.
When everyone had been forced to stay indoors, there was a non-verbal social pressure that time should be put to good use by learning new skills. As a result, everyone must have tried their hand in the kitchen, experimenting with the stoves and ovens they had not paid attention to after buying. With the reopening of establishments, not all will have the time to get back to the chopping board. But they might miss the home cooking that’s been properly feeding their systems for some months.
Additionally, people are looking not only for proper meals but also for food that will not compromise their immune systems. A lunch box business is good. The stylish bento box is already making its round in social media, thanks to creative mothers who have been making lunches for their kids. But instead of creating cute characters with salamis and sausages, a nutritious but good-looking meal is more appropriate for working people.
You can also find a niche with those trying to reduce weight after months of limited movements. Offer a weekly menu for weight management. There are several recipes available online. You can add your own twist to make them more appealing to your locality.
Another option for the food business is arranging food for special events if you have the creativity. The New Year’s Eve, for example, had been full of charcuterie boards. Cakes and baked pastries are now arranged with fresh flowers, and even simple salads can be presented to make them look posh. You can cater to small gatherings to allow you more elaborate setups compared to buffets intended for large crowds.
Other Retail Businesses
If you are fortunate to have space with the appropriate environmental conditions, you can go into plant propagation which has now become lucrative. Thanks to the first interior designers who used plants to style, even common grass placed in beautiful pots has become luxury decors.
Not everyone has a green thumb, but you can try it out with one or two mother plants and a couple of pots. If you manage to propagate two or three new plants, you can seriously consider expanding it into a business.
Two other businesses that have become popular thanks to social media are jewellery making and dried flower arrangements. But again, these are dependent on your propensity for the arts and crafts. If you are confident you can create something with your hands that’s worth selling, all you need to learn is the staging of your creations. That means you have to present them well in photos so that people might be interested in them.
Finally, selling vintage clothing has also become a trend. Although only a few will still want to visit a thrift shop, online shops and social media platforms put these old clothes in a new light, so to speak. As long as you know how to style them and present them well, online buyers will not think cheaply of your goods.
The purchasing behaviour of people has been affected by the months they had to stay at home. People, for example, are now used to looking up products online instead of going to the mall or shops to buy. A lot have also become more health-conscious. So if your business will cater to these new behaviours, even if you struggle at the start, you can be sure that you will eventually settle in and find your place in this new norm.
