Don’t let fear stop you from starting your business. Read this guide and get ready for anything!
It is not a good time to be an entrepreneur, but it is the best time if you have a skill that can translate into something useful. If you have one of those skills, this may be your lucky day because people who had their cars taken away by the Coronavirus are now desperate for taxi drivers and limo services.
As you might have guessed, there are some minor hiccups that come with running your own company when everyone else has been told to stay home And don’t get me wrong – it can be tough trying to go about life as if nothing had happened while people around us succumb like flies But hey! You know what they say – the show must go on So here we are – still going strong despite our little setback The moral? Never give up because not everything goes according to plan.
Aradhana Bhandari
Kacchi London founder Aradhana Bhandari grew up in India, where she learned about holistic treatments as a child. The Kacchi brand uses turmeric and curry leaves to help with digestion – an ideal treatment for the Indian population that has traditionally used these spices extensively.
Photo by uknewsgroup.co.uk
Launching a new brand is daunting at the best of times and starting a venture in the middle of one big ass pandemic brings even more challenges. Here’s my top five lessons I’ve learned from launching this small business during Coronavirus:
1. Take the leap: You don't have anything until you've got everything
When deciding to bring Kacchi London, Coronavirus had hit full force and I couldn’t tell if my business was going to make it. But I knew that in any climate you can’t sit back – there will never be a “right” time for anything; so all of today’s opportunities are what we need now more than ever.
So here is where being brave comes into play-I made up my mind: no matter how tough things get, this wasn’t going down without me fighting every step of the way!
When the pandemic broke out, I knew it was my time to shine. The world hadn’t been this ready for natural products in decades- and with more people than ever wanting to improve their diet, what better way could there be of launching Kacchi London?
2. Be prepared - Startups aren't easy, but they sure are fun
I had to be prepared for adapting, which is a lot easier said than done. Launching the brand during the pandemic brought about many unexpected issues and challenges that were hard to foresee – no matter how much I planned for every eventuality.
It forced me into learning bendable skills such as being able to take a moment, assess my options before deciding on an alternative route in order to get this business off of ground zero!
3. Having an online presence is more important than ever
Apparently, not having an online presence is simply unthinkable in today’s digital world. With a pandemic going on and everything becoming more digitized, the importance of social media marketing has increased tenfold because no one can go outside for any kind of advertising purposes to promote their products anymore.
I’ve had my fair share of success with influencer partnerships. I never thought that the ability to access our key demographic without physically interacting with them would be so important, but it has been crucial for the successful launch of Kacchi London and getting all these new customers interested in what we have available!
I’ve been struggling to get my products in front of potential customers. I was hoping that samples and food events would help, but it turned out not to be the case. Luckily for me, though, building a social media presence has given me more opportunities than ever before!
4. Set realistic expectations. What are the odds of getting funded?
You’ve got to be realistic with your expectations. If you want some success, it will take a lot of hard work and innovation! With fewer opportunities for products to get seen in physical spaces during global crises like this one, this applies even more than usual–if we’re going anywhere fast as an economy or society, I’d say the bar needs lowering on what counts as “good enough” (but that’s just my opinion).
You know, a lot of people think that you just need to do everything right and it will all go smoothly. It’s not like there are some setbacks in life or anything. The truth is that even when things don’t work out the way we want them too, we can still take time for ourselves every now and then to enjoy what little victories come our way – no matter how small they may seem at first glance.
5. Find a balance
Work/life balance is something you need to find. It’s easy when working from home during a pandemic, but it can be difficult if you’re building your brand remotely!
You may find your personal life suffers when you’re running a new business. This is because of the hectic schedule and all decisions that need to be made in order for it run smoothly. Add Covid-19 into this equation, and you can easily end up spread too thin if not careful!
But don’t forget about unwinding from time to time; otherwise, work will consume your whole being which leads nowhere good really fast.