Launching a business during #Covid-19
If you had told me that the business I spent a year creating while also being a stay at home mother would be launched a few weeks before a global pandemic, I would have never believed you! Sadly, this was the case for me and I’m sure for many other small businesses worldwide. It was only two weeks after the launch of The Baby Scoop Messy and Sensory Play Classes when COVID-19 surfaced as a very serious issue. I made the decision to put the classes on hold well before the government put us on official lockdown as the risk of exposing young children and their families to the virus was not one I was willing to take.
As disheartening as it was to have to stop when we had just got our feet off the ground, I knew this was the right thing to do. I decided to focus on using my Instagram platform as a way to remain connected to parents and families who suddenly found themselves stuck at home with children who require constant attention, amusement and learning! I had already grown a small following of about 600 followers that I would regularly share the scoop on all things babies and toddlers with – from advice to parents on dealing with tantrums to activity ideas to help with their children’s development.
Within a couple of weeks of posting very simple, easy to set up activities using materials that most of us already have at home (egg cartons, recycled toilet/kitchen roll tubes, cotton buds etc), our following grew almost overnight to now 7.5k! Parents’ messages came flooding in about how useful and helpful these activities have been for them, at a time when they may not have known what to do with their children to keep them learning in a fun and engaging way. I receive several photos every day of children at home carrying out our activities and we are getting tagged in so many photos of little ones replicating our activities all over the world! It has been incredibly rewarding and uplifting to have been able to turn our story into a positive one.
I could never have imagined that our small business would have amassed such interest in such a short period of time with a genuine need for these types of activities and advice, especially that it is coming out of such a difficult situation as the COVID-19. As with most small businesses at the moment, we are trying to stay afloat until we can pick up our classes again, so we are currently selling play dough kits, sensory bottles and sensory kits for messy play at home. These have been hugely popular in keeping little hands occupied and have also made great birthday gifts, Easter gifts and simply ‘thinking of you’ gifts.
Like so many parents now, I am juggling being at home with my child with no outside support, with a never-ending list of things to do in the house and trying to keep my business relevant. I would be lying if I said it was easy. If there’s one thing that this pandemic has taught me, it’s the profound need and desire for us to all feel connected to other human beings. Not being able to have the same physical contact with our friends and families as we once had is very trying, but there has been a virtual online community that has suddenly come together in a very powerful way; with its members all working together to help each other in various ways, shapes and forms. Had this lockdown happened fifteen years ago, it would be a very different situation and people would likely be feeling a lot lonelier and cut-off from the outside world.
We are in such a fortunate position to be able to remain so connected to each other in a time where we are needing to be physically distant from one another. If you aren’t already part of a community which is spreading positivity and is helping others get through this, I would highly suggest you find one to join!
I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of this strong community of parents and I am so grateful that The Baby Scoop has been able to help so many families during this time.
To discover more about The Baby Scoop visit the website today!