Pivoting during COVID-19 and creating value for customers and local community
Taking a look at how previous Ascender incubation companies have adapted.
Since March 19, as the COVID-19 crisis impacted every aspect of our lives in Pittsburgh and around the country, small businesses found themselves with the new reality of closing indefinitely to help stop the spread of the virus. This measure forced small business owners to quickly make decisions of investing in and/or tweaking some of their products or services in order to survive and make it through to a post-pandemic economy.
Businesses have found different ways to pivot and adjust their product offerings. From online sales and discounts to introducing new product offerings and improving the customer experience of their loyal customer base and the local community, small businesses have remained resilient. We took a look at our previous incubation companies to see how they pivoted during this crisis. Check out the examples below.
Adding new products and service offerings to bring value to your customers and meet demand
Nollapelli is a textile manufacturing company that developed an innovative fabric for bedsheets that could help prevent long-term skin and hair damage and improve the quality of sleep. Nolapelli recently launched its new product, Face Mask Duo, that comes with two standard size face masks. For every duo bought, one is donated to frontline workers in need of protection. Learn more here.
Partner with other organizations to multiply efforts and meet demand
Knotzland utilizes textile discards and reuses them to create stylish accessories that everyone loves — Bowties! In doing this, Knotzland reduces the disposal of fabrics that may otherwise be deemed unusable and ultimately end up laying around and polluting our environment. To date, the company has rescued over 1,700 lbs of textile waste and over repurposed 1,000 of it (and counting). In March, Knotzland partnered with (mask) MAKERS PGH, a group of makers and volunteers that launched a collaborative effort to help combat the global mask shortage due to COVID-19. The network, along with volunteer sewists, was able to provide thousands of masks for essential workers and vulnerable communities free of charge. The group has already provided 4,244 masks.
Create online resources and virtual gatherings to help your community
Minding the Gap seeks to disrupt dancer culture and emphasize the importance of mental health through advocacy, research, resources and solutions. During the last two months, as many of us sheltered in place, the dancer community faced new mental health challenges as a consequence of practicing social distancing and dealing with anxiety and grief. Minding the Gap quickly organized an online series of “Dancer Mental Health Town Halls,” to address unexpected challenges that came with COVID-19 in the dance world. These Town Halls bring experts together to cover topics and challenges such as dealing with food and body image and how to address canceled shows and what it means to dancers’ professional careers. By staying connected and quickly providing relevant and timely resources, Minding the Gap continues to meet its mission to address mental health challenges in the dance world. Watch the Town Hall’s recordings by subscribing to Minding The Gap Youtube Channel.
Always give back to your community
First Sip Brew Box is a monthly subscription box or one time gift for the ultimate craft beer enthusiast. First Sip Brew Box features a brewery or a small business every month to highlight the best breweries and connect them to beer lovers. During COVID-19, breweries and service workers in Pennsylvania were forced to minimize their sales to curbside pick-up or delivery only. As a company that works closely with local breweries and service workers, First Sip Brew Box founders decided to give back to the community by launching a campaign to sell limited-edition T-shirts that read, “Stand Strong — Support Local Breweries.” A portion of the T-shirt sales goes back to the beer craft community. Read more here.
These small businesses were able to combine and adapt their efforts to address today’s needs and bring value to customers and the immediate community. Continue learning about them and support your local businesses.
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