Thought of the Day - November 10 - Small Businesses That Are Thriving

While we have all heard about the big-guys that are making out like gang-busters during this-here pandemic, there are a significant number of small-guy businesses that are also doing well. Here is a list of some of them:

Food:

• Grocery Stores: With the general public practising “social distancing” and closing restaurant dining rooms, more families are stocking up on goods and eating at home. This has led to large and small grocers alike to see surges in customer demand. For example: Arctic Meat ( arcticmeat.ca ).

• Liquor and Wine: With many bars closed or restricted across the country, local liquor distilleries, craft beer brewers and wineries have dramatically increased sales. Coupled with delivery services, resourceful producers have done well. Moreover, there is a never-been-seen-before demand for alcohol not as a beverage but as the active ingredient in hand sanitizers. Here is the link Gail used to get started (now she just places VIP orders direct to her favourite wineries) ( bc.vitis.ca/heres-a-look-at-how-b-c-wineries-are-adapting-to-covid-19 ). There is also a neighbourhood micro-distillery up on Underhill ( andersondistilleries.com ).

• Meal Prep Services: Many of the top brands for meal preparation and delivery are skyrocketing due to people spending more time at home and less at restaurants. Taking advantage of this trend, several small businesses that offer meal prep and delivery are also seeing increased demand.

• Bread-Baking Companies: The coronavirus pandemic has pushed more people to spend time at home cooking and baking, making all sorts of new recipes. One part of this new trend is specifically baking bread, which is helping Canadians alleviate stress and tap into their creativity. In turn, companies that enable the baking of bread have seen their demand sharply increase, including makers of flour and yeast. I know first hand that even eggs were in short supply this spring.

• Coffee Subscription Companies: With many consumers less able to buy coffee in person, or more likely, are now working from home so can no longer take advantage of the coffee station or vendors at work, coffee companies that offer home delivery are seeing increased demand. These providers include those who ship freshly roasted beans, prepackaged cold brew and other variations. In particular, coffee subscription companies that deliver new beans weekly or monthly are getting a lot more attention from consumers.

Entertainment:

• Drive-in Movie Theatres: One of the most peculiar small business categories that have recently seen success is drive-in movie theatres. With standard movie theatres seen as less safe as hundreds of people gather in small spaces, drive-in theatres allow people to take in a show from their own car and provide a way for families to get out of the house. There are some 37 drive-in theatres across Canada including the Twilight out in Langley ( twilightdrivein.net ).

• Game Makers and Sellers: With the novel coronavirus forcing many people to stay at home instead of going out, small businesses that create board games and puzzles are popular to help entertain families. Have you heard of Quoridor, Anomia or Codenames? If you would like to play a different family game give us a shout, despite our decluttering we still have quite a selection of legacy games.

Goods:

• Mask Makers: While mask-making wasn’t exactly in high demand early in 2020, especially as we were told we did not need them, just a few months later it has become a popular choice for new entrepreneurs. Canadians all over the country want to obtain high-quality (and in some cases creative) masks to protect themselves and those around them. And with the new announcements that three ply, properly fitting, N95-spec masks should be used this cottage industry just went up market. Here is a link to past Montreal neighbour (Sonia & Tatiana) who are in the business ( windmillcreations.ca ) and a colleague of Gail (Felicia) here in BC ( www.etsy.com/ca/shop/stitch2far ).

• Used Car Dealers: As the COVID-19 pandemic has people avoiding public transit, it has also sharply increased demand for used cars that offer safe spaces away from strangers. Other factors driving up used car interest include limited inventory of new cars, low interest rates and people wanting to spend less cash on cars due to economic uncertainty.

• Fitness Equipment Companies: With gyms closed, or mired in administrative procedures across Canada, people have turned to home gyms in order to help them stay fit. While yoga mat purchases are likely the start for many working-out at home, other fitness products are seeing success.

• Gardening Suppliers: This summer home gardening gained new popularity. People are growing their own fruits, vegetables, herbs and plants because it can be a little scary to go to the grocery store, supply is constrained at stores, and there’s simply more time to try your hand at being a green thumb. Naturally, gardening companies including seed providers are booming.

• Furniture Sellers: With people spending more time at home than ever due to COVID-19, furniture sales have increased to help people make living rooms, patios, and home offices more comfortable.

Services:

• Delivery Services: With many consumers afraid to leave their homes or being advised by governments to restrict their movements, professional delivery services have stepped up to make sure goods can be delivered to homes and businesses. While national food delivery services and corporate retail deliveries have been the largest beneficiary, local independent delivery services are also seeing strong demand.

• Tutoring Businesses: With the shift by schools to online for some or all instruction, parents are concerned their children will fall behind. One way parents are working to keep their kids’ education on track is the hiring of private tutors. These businesses, an agency or sole proprietors, are seeing more demand.

• Cleaning Services: With the spread of a new level of hygiene across the country, it should come as no surprise that professional cleaning services that sanitize offices, restaurants and homes are in high demand.

• Home Health-Care Companies: And last but not least, demand for home health providers was already increasing before COVID-19, but the pandemic has pushed more people to take advantage of it as they avoid non-emergency hospital and doctor visits. Home health and support services are also being seen as an alternative to long-term care homes that have been hit hard by the pandemic. For example: Home Instead ( homeinstead.ca ); we can tell business is good by the number of home-renovation companies arriving on our cul-de-sac of late ;) .

Cheers

Cliff