In March 2020, Spain locked down and Toni Fernández and his wife, Cati Marquéz, had to shut the doors of Baobab, their children’s bookstore. The small business had developed a loyal client base and robust programming of author readings, story times, concerts and more. After the lock down, it had zero sales for more than a month. The store’s online presence at that time was limited to a blog, but Fernández soon realized there was an opportunity in going digital. Learn how the bookstore owners made the shift to digital and came up with the idea of a personalized story box.
After working to help entrepreneurs launch businesses in New York City, Michelle Cadore realized she'd rather be in business for herself. She launched DA SPOT NYC, a 100-square-foot boutique for creators of color featuring more than two dozen brands from Black designers. Right before the pandemic, she expanded DA SPOT NYC to a 1,000-square-foot space in City Point, a trendy Brooklyn mall. Just as she was getting into the groove of the new location, everything stopped. Cadore had to revamp her website, add curbside pickup and develop partnerships with online retailers. Learn how she reopened her physical storefront and what she's working on next.
Before the pandemic, Hanoi entrepreneur, Nguyen Huong Mai, owned a successful travel company, two restaurants and had invested in a small hotel. But news of a strange virus in January 2020 led to mass travel cancelations by Chinese customers. From January through June, Mai's company earned less than one-tenth of its 2019 revenue. A second wave of infections in late July made her situation even more precarious. Learn how direct support, training programs and customized financial tools are helping women-owned small businesses stay afloat and thrive amid the pandemic.