Posted on March 8th, 2022

Before the pandemic, whole segments of businesses relied heavily on in-person interactions, including running product-based businesses in retail locations or operating on craft show circuits.

Once the pandemic forced shutdowns, owners of small businesses like those had to find alternative models to keep their cash flow positive.

“It's been a real eye-opener for a lot of makers,” said Sue Monhait, a business coach for handmade business owners. “Many of them ... were able to have a full life-sustaining income through face-to-face shows, so this past year they were really caught off-guard. They didn't have anything else in place.”

According to Monhait, if these handmade businesses wanted to survive, they were “pretty much forced into doing something virtual.”

Despite the seeming necessity of an online presence in the modern business world, Monhait noted that some handmade business owners simply didn’t see a need to set up digital channels.

“It’s somewhat shocking … to see that there's a facet of the creative industry that doesn't have a website yet, or isn't even on social media because they didn't need to be,” she explained.

Pandemic restrictions pushed these business owners to hastily put-together websites so they could begin selling online. Sophy Lakshmanan, a paper quilling artist who did 100% of her business at local craft fairs pre-COVID, was one such entrepreneur.

Original article: https://www.uschamber.com/co/grow/marketing/handmade-business-owners-adapt-to-ecommerce