A new wave of entrepreneurs has seized opportunities amid a pandemic

Photo courtesy of Unsplash

By Janay Jeans

Nov. 15, 2020

Navigating a business during a global pandemic has been a challenge for entrepreneurs, but it has not stopped people from starting their own businesses and finding ways to use the crisis to create opportunity.

One entrepreneur is Alexis Payne, who started her business this past year called Bloom Skin Care Essentials, which provides skincare treatments and makeup services.

“COVID-19 has blessed my business,” said Payne, creator and owner of Bloom Skin Care Essentials. “It didn’t stop my school or anything, it only motivated me to go harder.”

Alexis Payne, founder and CEO of Bloom skin care essentials – Photos courtesy of Alexis Payne

Payne, 23, of Memphis, TN, is a self-taught makeup artist, a full-time teacher’s assistant, and is a senior student at the Ivy Institute of Aesthetics.

Payne started her makeup journey six years ago and said she is passionate about makeup and about the health and appearance of skin. As she approaches graduation from the Ivy Institute of Aesthetics, she launched her business in September, providing therapeutic skincare and makeup services to ensure that people treat their skin before wearing makeup.

Bloom Skin Care Essentials provides skincare treatments and makeup services. Some of her services includes derma-planing, microdermabrasion treatments and light therapy. Payne works to enhance skin and believes in having a smooth, radiant and clear appearance. Her treatments include a 1-hour skincare treatment, 20-minute and 30-minute facials.

Lauren Gowans, founder and CEO of AfterBirth the Mom Box, LLC- Photo courtesy of Lauren Gowans

Another entrepreneur, Lauren Gowans, who recently launched her startup called AfterBirth the Mom Box, LLC in September, said the pandemic also helped out with building her business.

“Because my business is based online and it’s not a physical business, it’s kind of beneficial because I'm not all over the place,” Gowans said. “I'm kind of stuck at home so that leads me to do nothing but invest in myself and invest in my business.”

AfterBirth the Mom Box, LLC, based online, provides plant-based, cruelty-free postpartum products and a postpartum education blog. Some of her products include a nursing butter, hair growth serum and stretch mark reduction.

“I'm interested in enlightening people, especially in the black community, about what goes on with you as a woman physically after you have a baby,” Gowans said.

Gowans, 25, said that there is the idea that women’s bodies bounce back right after six weeks postpartum, but that it is not true for every woman and women are not as encouraged or informed about what happens after giving birth.

“You go to your postpartum checkups and they give you this ‘you’re in the clear’ after six weeks, when that’s not necessarily true,” Gowans said. “every woman’s body is different and alongside all of that information that I aim to give out, I also provide postpartum necessities.”

Entrepreneurship has recently spiked

Although the country has seen an economic downturn since the pandemic began, people have been starting new businesses at a high rate.

Entrepreneurship has increased since the start of the pandemic. According to U.S. Census data, the third quarter of 2020 has experienced 1.5 million new business formations.

Since starting her business in September, Payne has continued to plan for the future of her entrepreneurial journey, including workplace expansion and hiring employees.

“I’m going to save, and I believe that I'm going to have my building,” Payne said. “I think I’ll want to have someone with me because if I'm not there I want someone else to make money.”

In a survey by Forbes, 39% of new business owners said they planned to hire employees in the future, depicting that entrepreneurs also benefit to the country’s economy.

Amy Hamer, a writer for the New York Times, said previous economic crises and past downturns have produced leading American companies such as Microsoft and Disney and that a pandemic gives opportunities such as low-interest rates for start-up capital, and more affordable equipment.

Running a business has been challenging

Although it might be a great time for pursuing business endeavors, this year has been challenging for startups and businesses. Entrepreneurs have been challenged with adapting and navigating their business through the crisis.

Gowans said because her business has recently started, finding the right platforms to inform other people about her business is currently a struggle.

“Because it’s a startup business, it’s not something that’s been going on for a while,” Gowans said. “so, building it and finding the right platforms is my struggle right now.”

Payne said it is hard to juggle everything with her business, studies and traveling, and said that her boyfriend and her brother has helped her.

“Everything falls on you,” Payne said. “not only are you doing the services, you're doing the back work and it’s hard.”

Payne’s boyfriend, Malik Brewster, said he has seen the struggle, budgeting, time management and frustration.

“I see the seasonal forecasts and sales for periodic time periods. The deep thought process of wanting to retain clients and working the word-of-mouth aspect of her business.” Brewster said. “I listen to thoughts of expansion and vast futures because of how prideful she is and how much she enjoys what she does.”

Advice for launching a business

“I am a very precise and thorough person,” Payne said. “just time management, I literally schedule what I need to do.”

Payne said that she is nothing without consistency and advised to keep promoting one’s businesses.

“Consistency, I definitely don’t have the amount of clientele that I want but I'm going to keep praying and promoting myself regardless,” Payne said. “keep on going, keep on doing services.”

Gowans said to refrain from thinking that everything has to be perfect.

“As long as you get out there and actually do it, that’s the big bang,” Gowans said. “and I think that we sometimes get scared of other’s thoughts and critiques and all that when we shouldn’t be worried about it, we should just do it.”

Gowans’ next goal for her business is to work with a large company.

“That is a big goal of mine, to work alongside with another big brand,” Gowans said.

Payne’s future goals are to continue her business, create a school and become an instructor in the esthetics industry.

“I want to have my own school, I believe that I can be an instructor,” Payne said.