While you’re stuck at home and your business isn’t doing as good as before this pandemic hit, you might as well explore other options to earn so you can augment your income, make ends meet, and keep your business afloat.
5 Lockdown Business Ideas You Can Transition to During This Pandemic
1. PPE Supplies Sales
Who would have thought that we’ll get to the point that the entire world will need PPEs and not just those who used them professionally before this global health crisis?
Aside from the many frontline hospital and health care workers, us regular folks are also encouraged to stay protected at all times, especially when in public. The use of face shields, masks, and gloves are now part of the new normal we’re in. The demand for such protective gear has significantly spiked on a global scale in the last two months.
Now that there is a great demand for it, you can take the opportunity to help fill in the need and produce or resell personal protective equipment. If your shop has the means and you have enough manpower, manufacturing such equipment could do your business good. If not, then you can always talk to a supplier and convert your shop into a PPE distribution center.
Just make sure that if you do choose to convert into PPE manufacturing, label your work areas properly with the appropriate safety signs and area markings. You can get some of these done by a reputable label maker in your area.
2. Hygiene and Sanitation Supplies Sales
Just like PPEs, the demand for toilet paper, sanitiser, and handwashing soap has also gone through a major spike in the past couple of months. This was after the World Health Organization (WHO) and medical experts concluded that the best way to keep the novel coronavirus at bay is by observing proper hygiene.
All you need to do is enter and establish a partnership with a supplier or manufacturer to sell their wares for a certain commission. Once you already have a partner supplier, you may choose to enhance the products to reflect your brand.
This can be done by packaging them in nice sturdy containers with sticker labels to help reorient people to your brand and new line of business.
3. Online Shop
A lot of retail and brick-and-mortar shops have turned to selling a wide assortment of things online during this lockdown season. From pre-loved goods to brand new electronic devices and everything in between, online selling is helping mitigate the financial effect of the pandemic for most small-to-medium enterprises.
4. Meal Prep Services
Even if most folks are stuck at home, a lot of them still like having food delivered, especially if they’re already tired of their home-cooked meals.
You can convert your space and start a meal prep-and-delivery service that caters to this demographic. You can offer a different selection each day that they can order in advance. You and your people prep the food and have it delivered straight to people’s homes.
If you want to make your packaging look more professional, use inexpensive yet durable containers and place customised business stickers for brand recognition and marketing.
5. Courier Services
With all the limitations in mobility and transport now, it might be a good time to consider courier services in your area. Getting essential and non-essential goods around has become challenging to the existing couriers and handlers.
You can help serve your community at this time by transitioning your establishment into a delivery services business. You can use your physical shop for drop-offs and have your employees deliver the goods to your clients. You don’t need to have goods to sell for this one. Just enough office space for receiving items and the manpower to move things around.
There are plenty of other opportunities for you to earn some money online, whether you make it a side gig or a full-time job. What’s important is you make the most of the opportunity that comes your way and give it your best.