Pivoting Your Business: 6 Inspiring Stories from Pepperlane Members

As the Coronavirus shutdown continued, many business owners began looking for ways to pivot their business, or even temporarily pursue entirely new business ideas. We connected with our Pepperlane members to hear how they approached the need to rapidly shift their businesses to accommodate this new environment.

We hope their stories will be an encouragement and inspiration to you, as well as a reminder that creativity and innovation can thrive even in the midst of uncertainty.

Inspiring Stories from Pepperlane Members

Kim Raubenheimer - Corporate Wellness Workshops

When COVID-19 hit, Kim's corporate on-site wellness workshop service was hit hard. Instead of staying down, Kim remembered an idea she had had six years before to create a virtual workshop offering. At the time, she had decided it didn't make sense to pursue, but now it was the only option.

In general, Kim felt it was time to reinvent, and the shutdown gave her the push she needed. Now, she just needed to get started. "[At first,] I did not have a solid plan. I just did it after a Pepperlane Boost which always gets me inspired with plans to go crazy and implement so much. But the simplest thing I could do was put it out there. So, I started with my website."

Even though Kim's virtual workshop offering is still new, she feels like she is on the right track for now and moving forward. Kim shared this advice for business owners considering a similar move: "Just do it. You can always change things as you see fit. If you don't try and challenge yourself and possibly fail, how will you learn?"Debbie Brosnan - The Effortless Kitchen

For Debbie, a chef offering at-home cooking for busy families, there was no way to continue her old model after COVID-19 happened. With at-risk family members, the prospect of returning to her in-person cooking business seemed impossible, yet that didn't deter her from finding a way to pivot.

"I felt like I needed to do something to service and inspire others to cook healthy and delicious meals for themselves. I originally thought I was going to offer meal prep workshops, but that did not excite me. I collaborated with Lauren D’Agostino and Lisa Dahl, fellow Pepperlaners, to formulate the virtual cooking class plan and attended a Pricing Boost with Diane. I also ran a test class for free to get some very helpful feedback to tweak my offering. The party idea came out of a conversation with a friend who was thinking about gathering some friends to sign up for my class. It is also exactly what I was going to start offering in-person before things shut down."

Now, Debbie's virtual cooking classes are being offered on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and she is offering virtual cooking parties as a way for people to customize their experience and connect with their friends.

"I think it’s really helpful to talk to others in your industry for guidance. There is an abundance in collaborating. We all have different styles and niches and we will attract clients that fit our individual styles."

Randi Freundlich - Photographer and Face Mask Sewist

When Randi's photography business was forced to a halt, Randi decided to make a big shift in her business.

"It was an easy decision. I had started sewing masks because a friend who works at a major Boston hospital requested them for herself and her co-workers. According to my friend, they did not feel safe at work and were in situations where they could be getting exposed to COVID-19 on a daily basis...So I started making them and donating them to other hospitals...When others (non-healthcare workers) saw some of my posts on social media, they asked if they could buy them from me. So that's how this new endeavor started. It's been incredible! I'm working very hard to complete all the orders."

Randi has always enjoyed working with textiles and fabrics, so bringing out her trusted sewing machine was a great way to stay creative and meet a burgeoning need in her community.

To get started on her new business, Randi followed her gut and trusted her entrepreneurial skills.

"I let each step guide the next one. The first steps were to put out my offer, see what happened, and tweak things as I went along. It certainly helped that wearing masks in public became a requirement in Massachusetts! I quickly learned I needed more help with the sewing, and I found some local seamstresses (immigrants with limited English skills), who needed work. I was happy to add this component, as it is helping others during a time when so many are struggling financially."

Randi's creative pivot has allowed her to stay nimble, stay active in business, and try something new.

"If you have an idea, start with something small, test it out, and learn from your experiments. And it's OK to be guided by your intuition. You can't know how things will turn out until you try something. One of my favorite quotes is 'If you want something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done.' - Anonymous"

Jennifer Mack - Academic Consultant & Tutor

When the stay-at-home orders came through, Jen knew she needed to shift her business quickly. Her tutoring business had been entirely in-person, and that was no longer an option. She quickly moved to 100% virtual, using Zoom to offer online tutoring.

"I knew I needed to continue working with my students, and that in addition, there would be a lot more families out there needing support throughout this pandemic experience. I don’t know if I ever would have even considered tutoring virtually if it weren’t for the quarantine, but it is an absolute positive that has come from this whole difficult situation!"

Jen's typical tutoring methods are very hands-on, so she knew that moving virtual would require some research and creativity. She quickly learned about how to create interactive lessons and activities, as well as how to effectively use Zoom to keep her students engaged. She also created simple assignments that could be emailed to families for the child to use for practice. "I tried to think of everything I could do to be as effective as possible with my students in a new way."

Now that her online tutoring business is thriving, Jen has some advice to share for others considering a business pivot: "I think that if you love what you do and you believe that you are capable in your area of expertise, then you can figure out how to be successful in ways you may have never considered before. Go back to your core mission for starting your business (in my case, to help struggling students gain confidence and increase their academic skills) and think creatively about how to continue to do that. The world needs what you have to offer - don’t let a pandemic get in the way!"

Thelma Newberger-Hirsch - Interior Design Coach

As a relatively new business owner, Thelma knew she had to think quickly about how to adapt her original business plan to respond to the Coronavirus-related shutdown. Her original service had been focused on supporting office managers and office personnel seeking to improve circulation issues within the office space.

Once COVID-19 began impacting her community, she realized she needed to pivot. "Since COVID-19 has forced the workforce home...I can assist people to create a productive and social distancing workplace."

Thelma has found that staying true to your goal while quickly adapting has been successful for her. "The advice I would give to someone [considering a business change] is to see where are needs that you may be able to fill to be of service using your skills, even if you have never done it before. Be there with them as a problem solver."

Stefanie Johnson - SwapIt!

Making the decision to shift Stefanie's business was an easy one. Her storefront had to close as a result of the COVID-19 shutdown, but she still had customers who had paid for services. So, she decided to sell clothing online, create a webinar to teach people to shop their closet, and offer a curated box of clothing to members.

This out of the box thinking has helped Stefanie shift her business to respond to current events while continuing to provide value to customers. "All these new offerings will make us more valuable to our customers. We will be able to offer them better service and more convenience which we know is what our customer wants. And there is no point of existing if we don't provide a solution for a problem that is plaguing our customers."

Stefanie shared this bit of advice for those thinking of launching their own business or pivoting to a new offering: "The biggest mistake I made - so the best advice I can give - is don't wait too long to nail down your perfect customer."