Business ideas for pandemic recessions

If you are in locked-down at home with plenty of time on your hands and you are feeling entrepreneurial, then why not consider starting up your own business? With the current grim prospect for many business sectors, perhaps it is a good idea to invest your time on business t hat is currently in demand. I’ve made a list of business ideas that may inspire you to start a new business venture. .

1. Ecommerce: With consumer having to result to online shopping due to social distancing, it is never a greater time to start an online store.You can resell items in major platform forms such Amazon, eBay or even on facebook. Alternatively, you can drop-ship items on a shopify store platform. Consider items that may be popular at this time, which are usually essential consumer staple product, hygiene and home

I would also like to take this opportunity to disapprove any activities that involves exploiting customers fear and price gouging in products such as mask or hand sanitizer which can leave you with a fine and your account suspended.

2. Affiliate Marketing: If online stores isn’t your thing, try affiliate marketing. There are many online platforms and business that are willing to make you an associate and pay you commission for each products you sell. The best way to operate affiliate marketing is through social media platform. blogs and youtube videos.

4. Digital Marketing: With more business needing a more online presence, you can start your online digital marketing business. This involves help marketing your clients through online through social media platform, email marketing and search engine optimisation.

5. Cleaning business: A lot of public and work space need regular clean much more frequently now.

6. Task rabbit: Due to social distancing many people will not want to leave their homes. This gives you a good opportunity to do task for them, in particularly grocery and laundry. I advise that you wear protective equipment, use disinfectant before handing over goods and communicate with your clients through voice call or video chat to ensure them you are providing minimal exposure.

7. Grocery picker and delivery service: Similar to task rabbit jobs, it’ll be specifically focused on grocery picking and delivery.

8. Logistic/delivery: With the high demand for  logistic and delivery service due to online shopping, this leaves opportunity for you to start a logistic delivery business. There are different way to approach this situation. You can recruit these delivery workers under your business and contract them to other online stores.

9. Fresh food delivery: With the closure of most restaurants and the risk of food contamination, cooking fresh food are becomes more popular. This involves buying and delivering  ingredients with cooking instruction.

10. Virtual Assistant Business: There are opportunity for virtual assistant as as more business are working from home and are considering having experienced online assistant on board whilst they adapt to the new remote working lifestyle.

11. Business advisory: Many small business and especially new start ups will look for professional advice in this very difficult situation. For example, advice on how to protect their staffs from pandemic, how to approach their customers, how to transition to remote working, how to improve their financial health, ways of cutting cost, making things more efficient or how earning extra revenue.

12. IT support and consultancy: With more remote worker and cloud base telework system now being used, IT support and consultancy is now in demand. Existing IT support businesses may already be saturated due to the significant increase, which leaves you with the chance get long term customer if you can good timely service and with excellent customer services.

13. Cyber security: Along with remote online working requires more cyber security service, especially due to the importance of the data protection act.

14. Online tutoring: Opportunity for online tutoring grows when school are closed. I also believe online tutoring will be trending even when schools are open as parents see the benefits and convenience of online tutoring.

14. Education: With many negative industries affected by the pandemic, more people are seeking to learn new skills to pivot into a new career. If you are an expert in a field that may be of use, you can create your training course, tutoring and program to help educate others.

15. Online fitness: If you are a fitness instructor or yoga instructor, having an online platform to train and motivate your clients can be a big hit. Having some sort of virtual contact with others is useful what people need, especially when they are secluded at home.

16. Supplement business: Focus on healthy immune boosting supplements.

17. Immune boost juicing: Provide regular fresh healthy immune boosting juice to your clients to keep them fit and healthy during the pandemic.

18. Manufacture high in-demand products: Manufacture products that is currently in demand. Even better, be creative, innovate and add a twist to improve the current existing product.

If you are currently manufacturing, it is a good idea to temporarily transition your production to essential in demand items. Here are some examples:

• Sanitizer or cleaning equipment
• Alcohol for hand sanitizer (great transition for brewers)
• Seeds and agriculture equipment
• Health equipment such as parts for ventilator or hospital bed.
• Protective equipment such as mask, face shield and gloves
•  Thermometer equipment

19. Long preserved food production: Perhaps industry for long preserved food should up there game. A lot of innovation can be used here, such as creating set menus in a can, creating new ways to preserve without using preservative or find unique food that can picked or dried. Vegan option is recommended as it can be eaten by greater number of customers.

20. Recruitment Agent: Despite the negative impact on the general employment rate, there are still growing industry that desperately need to hire more staff. Create a specialised niche recruitment business to attract clients from specific industry. For instance, seasonal agriculture, IT support or cleaner.

21. Mental well being: Many people will be stressed and not happy at home. If you have experience in this area, you make it in a business. This could range from herbal relaxation therapy, counselling, virtual yoga or meditation retreat or art therapy.

22. Sustainable home/garden agriculture: With social distancing and fear of low stocks of food due to panic buying or disruption of the logistic supply chain, it will result to more people seeking a self sustainable lifestyle. This means home or garden agriculture are expected to grow. Vegetable seeds, agriculture tools and perhaps indoor vertical farm houses will be in demand.

23. Pawn Store: There are those who need money asap and having a business that can buy their goods in a fair and reasonable price will be helpful to both party.

24. Charity: This is not exactly a business but if you can help your local community, especially the vulnerable, please do so. With charity fund, it will help you charitable operation in times of need. If you can incorporate charity activities into your business, it will also help you build a more positive brand.

Alternative approach:

An alternative approach is to not start a business that is specialised for pandemic recession, but use this time to learn or prepare a business that you really want once the pandemic is over. This will give you time to build up the cash reserve, learn how to run your business and most importantly reflect on strategies to mitigate the impact of future pandemic.