Stress of Covid on the self-employed
Business owner thanks locals for their support
Business owners, local, small or otherwise, have no doubt felt the effects of Covid over the past few years, more so recently with a high community transmission rate.
Doe & Coe coffee and food trailer owner Ingrid Ramsey (usually based at Te Kawa Crossroads) has felt the effects from many directions after starting up in August 2021.
“The unknown of when it was coming is hard, especially letting people down and not being consistent, seeming unreliable when they stop in and I’m not on-site,” says Ingrid.
“Truck drivers especially, they do long hauls and plan to stop in because of the easy parking.”
Ordering perishable stock for the week ahead, cake orders for special
events that then have to be cancelled at the last minute, or even planning the week in advance but knowing you could wake up and test positive and have to isolate for several days are just a few of the struggles so far.
A few weeks ago, Ingrid had to
close down due to Covid and on returning to work was greeted with comments like “how was the holiday”.
Although it was light-hearted, she says “when you’re self-employed it’s a little bit of a kick in the back being that most people know that you can’t make any income if you’re not out there working for it”.
“It wasn’t a holiday at all. It created more work having to communicate with people I order stock through and organising someone to pick up/drop things off I had planned/booked in for weeks in advance due to other businesses being behind or lacking supplies due to Covid, amongst other things that needed to be done to keep my business running,” she says.
“It meant getting in touch with customers that had orders with me and refunding orders that I couldn’t fulfil.”
Ingrid loves her customers and just wants to put the message out for people to be a bit more understanding of others’ situations.
“Support small and local businesses when and where you can, given that life as we know it at the moment isn’t what we used to know and things are only getting harder and harder to stay afloat.
“Show up on social media, share posts, talk about your experience you had at a shop/business that you liked/ enjoyed.
“Thank you to each and every person that has supported me and my business from day one.
“Whether you have liked a photo, shared a post, recommended my business or messaged me directly.
“I cannot thank you enough for your continued support and kind words.”