At-home entrepreneurs explain how they launched and grew their businesses during quarantine
- Though many businesses have shuttered or gone bankrupt during the pandemic, another crop of entrepreneurs are seizing the moment to innovate and scale.
- Business Insider talked with entrepreneurs across the country to learn how they recovered from layoffs, started side-hustles, and ramped up their businesses during the pandemic — all from the comfort of their homes.
- They gave their top tips on staying organized, launching new products, and gaining customers.
Although the coronavirus pandemic has shuttered and bankrupted numerous businesses, it's not an impossible time to start a brand new business or grow the one you have. Some of the greatest ideas came out of economic crises and there are many industries ripe to disruption as COVID-19 has accelerated pre-existing consumer trends.
Business Insider talked to entrepreneurs across the country to learn how they recovered from layoffs, started side-hustles, and ramped up their businesses during the pandemic — all from their own living rooms and kitchens during quarantine.
Subscribe below to read their top tips and lessons learned, from selling out of a product launch to starting two businesses within one month.
The "Zoom boom" gives way to virtual parties: How to start an online business that can bring in thousands of dollars in a few weeks, especially if your product is for people tired of quarantine
Scaling production just before a pandemic: How an entrepreneur used her side hustle to save up $5,000 and launch a direct-to-consumer beauty brand with a waitlist of 2,000 customers
Starting an 6-figure side hustle from home: Five experts shared with Business Insider hard lessons they learned that helped grow their side gigs
6 productivity habits: The best small business owners on Amazon share their top secrets for staying organized, productive, and profitable — even if you're working from home
Life after a lay-off: A former SVP in the hospitality industry who was laid off during the pandemic shares how he set up his own consulting firm and signed on 3 new clients in a matter of weeks
Taking your side-gig full time: A marketing associate who was laid off from his job 2 months after he started shares how he's built up 4 side gigs that are putting him on track to make over $100,000 this year
Investing in customer experience: The founder of a new online superstore dedicated to promoting Black-owned businesses shares how she plans to compete with the likes of Amazon
Growing a userbase during quarantine: How 2 Gen Z entrepreneurs took $9,000 in personal savings and developed a video dating app that's grown to thousands of users in its first year of launching
Launching a video-pitching platform for entrepreneurs: The company aims to help women and people of color shrink the funding gap and reach eager investors
An app helps businesses attract customers through word-of-mouth marketing: Its cofounder shares how it works and the strategies that enabled the company to accelerate its launch date
From product manager to career coach: A product manager whose company laid off 100 employees launched a career coaching platform to connect hiring experts with job seekers — and made 50 matches in 24 hours
Launching two businesses in one month: A 28-year-old CEO shares his best advice for entrepreneurs looking to innovate quickly in a time of crisis.