Beth Bilbo submitted this guest column in honor of Women's History Month.
As Women’s History Month comes to a close, we are also coming upon the one-year anniversary of Mississippi’s Shelter in Place order. It’s an anniversary that many business owners want to forget due to the abysmal business climate we’ve suffered through. While owning a small business is never easy, it has been particularly challenging during COVID, especially for minority and women owned businesses. To these entrepreneurs, I want to encourage you during these hard times and help lend my voice and advice.
During these challenging
times we ask ourselves what is one of the main keys to happiness during a
global pandemic? The answer is easy -- sweets! Cookies and cakes are always a
fan favorite for most when wanting to put a smile on your face. And that’s
exactly what we strive to do at Magnolia Grace Cakes.
We are a locally owned
small business that has been a one-woman show based out of Clinton, since I
started it out of my home in 2015. Starting as just a young lady cooking with
my mother, I later evolved into owning a full time bakery. When COVID first hit
I worried about losing business due to many halting their weddings, parties,
and company gatherings since not as many people were getting together during
the pandemic. Yet even with the lack of events, I was still able to find ways
to not only survive but increase my sales. And I have social media to thank for
that.
I credit much of our
success during COVID to our adaptability. With most of our customers stuck at
home, we leaned heavily on platforms like Facebook and Instagram to generate
sales. Now, 85% of my business comes directly from Facebook and
Instagram. Using tools like Facebook’s Business Suite feature, I’ve been
able to organize and manage my business between both Facebook and Instagram,
which ensures very smooth and great encounters with our customers.
We’ve also been able to
connect with other cookie and cake shop owners from across the world to share
ideas and strategies on surviving in unprecedented times through Facebook
groups. These features make it easier for Magnolia Grace Cakes to do it all for
my very loyal customers from Mississippi and beyond.
While I’m thankful for
the role social media has played in helping us adapt and survive during
Covid-19, many small businesses in Mississippi have not made the same digital
pivot and are still struggling to stay afloat. I encourage small business
owners, especially minority and women-owned businesses to stay positive, lean
into their community, and get creative online with social media. With vaccines
coming and restrictions lifting, I am sure Clinton will be bustling with
business in no time. Let's ensure that Clinton businesses feel our
support.
14 comments:
Small businesses have been hammered during Covid. Glad this lady found a way to survive.
Great read!
Love to see small business owners getting support during these challenging times!
Amazing how businesses can persevere
Great article!
I'm sorry, but ALL businesses have suffered within the last year.
" it has been particularly challenging during COVID, especially for minority and women owned businesses."
I'm not sure you made a valid point.
For example, I lived in Natchez from the mid 1980s until the mid 2000s and witnessed some of the best business minds I've seen. They were all older Black Ladies.
These Ladies had a better business model than the most famous CEO's within the nation today.
One did very well selling tamales from her house.
Another made even more money by selling homemade pralines from her home ... and overcharging yankee tourists that would waddle off the riverboats when "docked" at Natchez.
But the best of these entrepreneurs was Miss Nellie.
Nellie operated the cleanest, safest and most efficient brothel this side of Nevada.
Only a few times did Miss Nellie "get into trouble".
Nellie had more shit on Mississippi,Louisiana and other USA politicians than the KGB had ... back then.
Her business is easy to fact-check. (If someone may have never heard of Nellie's)
My point is ... one's race or gender has nothing to do with the situation we have had to endure for the last 12 plus months.
How refreshing to see someone figure out a way to overcome the obstacles and succeed rather than crying about "when is my goverrnemt assistance coming?"
She represents the voice of so many...so many folks that American needs and what makes us great.
Well written article, and glad to see that she figured out a way to survive and thrive during the strange last year. I know of other businesses, many restaurants, that found they actually did better during the past year (bottom line numbers) than regular times, but not necessarily true for their employees. Those were places that could adapt to take-out orders, which many could not.
All said, glad to see that the writer here improved her business and developed a new, improved business model.
But I was going to make the comment that 4:57 did - without the reference to Ms. Nellie Jackson of Natchez, who operated a very specific, and illegal, operation.
The pandemic was not 'particulary hard on women and minority owned businesses' - it was color and gender blind. Just because this is "woman's month" or whatever the moniker it has been given does not justify the claim (without making any supporting statement to justify it) that women owned businesses suffered any more than the mom and pop businesses (which would imply being half-women owned) or any other structure. My male owned business suffered quite a bit the past 12 months, and its failures and successes has nothing to do with the fact that I don't have a spouse, nor do I have a partner - male or female. Nor do my customers do business with me based on my gender or my race for that matter. It was a tough year for all of us; no need to try to claim the 'women' mantle or the 'minority' mantle to garner support.
Again, proud of her for developing a new and better business model and hope she does well in the coming year.
Diabetus!
Several things jump off the page:
1) Brief and well written
2) Takes control of her own situation and conquers it
3) Very positive
4) No mention of government responsibility
Amen! @4:57 PM. Your last sentence is golden.
Great piece to wrap up Women History Month. I love to see the Jackson Jambalaya helping support small businesses in general, but especially in these current times. This article may highlight Beth Bilbo, but this story represents so many men and women that are small business owners across our country.
I have had cookies and a few bites of a cake made by this bakery and I can not praise them enough. Some of the best cookies and cake I have ever eaten. The young lady that owns it was very polite when she dropped off the baked goods. It is a breath of fresh air to read an article like this. Keep up the good work!
Post a Comment