As a global community, we have been challenged.  The past 18 months have been difficult, to say the least. Hundreds of Millions have become ill. Millions have lost their lives.  Many have lost their jobs.  People have suffered from their physical and their mental wellbeing.  Some have been exposed to the extra risk of domestic abuse.

Children have lost out on valuable education.  It really has not been easy.  However, amongst all the heartache and loss, there will always be some who seize the opportunity to exercise their creative and entrepreneurial flair.  Some have the capital, energy, imagination, and compulsion to make a bad situation less daunting.

I could be referring to a whole host of different people.  In this situation, I am referring to the covid entrepreneurs.  Now, I could write an article about the people who have capitalized on the direct effect and needs created by the actual spreading of the virus.

For example, we have seen a huge increase in the demand for things like sanitiser, face masks, and at one point even toilet roll.  We have also seen monumental growth in companies like Zoom as people start to rely more on digital communications.

We also saw a huge increase in the profits of companies like Amazon, Just Eat, and Netflix.  However, I want to pay homage, not to the big multinational corporations just mentioned.  but to explore the phenomenon that is the home-based startup.

We have witnessed a surge in the number of people who have started to operate micro-businesses from their homes or very small catering units (often known as dark kitchens as they only do deliveries) or very small mobile units or shared office spaces.

The obvious area of growth has been in the food industry.  There has been an explosion of fast good as well as gourmet outlets popping up all around town. The most popular food item seems to the gourmet smash burger.  In my modest town of Oldham, we must have had about ten new smash burgers joint open in the past 12 months.  As well as the much-loved burger, we have also seen pizza shops opening in amble numbers, a huge addition to the dessert options we already had as well as more exotic offers such as Naga wings and Thai cuisine.

Several micro-businesses are cooking traditional home-cooked meals and snacks from their family homes.  Many of these companies (usually consisting of the immediate family) will cook you a meal of your choice, without the need of a menu within a couple of hours at a very reasonable process.  Dishes range from simple (but tasty) samosas to three-plus course Indian banquets for your family and guests.

We have also seen a growth in home baking businesses that will bake you anything from a cupcake to an extravagant wedding cake costing up to £1000.

Away from the food industry, we are also seeing several other small companies being set up from people’s homes and tiny office spaces.  These businesses include graphic designers, web designers, accountancy services, social media influencers, and business consultancies.

We are seeing more and more people choosing to work from home and in small, more localized settings.  Are we seeing the rebirth of the small and medium-sized businesses retting to our towns?  With the closing of international multi-million-pound companies such as Debenhams and Topshop, is there a new space for budding entrepreneurs to carve out a niche for themselves?  Creating opportunities for local families, communities, and our town.  Sound like a win-win to me.

 F. Choudhury, Oldham, UK