Stories

The impact of COVID-19 continues to rattle small and local businesses. While the economy is on its road to recovery, homegrown brands require an impetus from industry stakeholders to sustain their business. PayPal’s #SupportLocal initiative showcases small businesses who have adjusted to this new reality and fought back with ingenious pivots, perseverance, and resilience. While we share their inspiring stories, we count on you to support their businesses.

Prince Silvesten, Owner of Bank Note Coin Stamp

With an ambition to turn passion into work, Prince started Bank Note Coin Stamp, a company that sells collectible currency and stamps

Inspired by his father’s hobby, Prince started Bank Note Coin Stamp to cater to the collectors’ market with an ambition to grow digitally. While the pandemic has put a halt to his growth plans, he has used the time to plan and strategize to emerge stronger from it. He has taken up double shifts to give his business more time and introduce innovative ideas to sustain themselves during a period when sales are down. Making customer engagement a priority, the company has invested in YouTube videos and email campaigns to stay connected.

Support Prince and his company to fulfil orders and expand their digital footprint to survive the crisis. Shop here.

Arvindra Kanwal, Founder of Sellevents.online

Innovation and resilience enabled Arvindra to transform his primary business into Sellevents.online, a fully integrated virtual platform to survive the new normal

The social distancing norms that emerged from the pandemic brought Arvindra’s primary business, Bindassparty - a party planning marketplace to a standstill. Arvindra then relooked at his business model and went digital  to provide virtual events via Zoom, with an API integration to make it fully automated through Sellevents.online.

They have continued to expand their scope of business, by leveraging their technology and licensing it to other companies. Moreover, looking at the growing trend of online education, they have allowed companies to launch corporate classes and learning programmes on their platform.

During these tough times, Arvindra has demonstrated resiliebce to keep his business running. While he has had to reduce his workforce to zero, he wishes to revive permanent roles over the next few months. Visit here to book events.

Mohd Rafiq, Owner of Gem Mart Jaipur

A gems and jewelry enthusiast who started his offline business in 2008 has now adopted e-commerce

Turning his passion into his business, Rafiq founded Gem Mart Jaipur in 2008 to sell innovative jewelry designs out of a city known for its rich history, making it the perfect setting for a jewelry business.

However, the suddenness and severity of the pandemic disrupted the market, causing a slowdown. To sustain his business, he shifted to a work-from-home model. Rafiq aims to leverage digital marketing to reach newer customers and sell his jewelry through ecommerce platforms. You can check out his collection here.

Rhea Singhal, Founder & CEO of Ecoware

An awardee of the Nari Shakti Puraskar honour for driving sustainability, Rhea founded Ecoware in 2010 to reduce adverse effects of plastic

Rhea founded Ecoware at a time when there was little awareness about the harmful effects of plastic. She decided to disrupt the commoditized packaging industry by creating a natural and healthy alternative to single-use plastics.

The ongoing pandemic has severely affected consumer demand and Ecoware’s customers in hospitality, travel and catering were the first casualties. They export to over 15 countries, but the lockdowns in various countries have affected logistics. However, there’s been an increase in B2C demand as families continue to eat at home. Rhea hopes in the long run this will increase awareness of their products and drive sustainability from the ground up.

Support a sustainable cause, visit Ecoware to purchase biodegrable food packaging. Shop here.