New ways to survive virus crisis

Business people have been forced to come up with innovative ways to make money as Covid-19 continues to wreak havoc on the economy.

With many businesses closing shop and people suddenly finding themselves out of jobs, creative minds are finding ways to survive the heat of the pandemic.

This as businesses with grim chances of diversifying revenue streams and whose balance sheets are extremely thin grapple with how to restructure their operations. Many itinerant traders have now resorted to selling face masks and hand sanitisers.

These are the products of the moment. Some are even making the hand sanitisers themselves.

To attract customers and increase sales, some of the traders are selling branded masks bearing logos of famous football clubs or the colours of the national flag.

Elsewhere, businesses that deal in groceries have perfected the art of online selling, with customers making their orders and receiving deliveries from the comfort of their homes.

This has reduced congestion at stores while creating convenience for both the suppliers and buyers.

It also means suppliers do not need to employ cashiers or to stock up as they can order directly from producers and then deliver straight to customers at home once they place the orders. Home delivery has, in turn, opened an opportunity for motorcyclists who can now be hired to deliver goods to customers.

It is only those that had vastly diversified their portfolios before the pandemic who can possibly survive without necessarily having to structure. The pandemic has not spared big businesses either, with behemoths such as Sameer Africa forced to exit the market amid a difficult business environment.

And affected employees are finding themselves having to fend for their families in every way possible.

Around the city, many Nairobians, who have been rendered jobless by the pandemic, have converted their personal cars into shops from where they now sell different farm produce.