Five founders share the challenges their businesses experienced during Singapore's strict Covid-19 preventative measures as well as the eventual re-opening of the country
When the Singaporean government announced the implementation of the coronavirus stay-at-home measures, known as the circuit breaker, many businesses and industries were hit hard as their retail outlets and offices had to close for the partial lockdown. This is especially true for small and medium enterprises, who have been forced to adapt their business plans and implement new infrastructure.
To find out how some entrepreneurs in Singapore have innovated to thrive during this unprecedented time, we reached out to the founders of five enterprises.
1. Eden+Elie
More than just a jewellery brand, Eden+Elie is a social enterprise that trains and employs artisans with autism. The biggest setback from the circuit breaker was the fact that Eden+Elie’s ten artisans could no longer produce pieces from the workshop, which provided visual structures and a calibrated environment for the artisans.
“Because of the short notice we were given at the start of the circuit breaker, we had to send them home and keep them home with very little preparation on how best to use their time. We have, however, continued to support them with full wages, during the entire circuit breaker and even until now,” Stephanie Choo, founder of Eden+Elie, explained.
To support their time at home, the brand worked with job coaches and communicated with the artisans to create Mother’s Day necklaces for their mums, and also tested the implementation of an At-Home Kit to help the artisans work from home.
“Some of the mums wrote to us that they really appreciated having a piece of jewellery that their son or daughter helped to make. It meant a lot to us that we were able to do something for them to communicate how important they are to our company.”
Eden+Elie’s studio has now reopened welcoming customers on alternate weekdays by appointment only. The brand has taken caution to space out the appointments, with only a party of three related guests served at a time, while the team is working staggered shifts between home and the studio.