The great pivot: US women small business owners during COVID

A year after the first COVID-19 lockdowns began in the United States, Al Jazeera asked American women who own small businesses to reflect on the challenges and unexpected silver linings they’ve found.

As the coronavirus spread across the globe, the emergency challenged the way the world thought about public health. For entrepreneurs who had built their businesses around promoting wellness, beauty and health, the COVID-19 crisis presented an unprecedented challenge: How do you care for people while staying six feet apart? After United States President Donald Trump declared COVID-19 a national emergency, states passed stay-at-home orders that shuttered gyms, fitness studios and salons. Governors imposed restrictions on who could accompany a woman into the delivery room as she gave birth. Small businesswomen who had focused on delivering in-person wellness services had to pivot to a world that existed only over Zoom. But they also found new markets and new interest in the services they were offering. Self-care took on a new meaning in a time of financial stress, and people stuck at home and anxious about the pandemic looked for ways to take care of their physical and mental health.