Mary Portas: 'Trying to keep my business going while homeschooling my son was exhausting'
Running, or even starting, a business during a global pandemic is undoubtedly stressful. And as local small businesses, from restaurants to shops, continue to weather the storm – dealing with issues like furloughed staff, falling sales and less footfall – retail guru Mary Portas has spoken out about how to face the ongoing crisis head-on.
Talking to the Telegraph's senior fashion editor Emily Cronin, as part of Stella magazine's new IGTV series Stella Live Bitesize, Portas offered some much-needed advice on how to ensure your business succeeds, following a testing few months for many.
“The most important thing, when we talk about business is remembering why we’re doing it. What is the purpose here?” she says.
One tip, Portas suggests, is really asking yourself, “Why am I doing this? And why will people want to come? Before you get to your product, start with the people.”
And now is actually a perfect time to reflect on what is at the core of your business as “so often, we think that we’re selling stuff, but we’re not. It has to be more than that.” Speaking about how brands can hit the right tone when talking to their customers, she says it’s best to be honest and transparent about the challenges faced.
“You don’t need to put on this marketing speak. Some of the most beautiful things that I saw in lockdown were brands that just talked directly and said, ‘This has been really difficult for us, as a business, and I’m sure it’s been really difficult for you.’”
But has the corona crisis altered our shopping habits for good? The retail consultant agreed that, yes, “we’re shifting into a different space… We’re more aware as people, of what it is that will make us want to go to a shop.”
She also acknowledged how working women in businesses have had to deal with multiple constraints during the pandemic.
“[Women] always do much more. And I think it has been particularly difficult. I mean, I'm a businesswoman, I've been trying to balance my business, keep it going. Making sure you’re doing board calls, doing Zoom calls, speaking with clients in between homeschooling my seven year old son, which I found exhausting - I can't tell you!”
Portas admits that she personally has found working from home difficult. But does she think it's here to stay or will people rush to return to office life?
“A positive for women is we can prove that you can work from home. And I think it [lockdown] has opened up a whole new way of working.”
But admittedly, “we will always need to connect.”
Read more: Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts on why the new school year is a chance to 'reset' equality at home
