By Rod Kurtz, American Express
When COVID-19 shuttered her chain of bakeries and delivery wasn’t cutting it, Olga Sagan decided to get creative. Guess what? Business is way up.
In normal times, Piroshky Piroshky has a literal line out the door of its flagship location at Seattle’s famed Pike Place Market. In normal times, that kind of demand would be the envy of most business owners. But in a time of social distancing and widespread stay at-home orders amid COVID-19, it’s a pretty problematic business model.
Or is it?
The popular chain of bakeries in the Emerald City, with four locations and a food truck specializing in traditional Russian pastries, was riding high as 2020 began. Business was solid, as it’s been for the past 28 years, and owner Olga Sagan had plans for two more locations. She had been named the SBA’s Small Business Person of the Year for Washington State, just as the coronavirus pandemic started reaching the United States.
Like virtually every business out there, Sagan suddenly found herself contending with a new “abnormal.” Her retail sales ground to a halt, and an early shift to delivery proved futile.
So Sagan did what great entrepreneurs do: She rolled up her sleeves and started working on a solution. Today, business is way up from the initial drop-off, and the changes she implemented will likely make Piroshky Piroshky even stronger when we emerge from all this.
Read more here.
