2020 has been the year or furlough, business uncertainty and loss of customers for many businesses. However, on the flip side the pandemic has given some clever clogs the time to explore their passions and act on business ideas that have been simmering away in the back on their busy minds.

Whether it’s been dusting off the knitting needles, refreshing those photoshop skills, or baking up that unbeatable family brownie recipe the pandemic has allowed time for people to fine-tune their crafts and make their business dreams a reality.

We understand first-hand the impact that the pandemic has had on many new businesses. Little Futures launched just before the beginning of the pandemic. Having completed extensive testing, we were confidently launching into full operation just as lock down was announced.

Our initial confidence was well and truly shaken when the realisation of the restrictions hit…an invite for children’s parties when parties were banned, uh oh. But after a few jittery weeks a new opportunity arose when we realised our customers weren’t going to let the circumstances dampen their party spirits and were simply going virtual.

For many new and existing small businesses 2020 will have thrown up some unexpected and complex challenges. However, as we have witnessed with many of the fantastic partner companies we now work with, people are quick to adapt. Whether it be a children’s dance group launching online sessions, a sustainable toy company extending their marketing due to the increased focus of our environmental impact, or banks acknowledging the need for better financial education for young children…the companies we work with have used the challenges thrown at them to make their offer work better for them, and more importantly for their customers too.

Although it’s been a difficult time, and we know we’re far from out of the water yet, the recent events (Not to mention David Attenborough’s A Life on Our Planet documentary) have secured in our minds that our mission is a vital one. Being part of a company that concentrates on improving our environmental impact, promotes creating memories with our loved ones, encourages saving towards our children’s futures and supporting other small businesses…well what could be better than that?

We are Little Futures and we are very grateful to all our customers so far for helping us launch during lockdown.