Laurel Ricard, ’25, has her own online business, Salva O Coral, where she sells jewelry and donates a portion of the proceeds to support coral reefs. I interviewed Laurel to find out about how her business has done during this pandemic.

Leihani: Have there been any unexpected business benefits of this pandemic?

Laurel: Owning a business during this time can for sure be challenging, but surprisingly there have been a few occasions where the pandemic has been beneficial to my small business. A lot of people were very cautious when leaving their homes, only coming out in public for essential needs, so they prefer to order things online. I own an online website, so this is very convenient to individuals looking for a way to shop safer and easier. Also being stuck in your home is a perfect opportunity to do online shopping. I know while I was in quarantine I couldn’t stop online shopping because I had nothing better to do! 

Leihani: What new business ideas did this situation give you?

Laurel: I always had the idea of starting a business, although I never had the time dealing with a busy schedule. After seeing so many other people come up with ideas to start a business, I decided this was the perfect time for me to start. Considering how there were not many opportunities I would regularly have for my business, I came up with other ways to get my name out there and still get people to recognize my business. I started using social media as a platform to be noticed. If it weren’t for Instagram, I don’t think as many people would know about my business as they do now. Also, hosting online marketing zoom classes was a great way I could benefit my business, and others.