ICE CREAM! The impact of Covid 19 on Coolercabs.
We have been radio silent for a while, apologies, a number of reasons, juggling jobs, our beautiful little girl, and the last 6 months taken up with a very stressful house move, living with friends, removing asbestos and more but thanking our lucky stars every day we made it in before all this Covid 19 madness! I hope you are all staying safe, and sane during this surreal time?!
We are somewhat lucky, as Coolercabs, our mobile ice cream cab is not the sole income, however, I would be lying if I didn't say we weren't disappointed how things have panned out so far this year and how things are likely to go over the coming months for a number of reasons;
1. We had a phenomenal summer last year (our first official full summer trading period) working with a range of clients, varying from corporate events, weddings, shopping centres, summer festivals and more and we were/are so excited to build on this.
2. The event industry is in pieces, it's so sad the knock-on effect and the scale of this, hundreds and 1,000s of events across the world canceled or postponed, meaning hundreds and 1,000s of people left with no work/income. From the crew that set up, to the suppliers of equipment, to the frontline hospitality staff, to the entertainers, performers and caterers the list is endless. I could write a whole piece on this alone but I'm sure you all get the gist. No events = no income, full stop! The reality is this is likely to continue so the rest of the year looks uncertain at this stage.
3. Having just done our first-year accounts I have been more focused on £, and it is prevalent our investment is going to take longer to pay back. With downtime over a key trading period which technically, as ice cream is so seasonal just got cut in half again. We have exciting plans to move the business forward but this will have to wait now.
4. The limited support from the government for small independent businesses in the catering world, we don't want a loan, the good news is NCASS is lobbying on the industry's behalf but currently nothing in place for a small business like Coolercabs.
5. We were in the 'swing'! One of the hardest things about starting a business is getting to grips with the operations, what needs doing, legals, paperwork, the most efficient way to do things, where to get things so we will need to find this again once back in the groove. (Don't be fooled though, there is still plenty we can be still be getting on with!).
6. We want to go and have fun (like everyone else), it will come and it will be one heck of a party! In the meantime, we recommend a freezer full of ice cream to help you get through these difficult times! Stay safe and we look forward to being back on the road soon.