SOME STORIES ABOUT SMALL BUSINESSES

There are hundreds of stories about business owners. Everyday people get up and put their everything into their careers. Here are a few stories of small businesses and how they have managed in the market.

The Paperless Post

The siblings James and Alexa Hirschfeld started the Paperless Post in 2009, specializing in digital correspondence. Since the beginning of their firm, they have managed to send out 650 million invitations these past decades, being requested by celebrities and even appearing on Saturday Night Live. Marcy Blum, wedding designer for clients like LeBron James has compared the brand to the way Kleenex has become a generic term.

 Mr. Hirschfeld got his inspiration when dealing with invitations for his 21st birthday. Using physical copies would have been too costly and wasteful. James would call Alexa with an offer to join the start-up. Using their personal savings they made a prototype of their idea and eventually got their lucky break, garnering something under $1 million.

Naturally it has not all been smooth sailing. Due to the pandemic, their sales numbers dropped to the floor. Adding in that invitations have in recent years shifted to text messages through apps like WhatsApp. However, they are still keeping on to this very day, and the sibling owners are not about to give-up yet

The Kit Vintage

Robyn Goldberg has mange to provide a middle path for customers looking for vintage wear, between digging for scraps in a pile or taking a mortgage to get the work of designers past. Goldberg caters to a selection of customers including Lou Eyrich, famed costume designer. Robyn and her husband, Larry Plotitsa, along with his sister have being running the establishment for 7 years. 

Their clientele like to keep the couple's shop a secret as they are a shop that sells secondhand vintage wear at fair prices. Many designers browse their wares to get inspiration for their own designs and have allowed people to get incredible clothes for once-in-a-lifetime events.

Happy Cashier

Happy Cashier is a firm that provides cashiers that live in the Philippines, but are assign to New York City restaurants. This restaurant is part of a greater shift towards remote work. An answer to rising cost or an avenue for wage exploitation, this new paradigm is finding its footing within the American market. All of this through a zoom call with a 12-hour time difference. These virtual assistance not only help with orders, but also help coordinate deliveries, take phone calls, and oversee store reviews.

Chi Zhang is the man behind Happy Casheir. Even Mr. Zhang was surprised at the sudden uptick in his business, as he has been catch up to meet demand. The firm has had success in Queens, Manhattan, even Jersey City. Eventually, the goal would be that over a hundred restaurants would open in the state by the end of the year.

 Naturally there have been concers. These virtual waitress have wages less than half of present employees due to the nature of NYC labor laws. Many organizations have predicted this will reduce waitresses' ability to negotiate pay. The new system has faced back lash from people opposed to outsourcing overseas and some have compared this to sci-fi dystopian technology. In addition, some people do not read the hostesses as waiters but instead some have confused them with advertisements.

SOURCES

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/21/style/the-siblings-who-changed-how-we-party.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/16/style/kit-vintage-store-la.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/11/nyregion/nyc-restaurants-virtual-remote.html