The coronavirus pandemic has hit enterprises hard. Fortune reported that nearly 100,000 businesses that closed temporarily because of COVID-19 are now permanently out of business.

It's been especially difficult for restaurants and the hospitality industry to do business during the pandemic.

But while many establishments are closing their doors, many others are opening. With the right idea, it's possible to open a successful and thriving business during the COVID 19 era.

Here are four ideas:

business during the covid 19

1. Cleaning Services

Sanitation and hygiene have become incredibly important across the board. Whether it's businesses that serve the public or families looking to stay safe when visiting family members, cleaning services are in high demand from every sector.

The great news is that you don't need a whole lot of capital to launch a cleaning business. Of course, you'll need to research how to start a commercial cleaning business in your state to make sure that you're following local laws, but overall, you only need a few cleaning business supplies to get started, like:

This list is not extensive by any means, but it's a great place to start. Researching your local market and creating a list of the services you want to offer will help you produce a thorough list of supplies that you'll need to get started.

If you want to attract certain clientele, you can offer niche cleaning services, such as:

  • Window cleaning business
  • Business cleaning services
  • House cleaning business
  • Pool cleaning business

Offering specialized services allows you to position yourself as an expert in the field and better manage costs.

One advantage of a cleaning business, especially an office cleaning business, is that you will be working primarily after hours. This will reduce the risk of exposure to the virus for both your team and your clients.

business during the coronavirus time

2. Pizza Delivery

Many sit-down restaurants are struggling to keep their doors open during the pandemic, but demand for take-out is still high. People still want to enjoy the pleasure of eating restaurant food.

In fact, delivery orders skyrocketed 67% in March when the pandemic first hit.

While many restaurants are still reeling from the pandemic, pizza delivery orders are up significantly. Sales at Papa John's increased by 28% in the second quarter compared to the previous year.

Pizza is a comfort food, and delivery services make it a pandemic-friendly operation. Menus are simple and limited, making it possible to run your business with just a few employees and a predictable list of pizza supplies. Drivers don't even need to have any contact with customers.

Before getting started, take the time to research how to start a pizza business, look at the local market and gauge the competition.

If your local market is saturated, research another one. Too much competition will make it difficult to stay in business.

But if there's demand and room for competition, a pizza delivery restaurant is a business that can thrive now (during a pandemic) and in the future.

business during the pandemic

3. Bakery

Bakeries have many advantages over restaurants and other food service establishments. They can offer pick-up and delivery services. If guests come into the bakery, their stays are typically quick. This makes it easy to keep their doors open while meeting occupancy restrictions during the pandemic.

Local bakeries can also establish profitable relationships with local grocers, allowing them to expand their customer base without risk of exposing employees. Grocery sales have surged during the pandemic, and bakery aisle sales increased 62.3% in March 2020.

Like pizza, baked goods are considered comfort foods, which more people are seeking out during these stressful times.

And instead of heading to a sit-down restaurant to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or other important milestone, many families are choosing at-home celebrations. Bakeries supply the cakes and other baked goods these customers need to enjoy these special occasions.

Consider offering delivery, curbside and pickup options to customers who want minimal contact during this time.

Here are a few things you'll need to research before starting this type of business:

Many bakeries are able to stay competitive because they specialize in certain types of baked goods or offer specialized products, like gluten-free or vegan goods.

business during the coronavirus pandemic

4. Coffee Shop

Even in the midst of a pandemic, people are still going out to get their morning coffee. But instead of heading inside to wait in line and enjoy a cup before heading to the office, more people are grabbing their coffees to-go.

A report from the Specialty Coffee Association shows that combined sales for curbside and pickup were up a whopping 5,380% at the start of the pandemic.

Coffee shops that can adapt by offering delivery, drive-thru, curbside and pickup options will continue to thrive through the pandemic and beyond.

Another advantage that coffee shops have is that you can offer more than just beverages. Partner with local bakeries to offer baked goods, or start selling small grocery items like some specialty coffee shops are doing.

Coffee shops are incredibly versatile and can easily adapt to customer behavior. But most importantly, the demand will almost always be there. After all, coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world.

Before getting started with your idea, make sure that you research:

Offering delivery, pickup and curbside can help you stay ahead of the competition.

As you can see, it's still possible to start a business during the coronavirus time and to grow that business. The key is to make sure that your operation is easily adaptable so that you can move with changing customer behavior. Pickup, curbside and delivery services will continue to be popular among consumers long after the pandemic has passed, but right now, they are essential services that can keep your operation in business.