The Sun Q&A - urgent media opportunity-old

Tina Judic 45 London Found www.found.co.uk CEO How have the Coronavirus crisis and repeated lockdowns impacted your business? It’s certainly not been easy as we’ve all been navigating new territory. By and large, I’m exceedingly proud of what we have achieved. We’ve worked closely with our clients to help give them what they’ve needed during this period. We’ve sought to identify ways we can truly support our teams working from home; recognising that whilst some are flourishing, others are struggling. And we’ve used this as an opportunity to appraise our systems, our processes, ourselves. It’s forced us to see how we stand up - and stand out - as a group of people now sitting in different rooms around the country, spending more time on Zoom than we ever believed possible. We’ve learnt and adapted quickly. I feel proud of what we’ve achieved during this period. Have you stayed in touch with customers or had customers stay in touch with you? We've constantly worked with our customers to help them navigate through the pandemic. We've had customers who have thrived because of their online set-up and others who have had to demand so much more from digital because of shop closures, problems with stock or lack of events to attend to acquire new business. I'd go as far to say that we're got a lot closer to our customers during this period, not least because everyone has been trying to navigate the pandemic and juggle their home life whilst working from their new working space, their home. What do you feel about your future business prospects? I feel hugely excited about the potential of business prospects. The pandemic has forced everyone to think on their feet, to think smarter, to think sooner, to think about tomorrow, today. During the pandemic, we've worked on plans to launch 3 new businesses which may never have happened quite so quickly. We've all learned so much during this time so it's now about taking the next steps and embracing what the future might hold. How important do you feel small firms are to the UK economy at this time? How do you see them ‘bouncing back’ in the coming months? Some are going to thrive whilst others may well struggle. I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to know my local businesses - whether it be grabbing a coffee, lunch of fresh flowers. These are places I wouldn't have seen 5 days of the week as I'd be in London yet now, I'm able to support them and will continue to do so. What can the UK public do to support small firms after lockdown eases? If you can give me three or four tips, that would be great. Seek out the companies that are local to you. If you don't have a local Facebook group, think about creating one, as you will find people are so willing to share, promote and recommend. Think twice about who you're buying from and why. What value am I going to get from this service? Do I want this company to still be here in years to come? Be honest with the companies you know. Give them feedback - we always want to learn so please do feedback to business owners as it will undoubtedly help them. What would you like to see the Government do to support small businesses? Recognise the value that small businesses bring to communities and the overall business spectrum. Look at further tax cuts and grant options to help small businesses thrive. What is your top piece of advice for other small business owners at this time? Don't spend more than you make. Do focus on what your business offering is and what makes your business special - and hone in on that.