We have taken the pulse of Sofia Rönnberg, a ceramicist and true creator who runs a ceramics workshop and shop in the small village of Gunsmark in the coastal region of Västerbotten. In addition to the workshop and shop, she offers ceramics courses for both beginners and the more experienced ceramicist. Sofia's business is a natural destination for visitors and the ceramics are available for sale via the online shop bysofiakarolina.se.
For Sofia, the pandemic has brought a lot of challenges and adjustments, but it has also helped her to think differently. For example, new communication strategies have been developed, her knowledge of social media and statistics has increased, but above all, the pandemic has allowed Sofia to devote more time to her business. The pandemic allowed Sofia to leave her part-time job at the flower shop in Ånäset, which created new opportunities for her to develop her own business.
When we first put the brakes on because of the pandemic, I had to cancel all my course activities. I realised that I needed to tweak my business model and I focused on developing my social media platform. That way I could also boost my online store. Today I can see that it has paid off. My goal was to double the turnover of the online shop, but in practice it tripled," says Sofia Rönnberg.
While the pandemic has been challenging for businesses in the region, it has also forced innovation.
The pandemic has given me confirmation that I can actually solve many problems, that I can change. I think I work best under pressure. However, the pandemic has certainly not been easy to handle, given the restrictions and the impact it has had on society as a whole, says Sofia Rönnberg.
For the future, Sofia plans to develop her business. For example, the already expanded store will be complemented with a new gallery space and an even larger café. This summer, Sofia is also hiring staff to stay open more days during the summer's busiest visitor weeks.
Last summer I quadrupled the number of visitors - despite the pandemic! I'm really looking forward to this summer. I'm excited, who knows how many people will find their way to SofiaKarolina in Gunsmark? Hopefully we will have started to see the end of this pandemic," says Sofia Rönnberg.
Sofia Rönnberg and her company SofiaKarolina are participating in the third and current round of the eXpression Future Retail Lab business accelerator.
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