Businesses from all over the world have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the end still looking bleak, thousands of big businesses have shut down operations, some even filed for bankruptcy-- but what about the SMEs?

ALLCARE talked to some SME owners who’ve had their fair share of pandemic woes to share their experiences. They talked about the struggles of running a business while in a pandemic, their realizations, and how ALLCARE has helped them.

First up is Raizza Encinas, Chief Operations Officer of The Bow Tie Duck Manila, an online delicatessen delivery service that serves fine and hard-to-find food from all over the world. They’ve been in business since 2019 and have been catering to Metro Manila and neighboring cities.

The start of the pandemic has been tough on The Bow Tie Duck, with them having to halt operations for a while. But according to Raizza, they saw a sudden demand for food which, unexpectedly, led to the boom of The Bow Tie Duck; however, it wasn’t as easy as it seems. 

“One of the things that I think was going to be a problem for my team was having to work in the middle of a pandemic where a lot of people were prone to getting sick. And just the risk of having my employees out there, it was scary.” Raizza said in the interview. It took them a few trial runs, a couple of schedule changes, and some convincing  before they had their employees on board and found a safe system that works for them.

Having to work in the middle of the pandemic is hard, and Raizza knows that all too well. As a boss who values her people, she made sure that they are safe and well-protected-- with protocols set in place up until they get to delivering orders. More so, Raizza said that investing in their employees’ health is a vital part of business. “I think the entire 1 year of being in lockdown has proven that you really can’t put your people’s health as a minute priority, it has to be the first priority.”

With Raizza putting the spotlight on the importance of keeping their people protected, she has chosen ALLCARE to provide their company with the best healthcare option there is. “I’ve known ALLCARE because I’ve been in the start-up industry and I’ve seen how they have tremendously helped a lot of small businesses. When I left the start-up industry and decided to put up The Bow Tie Duck, it has always been my first choice to get ALLCARE once I am able to put up a team that already needs it.” You may watch the full video here.

Indeed, ALLCARE’s mission and goal stands true-- to help people and even businesses, no matter how small they are. Let Raizza be the example for fellow SME owners to not put your people’s health at the bottom of the list. ALLCARE is here to provide you with a wide-range of benefit options that will help you put your mind at ease.

As we navigate through the pandemic, let’s help each other in any means we can-- from supporting your local SME to staying safe by staying at home. Together, we will get through this.