The Coronavirus pandemic will have far-reaching and long-lasting effects, far beyond the current nationwide lockdown South Africa is enduring. It is during this time that a good business will put on the brakes in time, move skillfully around the bend and then accelerate back onto the straight.
With this attitude, owner Adam Young has not allowed ROWDY to be thrown off kilter when the national lockdown took effect at the end of March 2020. Instead, the team has continued to innovate.
“My first focus was to ensure ROWDY, still a fledgling business would survive the lockdown. I care deeply about my staff, and realised quickly it was an adapt or die scenario,” reflects Adam.
With an intention to do something active and helpful, by week two of lockdown, the ROWDY factory team temporarily switched from leather craft to making and supplying face masks to assist in the battle against Covid-19. The masks were designed internally and a prototype was produced in just a few days. This helped keep staff members busy and filled a big gap in supply. In the first week of sales, 10 000 masks were sold and sold out by the end of lockdown. The team is currently building up stock reserves to be able to re-open mask sales as soon as possible.
Next steps? ROWDY intends to continue on its growth trajectory. The team also recently launched a corporate gift offering, complete with personalized embossed logos, to give your hardworking team a real thank you.
“The landscape is still murky, and we are learning to navigate our way through unprecedented terrain. But I show up every day and am grateful to my dedicated team who continue to do the same. It’s amazing how much you can achieve if you just show up,” ends Adam.
