Mahisha Dellinger had to bring more workers in to accommodate the number of online sales her company has received during coronavirus.
Dellinger watched as online orders for CURLS doubled and tripled during the pandemic. The Frisco-based haircare products company had to bring in two additional workers to process them all.
The pandemic has created a cascade of effects for CURLS. In late March, Dellinger began sourcing N95 masks and other equipment through a professional connection she had. She donated the supplies to different frontline workers, as well as providing them to customers, her employees and their families.
The virus hit close to home when CURLS had to shut down the warehouse in an abundance of caution. A person living with one of her employees contracted a severe case of the virus and died.
“So we had to shut down the warehouse, sanitize it. Everyone had to get testing. Everyone came back negative,” she said.
Juggling the tumult at CURLS has been compounded by life during the virus, Dellinger said.
“There was a lot of managing of homeschooling and still working but having increased responsibilities or more busy work,” she said. “Given what we're doing with the donations, then the increase in demand and bringing new contractors in and doing more press — I have a lot of press interviews to do. Managing all that while trying to homeschool, that's the hardest part for sure.”
Note: This story is part of the Dallas Business Journal’s Small Business Big Mission project. Starting in March, the local business-to-business newspaper followed nearly a dozen small businesses to track the way they coped, pushed and pivoted during the uncertainty brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. For information about local, state and federal aid, visit the Business Journal’s Small Business Resource Guide.
