Ryan Buttigieg Talks About the Impact of COVID-19 on Online Businesses

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted nearly every aspect of life, and the global economy certainly wasn’t immune to the crisis. No matter the sector, every business had to adapt to the changing economic climate to stay alive in a post-pandemic world. While the food service and retail industries were among the hardest hit, online businesses, by contrast, had a chance to bloom and grow. Change Online Ltd, founded by Ryan Buttigieg and his brother Reece, is one of the businesses that saw the pandemic as an opportunity to become more successful while helping other entrepreneurs along the way.

Online Business Just Got a Boost
During the pandemic, more and more people began turning to the online world. However, even before the pandemic, many businesses, shops, and services were being taken over by the online world. Ryan’s own business, Change Online Ltd, was already based on the internet, so when COVID-19 took the world by storm, business got a lot busier for him. He’s confident that even in the face of another disaster or when life returns to normal, it won’t really affect his business or customers.

Adapting an Online Management Style
Fortunately, plenty of apps were designed to help businesses stay organized and in touch even before the pandemic struck. These apps gained a massive amount of popularity as more companies based their businesses on the internet. Ryan Buttigieg uses Zoom calls, Webinars, instant messaging (mostly on Instagram), and phone calls to manage his business. These tools are excellent for holding meetings between employees, clients, and customers.
Ryan Buttigieg says he uses Instagram to connect with members of Change Online Ltd primarily because it’s very personal. Members can send direct messages to his brother and him, making it so easy for members to contact them on demand. They also just launched podcasts on Spotify, which is a great way to keep people connected.

Online Businesses Can Help Stores Recover Losses
The pandemic gave many businesses that were already based online a chance to reach out and help stores that were negatively impacted recover their losses. Ryan and his brother helped traditional High Street stores in the UK recover some of their business, which in turn helped boost their own.
In fact, Ryan Buttigieg is proud to have many members who are earning more than his brother and him at the moment. The reason is that they offer up to 80% commissions, which leaves them just 20% of their members’ sales. Ryan proudly states that this is what makes them different from other online businesses; he cares about his members and has their backs at all times.