Although necessary to stop the spread of coronavirus, lockdown has left many business owners struggling.
Some have switched to selling online or offering different services to stay afloat.
But when award-winning florist Emma Soulsby, 37, from London, realised that people weren’t going to need flowers for weddings and events, she decided to completely pivot into food deliveries.
Before lockdown, the team at Emma Soulsby Flowers were working at some of the top venues across the UK and abroad, but now Emma is getting up at 1:30 am every day to source food instead of flowers.
Emma says she wanted to keep a business going and help people who are struggling to get food so she launched Magnificent Marrow, using her existing supply-chain contacts, delivery vans and experience to bring fresh fruit, vegetables, milk and eggs to peoples’ homes across London.
All deliveries are non-contact; payment is taken online and deliveries are dropped off at the doorstep (we’ll knock three times and keep 2m away) and we offer 10% discount for all NHS staff.
For My Quarantine Routine today, Emma explains how she spent 7 April.
1:30 am
Alarm goes off and I get straight out of bed. Freshen my face up by washing with ice cold water. I try as best I can to cover my bags and apply a little makeup then make a very strong coffee.
I dress in jeans, thermal top, jumper, jacket and a coat with a hat and trainers. It’s so cold in the market to keep the fruit and veg preserved.
As we start packing up the boxes the layers start to come off. I then drive my van that’s usually used for the weddings to the fruit and veg market. It takes about 20 minutes to get there dodging the odd badger and fox out for a stroll.
2:30 am
We arrive at New Covent Garden Market and pull up outside the main supplier I buy from. The market area is called the buyers walk. It’s a hustle of market traders selling fruit and vegetables.
I’m used to this only with flowers instead of fruit and veg. I love the banter, it’s a real hive of activity and it makes me realise how lucky I am to be able to still do something I enjoy.
I chat to the traders, see what’s on offer, compare prices and then start buying what we need for the day’s deliveries.
3 am
We drive round to the other side of the market to start packing up the berry bags, chef special bags and all the extras along with the fruit, vegetable and salad boxes.
It’s manual work and the boxes are super heavy, it’s hard work but being busy and knowing we are making up boxes for people to enjoy makes me so happy.
Every day we are improving on our processes, checking and double checking our quantities are correct making sure each customer gets exactly what they ordered.
Once we have packed everything up, we then section out the produce for each of the drivers. It makes it so much easier for them to pack up their van when they arrive.
Each order we send out has an additional goodie bag to try and bring a little cheer to people in these difficult times. It’s so important to me to build relationships with everyone we are delivering to.
5 am
The baked goods arrive. This is a recent addition to our deliveries. It makes me so excited finding new amazing companies to work with that we can then share with our customers.
We then distribute the delivery to each drivers area and I take the little extra I added on for breakfast! I make a quick dash to the café for a black coffee for a little break.
Walking through the different areas of the market for me is just brilliant. Everyone is so busy, forklifts are flying everywhere and music is blaring out of the units. I’ve been doing this for 10 days now and already it feels natural.
6 am
The vans arrive with our fabulous delivery drivers. I hand them their dispatch notes and make sure they have their routes saved to the app. We then show them which section is theirs and help load the vans.
7 am
I personally deliver any special orders or if it’s a particularly big delivery day I will take on the excess to ensure our drivers don’t work over six hours a day.
I quite enjoy the methodical approach to each drop, getting up the route then checking it off the dispatch notes.
All the items are placed on the doorstep for the customer and once we knock on the door we keep a safe distance to ensure all deliveries as non contact.
We all wear gloves and masks. The gloves by the end of the day really hurt my hands but we have to be so careful to ensure everyone is kept safe and well.
It’s amazing to see our customers open their doors and see all the fresh produce and it really helps keep me going when I’m getting tired. It’s not easy delivering heavy boxes at the best of times but due to the current situation getting a coffee to perk you up or even a public toilet to use just isn’t easy. I make sure I have lots of snacks (and the baked goods) to keep me going.
8am
I have a call with my virtual assistant to ensure everything is running smoothly, and see if there are any issues on the deliveries for the other drivers. We have a debrief of any new ideas and how we can make that work.
This is all so new we are running as we are going which is unbelievably exciting, scary and stressful in equal measures. We go through any queries she’s received from customers placing orders.
9 am
I try to get a shorter delivery route than the drivers so I don’t get too tired. As soon as I get home I check emails and Instagram. I love seeing people share their new deliveries, it’s so exciting.
I then have breakfast of sourdough toast, scrambled eggs and spinach, but only if my partner is home. He’s the chef in the household – I most certainly am not! If he’s not in I scramble around for anything to quickly eat and then head to bed.
11 am
I’ve been trying to sleep for two hours but this is the one area of this new job I’m struggling with. I like it to be pitch black and quiet when I sleep, impossible for someone trying to sleep in the daytime in London.
I manage about 45 mins but wake feeling a bit dopey and a tiny bit more refreshed. I’ve just ordered a face mask and earplugs to try and help with this.
12 pm
I bumble around the house feeling slightly hungover and confused due to trying to get used to the new sleeping pattern.
The cut off point for next day delivery is midday so I know my VA will be working on collating all the information for the next day’s orders.
I want to make sure my head is in back in the game and so I grab a shower and drink lots of water to rehydrate.
12.30 pm
I now have the information from my VA to order the baked goods. My supplier then works through the night to bake them fresh for us to deliver the next day.
I then go for a walk around the park to get some exercise and fresh air. I’ve been wanting to get back into running again but while I’m adjusting to the new routine I settle on a walk.
1.30 pm
I place the orders for the fruit and veg with our supplier and get the list ready for the items to buy from the buyers walk.
2 pm
I swap my fruit and veg hat to my florist hat. I go through all the emails and enquiries I’ve received and schedule skype consultations.
I then work through any new proposals getting super excited for things to return to normal where I can be surrounded by flowers again.
4 pm
Grab a beer and check emails and social media while my partner cooks a feast from the selection of fruit and veg we have.
He chats to me while he’s cooking and I’m working. I try not to be grumpy and tired and fail miserably every time. In the background the BBC updates are on.
6 pm
TV is switched off, music is on and we have dinner with a glass of wine. This is my favourite time of the day and my chance to make up for my grumpy tired behaviour from an hour ago.
We chat about what’s gone on with our day’s, our families and try not to talk about work. Three weeks ago I didn’t know how I was going to survive, pay bills and keep my floristry business going, given all that and how we’ve managed to not only turn this around but help others too means that we always end up talking about work.
7.30 pm
Final check of social media and emails with a coffee
8 pm
Bed and pass out very tired and grateful.
MORE: My Quarantine Routine: Graham, a 62-year-old stroke survivor missing his support group
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/04/09/quarantine-routine-2-12529882/?ITO=squid
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