Andrea Warren, 41, started selling custom cookies as a medical fundraiser for her husband, who began having heart issues just a few days before Guam’s pandemic lockdown.

Months later, around October 2020, Sugar Fix Guam was born.

Around that time, Guam’s business license applications were picking up, reaching 300 to 400 a month, compared to about 200 a month prior to the pandemic, according to Monica Franquez, acting business license supervisor at the Department of Revenue and Taxation.

Warren’s pre-pandemic source of income, a water and ice business, had shut down because of the coronavirus.

“When there’s nothing else and you need to support your family, you become more creative,” Warren said. “COVID is bad but it also gave blessings to a lot of people, my family included. I’m just thankful we’re able to do this and two years later, we’re still thriving. Our bestseller is the S’mores cookies.”

Kristal Flores, a long-time teacher with the Guam Department of Education, tried gardening, sewing and embroidery at the height of the pandemic. But it was when she got a Glowforge 3D laser printer that she turned her hobby into a business, called Forged by Faith 671.

Her business is known for wooden and acrylic custom earrings, Christmas ornaments, party favors, name signs and cake toppers.

When the coronavirus disrupted her job as a line cook at Hard Rock Cafe, Ralanda Rikkel, a single mother of three, decided to become self-employed and ventured into real estate.

“The pandemic shut down doors, some were necessary, and also opened a lot of other doors of opportunity that I’m grateful for,” she said. “It’s not the easiest job, but if you go the extra mile, you will get there.”

Opportunities created

The COVID-19 pandemic devastated many of Guam’s businesses but it also created opportunities for new enterprises, Franquez and Guam Chamber of Commerce President Catherine Castro said.

“We started getting average business license applications of 300 to 400 a month, the most we’ve had,” Franquez said in a phone interview. “It’s gone up a lot.”

While it’s hard to say how many of these pandemic-era startups will turn into long-term, money-making ventures, both the government and the business community said the growth in entrepreneurship would help fuel economic recovery and reshape the business landscape.

“As a result of furloughs and health concerns, many have taken their hobbies and passion projects a step further into creating business ventures or part-time side businesses,” Castro, of the Chamber, said.

The data

Rev and Tax data show 3,489 new business licenses issued in fiscal year 2021 or from October 2020 to September 2021, higher than prior years.

There were 2,544 licenses issued in fiscal year 2020, the period when the pandemic started.

Business license cancellations during the same period were fewer: 1,074 in 2020 and 1,088 in 2021, Rev and Tax data stated.

Popular businesses on Guam shut down because of the pandemic, from restaurants and travel agencies. Chuck E. Cheese at Guam Premier Outlets and Tango Theatres at the Agana Shopping Center closed.

Record-high entrepreneurship is seen across the nation. The U.S. Census Bureau reported a whopping 5.4 million new business license applications in 2021, exceeding the record set in 2020 of 4.4 million. Business license applications were at 3.5 million in 2019.

On Guam, tourism has been picking up, but it would take years to have pre-pandemic arrival numbers, economy experts said.

During the pandemic, the Guam Chamber of Commerce launched pop-up events that specifically helped new companies, many without storefronts, by offering online exposure and face-to-face opportunities with customers, Castro said.

”We encourage support of our small businesses, who work tirelessly to provide unique products and services to our residents, island visitors and their online customers,” Castro said. “They provide gainful employment, pay their taxes and are productive members of our community.”

Haidee Eugenio Gilbert can be reached at hgilbert@guampdn.com.

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