As dificuldades enfrentadas pelo micro e pequeno empreendedor do comércio varejista no período da pandemia de COVID-19

Abstract

The present study aimed to carry out a survey of entrepreneurial actions in order to investigate the entrepreneurial positioning of the owner and act as an aid to other entrepreneurs who seek alternatives for improvements to soften the impact of the pandemic. The empirical portion of the study is exploratory and descriptive, with a qualitative approach, carried out under the study of multiple cases. Specifically, four micro and small entrepreneurs from the city of Ituiutaba-MG were interviewed, recruited using the snowball method, emphasizing that the first interviewee was selected for convenience, through personal contact with the researcher. When comparing the four companies analyzed, it is possible to observe different approaches adopted to face the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic: The clothing store showed efforts to adapt to the online environment, migrating to social networks and participating in specific training for the trade electronic. The beauty salon adopted proactive measures, such as employee rotation, home service and investments in personal marketing. The pet shop, meanwhile, has taken limited steps to migrate to online platforms, but has also faced financial challenges by interrupting important services, laying off employees and charging for deliveries. The shoe store, on the other hand, adopted a behavioral approach, being proactive and persistent in the search for solutions.