Simply For Life Pivots Online, Still Plans To Open Saint John Headquarters
SAINT JOHN – Claudine and Bruce Sweeney’s company Simply for Life, a network of nutrition coaching and natural food markets launched in 2001, has adapted to and met the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic by transitioning online.
The company, which operates 38 franchises across Canada, offers virtual nutritional coaching and online shopping with curbside pickup and delivery. A new three-month program, Quarantine 15, is also available alongside their other programs.
Bruce’s daily live episodes, which began on March 18, focusing on keeping up one’s physical and mental health during the pandemic, are available to stream on Simply For Life’s Facebook page.
“If you can make it simple and give people some hope that they can take baby steps, make some changes and learn a few things it makes a huge difference, even if it’s just one little thing,” said CEO and co-founder Claudine Sweeney.
She said they are looking to grow the videos into something bigger.
“We’ve had a great response, over 150,000 views so far in the last couple of weeks.”
The company also has an online marketplace for healthy food, vitamins and supplements, cleaning supplies and health and beauty products.
In each community, they partner with local businesses to sell their products. In Saint John, for example, they sell Vitos pizzas and Nela’s Kitchen pre-prepared meals and products.
“We’ve done that with a lot of the franchisees, [who] are doing the same in their individual communities,” she said.
April 9th was the final day for in-store purchases, with many of their locations still offering delivery and curbside pickup during regular hours. Customers view the online market as a boutique-style shopping experience.
“People are really thankful that they can just pick up the phone and get somebody pleasant on the line and they can shop, order what they need, and we’ll deliver it to them,” she said.
Sweeney has seen an uptick in natural health products, with some of the company’s suppliers noted an influx of natural health products by 90 percent in comparison to the previous month.
“People are looking for immune-boosting supplements, they’re looking for that extra immune system health product,” she said.
RELATED: Simply For Life Opening New Saint John Headquarters That’s Also A Health And Wellness Hub
Simply For Life’s nutrition counselling also transitioned online once the reality of quarantine set in. Coaches and clients consult via Zoom video chats, a boon when facing the increasingly loud siren call of the fridge as the weeks trickle by.
The company’s four consultants focus less on the scale and more on immune-boosting, staying healthy and providing support.
“They’ve each set up their own individual private support groups for their clients so they’re calling it kind of an accountability group and support,” Sweeney said.
It is uplifting for clients to be able to stay in touch with their nutrition coach during the social distancing period.
“Being at home all week and just that whole pressure, it’s a real downer, so we pride ourselves on being that uplifting motivation and just that person that you need each week,” she said.
Sweeney plans to continue online consults as an option once the social-distancing period lifts, and potentially the online shopping as well, having opened up an extra niche people are looking for.
While relieved and grateful for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy and New Brunswick’s workers’ emergency income benefit, Sweeney is practical about how they won’t solve all of small business’ problems.
“The scary thing is, how long is it going to be and how long is the recovery going to be for everybody,” she said. “Even though we’re doing well, we have to look at how the community is doing. Are they going to bounce back, are we going to have the vibrant business community that we had before?”
The local Saint John store is doing well, but the big test is what will be coming into larger franchise company; she is preparing the company by looking at cash projections.
“We’re solely relying on how the [individual] franchisees are doing,” she said, and has encouraged the franchisees and their employees to look into potential programs for the individual stores and for themselves.
2020 was supposed to be a big year for the company with the construction of an 18,000 square foot corporate headquarters on Rothesay Avenue planned to open in the fall. However, the unexpected delays aren’t getting the Sweeneys down, with Claudine calling it a “speed bump.”
“We’ll be at that point going into that facility where you’ll be given opportunities, we’ll be hiring a larger workforce, so we’ll be contributing to the economy and we’re happy that we still are contributing to the economy,” she said.