Individual Micro-Entrepreneur of Snacks and Portions in Brazil: Post-Pandemic Implications and Threats of the New Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2: COVID-19)

Abstract

The individual micro-entrepreneurs constitute a relevant portion of small businesses in Brazil, and despite its relevance, little information was found about the behavior of this sector in the recovery of the economy. Thus, in order to support a better understanding of the current scenario a descriptive exploratory research was carried out with 25 micro-entrepreneurs between June and September 2022. The study revealed that the average age of the interviewees was 41 years old, with the monthly net income obtained between USD 800 and USD R$ 1799. The total of all respondents reported that their ways of life and their businesses were affected during the pandemic, and in the recovery of the economy, they reported in their perceptions that the main implications resulting from that period were the high workload dedicated to work activities, the financial instability of sales , personal stress with the post-pandemic crisis and the lack of skilled labor. With regard to the future, and on the prospects for commercial growth, the majority of the respondents (n=88%) attested that despite being affected by the pandemic, they managed to implement actions to recover revenue, with the personalized customer service, quality of product offered, the variety of food offered and the speed in customer service being the main factors that have facilitated the recovery process after the pandemic.