Megan Geall
When the COVID-19 lockdown first began, Rachael Boarer thought it would only be for a few weeks. Naïve, as we all were, to the oncoming impact of the pandemic, the successful businesswoman was unable to prepare in any way. A lack of government support over such an unprecedented period of time has meant the financial and personal strain is still impacting her small business two years later. Testing her resilience, business strategy, and capabilities, Rachael has proved herself and is an inspiration for many of the young women that she teaches on a daily basis.
As a dance teacher, Rachael interacts with classes of young, impressionable students that are mainly girls. Part of Rachael’s success as a businesswoman is her kind-hearted approach to teaching; she treats her students like her family and cares greatly for their well-being which has led to an attentive and loyal customer base.
After the first lockdown, Rachael’s concerns were not only focused on her business but also the mental wellbeing of her students:
“I’d seen such a big change in mental health; in terms of their weight; in terms of their enthusiasm,” explains Rachael, when discussing her thought-process surrounding the prospect of the second lockdown.
I think that the lockdowns showed Rachael how important her business and her position as a dance teacher was to many of her students.
Present Day Emotions
In the present day, Rachael is frustrated at the lack of support small business owners received from the government: “I do think a lot of friends who were self-employed feel like we’ve been very much pushed to the side,” explains Rachael.
“I’m so grateful for the funding that we received but [the government] didn’t really stop to look at the bigger picture.”
With the first lockdown stopping classes between March and July, the company had no income from students and it missed out on its biggest profit-maker of the year: the summer-term show.
Rachael felt both the primary and secondary impacts on her business as small companies that supplied trophies, medals, and printed show programmes suffered bankruptcy due to the lack of support. For Rachael, the search for new contacts was like “open[ing] a business and start[ing] from scratch.”
Speaking to me about the financial impact on her business, it is clear how Rachael’s female, independently-owned business has succeeded over the last 13 years and survived the pandemic—pure dedication, forward but realistic thinking, and her own personal attributes that ensured her customers returned to her business.
The Personal and Business Sacrifices are Intertwined
“…you don’t know, realistically, whether you’re going to have a business to come back to.”
As the sole owner, Rachael’s personal and business life are thoroughly intertwined. Classified as vulnerable- with vulnerable parents- Rachael had to balance the risks in deciding when to reopen the business: “If I came back, I was at risk of not seeing my parents if I caught it. But […] if I didn’t make that step, you don’t know, realistically, whether you’re going to have a business to come back to.”
Her personal sacrifices are an inspiration as making the brave decision to risk her own health for her business meant that she had to isolate herself from her vulnerable parents while the rest of society began opening up and returning to partial normality.
In the light of recent findings regarding the Government possibly breaking its own rules, the personal and financial sacrifices that Rachael has made over the last two years are even more honourable. The way that Rachael has conducted herself and her business to ensure its survival throughout the pandemic has been exemplary.
As a business owner, she is hard-working, strategic, dedicated and smart. More importantly, as a business-woman, she is kind, selfless and successful; truly an inspiration and an honour to her community, her recently-passed mother and her students.
Featured image courtesy of Rachael Boarer from RnB Dance Company.
Megan Geall
Megan is a 23-year-old recent English and American Literature graduate and aspiring journalist. Her interests include food, fitness, lifestyle writing and dance!