How to Pivot for a Pandemic: Featuring Deskview

Running a small business always comes with challenges. During a pandemic, those challenges can feel insurmountable. Making it through times like this requires unique resilience, innovation, and the ability to pivot according to demand. Today, I want to put the spotlight on a company that managed to channel each of these skills -- one of my Shark Tank investments, DeskView. Read about their journey below!

The world of work has been forever changed by the pandemic. When we founded DeskView, we never imagined how our concepts and technology would be at the forefront of this change. When the pandemic struck, professionals had to work from home, turning couches and kitchen tables into full-time offices. Our window-mounted desk quickly proved itself as the world’s #1 option for creating a healthy, standing desk at home. Being able to mount a desk to a glass window or wall in 5 seconds at any height gave every worker the temporary, minimalist “office” they need at home.

But we didn’t stop there. We realized that as companies open up, they have very limited options to dispense gloves, masks and sanitizer at work. We saw the need and used our expertise as the maker of the best suction discs on the planet to devise a solution. So in record time, we developed a sleek, glass mounted PPE station perfect for any business.

When we say record time --- we thought up the idea on Friday, had the engineering finished by Monday morning, put prototypes in production, and had 3 SKUs available for sale the next week. We created a model for small businesses and passageways (PPE Mini - 1 mask box + sanitizer dispenser), a model for medium sized businesses (PPE Compact – 1 mask + 2 gloves + sanitizer dispenser) and a model for large businesses, building entryways, and hospitals (PPE full – 2 masks + 3 gloves + sanitizer dispenser + storage for first aid kits). This was a monumental undertaking and we could not have done it without our partners at QDesign.

We always press ourselves for more, especially when there’s a need. Companies do not have time to hunt down PPE suppliers, so we did the work for them. We formed relationships with the top PPE suppliers in the U.S. to stock our PPE stations so companies would not have to worry about finding PPE and can spend time on re-opening their businesses.

And just like that, in 3 weeks we went from a small enterprise, to the world’s #1 work from home accessory and creators of the world’s first window-mounted PPE station! We’ve grown, we’ve donated to those in need, and we feel very lucky to be on this path and continue to find ways to help individuals and businesses during this difficult time. What a ride!