The effects of the cost of living crisis have been felt by everyone from local businesses to large corporations as energy bills soar and spending drops. Miss Amreen Malik, owner and founder of Amreen’s Gifts and Balloons Boutique, has been no different and after talking with her, I found out just how difficult it has been to keep the business she created through a lot of hard work afloat.

 

Just celebrating the 7-year anniversary of building the business from the ground up last week, Miss Malik’s experience has not been easy sailing. Having gone through a massive career change from working at Brunel University London to starting up her own business she told me that “It was hard work, It was the whole ‘I don’t know where to start, I don’t know what I’m doing.’” She had left Brunel a year before the shop opened so the business didn’t flourish overnight but she tells me that it was “the best decision I’ve ever made, well, up until recently…”

 

The Covid-19 outbreak had set back all companies and businesses and Amreen tells me that during the pandemic she had had to close down and although she was taking a few online orders, it was a very difficult time for her business as everyone, including herself, were being as safe as possible. 

 

However, it didn’t stop there, as she was slowly recovering from the hard hit of the pandemic, the cost of living crisis pushed her right back as “[customers] are being a lot more careful with their money, which is understandable, but also everything is going up, rent, bills, business rates, everything is going up so much and paying it here and paying it at home, it’s just…massive” she told me. The feeling of complete uncertainty and anxiety which has been felt by individuals up and down the country was clear to see. 

 

Miss Malik told me that although she has had many plans and ideas to grow her business and provide even better service for her customers, “if I don’t have the customers, spending the money initially, I can’t go out and buy the stuff to add and create new, exciting things.” This is obviously a hindering factor to the growth of any business and the bills which have not stopped rising have not made things any better.

 

It was clear to see that like many other small businesses across the country, she wanted more support and help from the government, and although “during the pandemic, the local council did help us but again that all went within the first couple of months purely because of all the outgoings which were obviously still happening,” she told me. 

 

Finally, I asked Amreen if she had hope in the government and the new prime minister who, at the time of the interview, had not been confirmed and could have been either Rishi Sunak or Penny Mordaunt, and she replied with a hesitant “To be honest, no… I…yeah I… don’t” and her frustration and feelings of being abandoned by the government were all too clear. However she did add “Hopefully I’m proven wrong” and I’m sure this feeling resonates with all individuals in the UK as we hope that the now confirmed Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and his government will lead us out of this crisis that affects all.