After COVID-19 began spreading within China, the Mongolian government was one of the first countries to lockdown their borders. While the precautions have been beneficial in slowing the spread within Mongolia, the founder of Lhamour, Khulan Davaadorj, observes how restrictions have impacted small businesses. 

“It was very harmful to the businesses as the country had been under lockdown since the beginning and no measures were taken in terms of saving the economy. For us, it was very difficult because our sales went down by 50%, yet our expenses remained the same as our landlords did not give us a discount.”

Before travel restrictions and lockdowns, Lhamour had planned significant increases in their exports. “. . . no flights were going out and thus our exports [were] frozen and nothing was able to go out,” Davaadorj shares. 

To endure these new constraints, the Lhamour team has shifted to a stronger emphasis on digital technologies for both internal and external productivity. “We have indeed started focusing more on e-commerce and social media. Also, within the team we are emphasizing the usage of Google shared Drive more and being more efficient when it comes to email communication,” says Davaadorj.

This includes promoting new products, sales and educating customers about the social, environmental and skincare benefits of the Lhamour brand. 

Davaadorj started the year with ambitious plans for her business. Lhamour and many other small businesses are now in a position that could not have been foreseen. Nevertheless, she continues to be optimistic by focusing on ways to survive the year through innovative sales strategies and boosts in online marketing. 

Lhamour’s mission is to be a changemaker and to create a more sustainable future for the next generation. Although the pandemic creates obstacles, they continue to actively promote this vision to their global networks through digital platforms.