Forced closure a blessing in disguise for online revenue

(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) “Although we will miss the face-to-face interaction with our customers, this time of quarantine really exposed what needed to be changed for our business.” Kyle Steppe has owned KC Hemp Co. with his wife Heather since May 2018. The business sources their hemp oil from USDA certified organic farms in Colorado, then processes it themselves at a USDA certified organic facility in Kansas City. “Many people have been turning to CBD to help with anxiety and nerves through these stressful quarantine days,” Steppe said. Steppe said despite the chaos and unknown of owning a business during a pandemic, they took the time to take a hard look at what’s working and what isn’t working with their operation. Ultimately, they discovered they were spending too much time and resources on running a retail store instead of focusing on selling their product. “The build, measure, learn, method showed us where our leaky bucket was. Even though the store was our largest source of revenue accounting for 70%, it was also 95% of our operational cost,” Steppe said. “This brought us to the tough decision to permanently close our retail store and focus our efforts online and wholesale.” The space is not going to waste. The Steppes have since transformed their empty shop into a “Home School", to get their children out of the house while still being able to concentrate on learning in a familiar place. “We go through real business-related math and using critical thinking,” Steppe said. “As a parent, I feel fortunate to give them those learning experiences different from traditional schooling.” They said their children have been helping out with other aspects of the business as well, labeling and boxing products and filling online orders. “They go on deliveries and take turns taking the boxes to the doorstep for our local customers. Having them involved has been great,” Steppe said. “We have taken all the "social distancing" precautions with them. We wave through windows and our customers have really appreciated it.” KC Hemp Co. is offering free shipping on all orders through April 24 due to the closing of their retail location. “It has created a wide range of emotions but most importantly is the positive long-term outlook for our company and well-being of our family as they are one in the same as a family-run business.” You can find more information about KC Hemp Co. here: https://kchempco.com/pages/about-us