For a lot of companies, 2020 was full of rapidly changing circumstances, restrictions, and uncertainty. It was much the same experience for Teser, but from an entirely different perspective – rather than facing a potential shutdown, the start of the pandemic marked the launch of our organization into a brand-new world of business.
Starting a Business in a Pandemic
In the months since our initial launch in March of 2020, we have faced some unique challenges. As any start-up entrepreneur can attest, one of the most difficult times in a new business’s existence is the first year after entering the market – when new contacts are made, working relationships are established, and true legitimacy is created in the marketplace. Of course, this usually involves meeting many new clients and getting to know each other through a series of social and business events. In a COVID-19 world, this was simply not possible.
One of the biggest challenges we’ve had to overcome this year was simply finding the people we wanted to connect with and then going further to find the best ways to connect with them. In-person meetings have been few and far between, and in the absence of networking events, trade shows, seminars, and other large industry gatherings, we have learned to rely more on favourable referrals, digital campaigns, and existing contact recommendations. It isn’t a perfect system, but we’ve made it work so far.
Establishing Our Place in the Market
A secondary challenge that ties into that point is highlighting our place as a legitimate company backed by serious research and medical certifications. UV-C is not a new technology, but it is a relatively unknown one, and the people who already know about it represent a small part of our target market. We have an uphill battle to do the same for our demographic that a brand like Lysol has for theirs – building up that trust and effectiveness in our customers’ minds.
This has been helped in many ways by our partnerships and collaborations with many leading public institutions and private organizations, such as the University of Alberta, InnoTech, Goldray Glass, Alberta Innovates, and the provincial and federal governments. We have also drawn on our own roots in Reggin Industries, which has served central Alberta for 30 years, to increase awareness and instill confidence in investors and customers alike.
In an age of misinformation and competing online messages, reaching the right people and explaining all the benefits of UV-C disinfection – all over an imperfect medium like Zoom – has somewhat slowed down our efforts. However, it hasn’t dampened our dedication to making a difference.
How Teser Makes a Difference
That difference is what really matters, too. We know there are companies out there struggling to stay afloat, and many are unsure of their budgets in the months to come. For many that we have direct dealings with, like care homes and medical offices, their risk and liabilities to the people they serve are major considerations as well. So, what motivates us to keep going strong is that we see the impact our devices have on those companies when they can ensure the further safety of their staff, visitors, and patrons.
Their everyday items can be sanitized, with nothing more difficult than the touch of a button. They can differentiate themselves from their competition and draw in increased traffic and further their commitment to innovative solutions. They see the difference not only in safety and better cleanliness protocols but even in trickle-down effects like lowered insurance premiums, helping them get through these months of reduced spending. Those simple success stories make our own journey to get off the ground even more meaningful.
The Future of Teser Technologies
Ultimately, we are here to help usher in a new future where a situation like this pandemic is unable to take hold again. Through education, purposeful action, and the right scientific tools and dedication, we hope to continue growing our options so that the desired outcome – a healthier population, a safer health care workforce, and more protections for the vulnerable – is what spreads instead.
Though circumstances are not ideal, we remember that we must ultimately consider ourselves lucky – because, in a way, we have become a bit more future-proof: with units like the ACT S3 and D3 considered medical-grade equipment, we are an essential service that is fortunate to continue through any lockdown situation. For that, we are grateful, and we will do our part to return the favour by continuing to deliver a safe, well-designed product that can help other businesses get back to normal operations.
With all the chaos of 2020 behind us, it has only emboldened us to do more to reach our goals in 2021. We look forward to keeping more people safe in the years ahead and making as much of a positive difference as we can.