Liquid of Life provides a range of water filtration products for commercial and residential customers. After their successful funding round with Beehive, we sat down with their Founder, Rukhsana Kausar, to find out how they have helped reduce the carbon footprint associated with plastic bottled water consumption and how the funding helped them get through the challenges of COVID-19.
Using Beehive to Fund your Business
Why did you choose Beehive for your funding?
One of the main reasons we chose Beehive for funding was because of the favorable rates and early repayment terms. Compared to banks, their process was quick and easy.
What did you use your funding for?
The funds were used to help support the growth of our business and complete a number of large-scale projects. We purchased a wider range of filtered drinking water solutions installed and implemented in many vital projects in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
How did you find the process?
The process was easy and efficient, and the team was professional to work with. We were not asked to provide the same documents multiple times or asked to provide documents that they already had, which typically happens when working with banks.
The Pandemic Impact
Did COVID-19 affect your business?
Q1 of 2019 was our best quarter, with several major pipelines of projects. The pandemic put all those projects on hold, and we also did not generate good revenue from our corporate clients who closed their offices. As people were spending more time at home, our B2C sales increased. More people wanted to enjoy the convenience and benefits of having filtered drinking water straight from the tap.
What has been the biggest challenge throughout this period?
The biggest challenge has been the unexpected delays in shipping that we experienced towards the end of last year and the beginning of this year. We were able to air freight some stock to cover the delays, but it had impacted our margins.
The Pandemic Pivot
How did you adapt?
The entire team at Liquid of Life, from our technicians and support staff, adapted very well to deliver a seamless service to our customers. Our support staff shifted to working from home, and we provided a full PPE to our technicians. The team continued to communicate with each other well to continue to support our corporate and residential customers.
We also took the opportunity to explore new solutions, which included the contactless filtered drinking water solutions and the latest range of contactless drinking water refill stations, which we will launch in June 2021. The new digital-based refill stations will also provide consumers access to customized flavored filtered waters.
How are you operating now, and how will you continue in 2021?
We emerged from the lockdown and restrictions without making any of our staff redundant, and at present, we are now looking to expand our team in all areas such as administration, technical support, and also business development.
Another exciting development this year will be our launch in Saudi Arabia, and we are also currently working on completing projects in Qatar. We are also working on our new global campaign called #offthebottle, designed to promote sustainable habits and help our industry as a whole.
What positives, if any, have you experienced from COVID-19?
I believe the pandemic has shown everyone their capacity to adapt and change and help each other. We at Liquid of Life have explored new drinking water solutions that will help reduce the environmental impact associated with drinking plastic bottled water. I hope we can build on this to build a better future and a better business ecosystem that is more sustainable.
