Houston-area women making business moves during pandemic

HOUSTON – While the Coronavirus pandemic has been a real struggle for many, it has been an eye-opening experience for others.

Some people got really creative during the quarantine lockdown and used the extra time to launch new business ventures and make their dreams a reality.


“I’ve always wanted to do a cookbook but I never knew it would be born out of a pandemic,” said Andrea Renee

Renee is a Houston area chef and author.

Cooking is her passion.

Her business, “She Cooked It,” was thriving before the pandemic, but once everything shut down she had to cancel all her clients and bookings.

So, she says, she came back to the kitchen.

“When quarantine came around I just spent more time in the kitchen coming up with new recipes testing out old recipes tweaking things and just thinking I can turn this into a book,” says Renee.

And that’s exactly what she did.

She put together a bunch of old family recipes you can make at home and published an e-book called “She Cooked It Through A Pandemic.”

“I thought we’re in quarantine I have time let me redirect my energy, so use this time to find what your passion is whatever that is let it start thriving,” said Renee.

And not too far away, another Houston area woman used the quarantine lockdown to start a new hip and fun clothing and accessories line during a very stressful time at home.”

“I thought have to have something for myself and have something to focus on me,” said designer Colleen Taylor.

Colleen Taylor is a high school teacher and mom who has always had a passion for art and design.

She’s most recently started Forever August Designs from the comforts of her home.

“I kind of started doing it for fun and then my husband was like you can put a website together so it kind of spiraled what it is now,” said Taylor.

She makes t-shirts, onesies, pouches, and stickers.

She designs them on her computer then presses them before shipping.

She says if you have a passion, use this time to make it a reality.

“Find something that you do enjoy because as horrible as this whole situation is it’s going to be done with one day and you’re going to have to go back to work and you won’t have time to focus on any of that,” says Taylor.

Both women plan to continue expanding their brands even after the pandemic comes to an end.

Click here to find out more about Forever August Designs.

Click2Houston readers can enter code KPRCFOREVER15 for a 15% discount on their entire purchase. Free shipping on orders over $50.

Click here for information and your copy of “She Cooked It Through A Pandemic” cookbook. KPRC Click2Houston readers will get a 10% discount.