The Verge presents Making It Work, a special issue about how small businesses have found clever and creative ways to adapt to the current climate, be it the pandemic, sweeping tech platform changes, or literally the climate. Whether it’s selling face masks on Etsy, hosting 10,000-person dance classes through streaming video, or getting a community to take COVID testing seriously with free tacos, these are stories about how the internet has enabled scrappy underdogs and thoughtful problem-solving.
Making it Work
How creators and businesses are trying to thrive in 2020
Illustration by Claudia Chinyere Akole
Illustrations by Claudia Chinyere Akole
How a couple of mom-and-pop shops made millions selling masks
Jacob Kastrenakes
It’s the Vegas wedding chapel for social media
Zoë Schiffer
Landscaping gone viral
Jacob Kastrenakes
How Dance Church became the mega event of quarantine
Zoë Schiffer
The link-in-bio side hustles are moving to full-time
Ashley Carman
‘We’re basically guinea pigs.’
Adi Robertson
Seamless fees could’ve squashed Golden Diner if the chef hadn’t pushed back against third-party delivery apps
Alexandria Misch
Brooklyn’s Jalapeño King offered tasty tacos and tortas to encourage more COVID-19 testing among migrant families
Chantal Flores
How a couple of mom-and-pop shops made millions selling masks
Jacob Kastrenakes
It’s the Vegas wedding chapel for social media
Zoë Schiffer
Landscaping gone viral
Jacob Kastrenakes
How Dance Church became the mega event of quarantine
Zoë Schiffer
The link-in-bio side hustles are moving to full-time
Ashley Carman
‘We’re basically guinea pigs.’
Adi Robertson
Seamless fees could’ve squashed Golden Diner if the chef hadn’t pushed back against third-party delivery apps
Alexandria Misch
Brooklyn’s Jalapeño King offered tasty tacos and tortas to encourage more COVID-19 testing among migrant families
Chantal Flores
