Digital tools and delivery help small businesses adapt during COVID-19

A shift towards digital operations and delivery can help small businesses stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic, Cupcakin' Bake Shop owner Lila Owens at an Axios virtual event on Thursday.

What she's saying: Owens said she faced a decline in walk-in sales at her Berkeley, California, store and an onslaught of pre-paid order cancellations at the start of the pandemic. "People wanted refunds. So, not only did we have a decrease in the money coming in, but the money we had already collected we had to return."

• Moving towards online operation and delivery options held her crumbling cupcake business together.
• "We instantly implemented a same-day delivery service, which we had never done in the history of our business ... we used Instagram and Facebook as a tool for that ... we got a huge response," she said.