Set against the backdrop of 2020’s bushfires and a global pandemic, the story of Bliss Gifts & Homewares is one of resilience and an astonishing turnaround from devastation to growth thanks to their business' online presence. Meet Melissa Stone, owner of Bliss Gifts & Homewares a small retail business located in the New South Wales coastal Aussie town of Ulladulla. Bliss is an entirely female owned and operated business specialising in unique and high-quality homewares. At the end of 2019, founder and owner, Melissa, was geared up for the summer peak season with half a million dollars worth of stock ready to be sold. As quickly as the peak season started, it was halted with the presence of devastating bushfires hitting the region bringing tourism to a standstill. Like so many small businesses affected by the events of 2020, Melissa was left wondering “how is my business going to survive?”. As a traditional brick-and-mortar shop relying mostly on foot traffic, she knew she had to adapt quickly. She always had a hunch that online was the future - now it was necessary for survival. At the same time, she received an email from her local business chamber inviting small business owners to a Grow with Google virtual training for bushfire impacted regions. With little prior experience in online marketing, Melissa immediately signed up. The training helped her understand the importance of optimising her online presence, and she learnt digital skills like how to activate her free Google Business Profile, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and paid Google Search Ads. Leveraging these new skills, Bliss’s online presence started to grow. Against all odds, Melissa has been able to flourish during this period of uncertainty. In the space of a few months she was able to improve the performance of her digital ads and drive a 30:1 ROI on her investment - resulting in a 50% increase in her business’ revenue in the wake of the bushfires. Going online helped expand Bliss to reach customers Australia-wide. Melissa was able to hire new staff and move into a bigger warehouse (that they're already outgrowing!). Today, 90% of her sales come from digital channels and in Melissa’s words, “online is our home now”. Free tools, training and resources to help grow your business online: https://g.co/growaustralia #GrowWithGoogle