But the pandemic additionally motivated the business partners, who first met in London, to launch their platform last summer as trends towards e-commerce ramped up.
“A pandemic doesn’t mean business stops,” says Ms Lazarus, a former Miss Great Britain and aesthetic practitioner from Wales.
“We consider ourselves lucky that we had already been working on Hi Maintenance and were finally ready to launch in July [last year].
“In addition to building a concept and business with long-term strategy, we knew that during this pandemic, many people are working from home and online more.”
Ms Bradley, a human resources global director with a private equity and real estate firm, acknowledges starting a new business carries risks, even at the best of times.