CRAVEN COUNTY, N.C. — When the pandemic hit, Chris Richter was one of the millions of Americans who found himself without a job. Instead of becoming discouraged, he decided to take this situation as an opportunity to reinvent himself.

“Well, I had thought about it for a long time. I just wasn't in a position where I felt like it was the right time to actually do something like this. When I did lose my job, it suddenly was like it was there. I was like, 'wow this is it. This is your chance to really make a go of this,'” Richter says.

With his future wide open, he decided to start his own real estate photography business called Pics for Real Estate in May. Richter does photography, virtual reality tours, and overhead drone photos, getting potential buyers up close without risking an in-person visit.

Ever since the pandemic hit, North Carolina has seen a record number of new business creation filings. Tim Crowley with the North Carolina Secretary of State Department says it has had over 115,000 filings, which is over 15% more than last year. With so many people laid off this year, it's given them a chance to reassess their careers.

“What COVID actually did was it enabled me to be able to do things that I normally wouldn't think about,” Richter says. “You never know what opportunities are around the next corner. I wasn't expecting that, and that really changed my life quite a bit.”

For some people, it's maybe even been a blessing in disguise.