Chelsea Moore, Jenni Olivero and Sabena Suri started BOXFOX in 2014 with a clear mission: to bring gifting into the 21st century—creating stronger relationships through personal gifts, powered by the simplest user experiences.
I received my first BOXFOX last year from a friend after I had Peri. I had heard of the company but never seen it in person and I absolutely loved it. BOXFOX makes gifting thoughtful and easy with their endless, unique options and price points.
A family friend, Coco Yokoyama, had been working for BOXFOX and reached out thinking it would be a great fit for an AOBF feature and I couldn’t agree more. We love stories about friends that start companies together because many times you are told it is not a good idea, and this is one of many examples that proves this wrong.
Read on to see how these three ladies have built an incredible business, prevented burnout and had a great time while doing it!
We’re also excited to offer AOBF followers a special discount for their next BOXFOX order! Enter AOBF15 for 15% off
1. How did you come up with the idea for BOXFOX?
BOXFOX was started from a personal experience we all shared–a mutual friend got sick and was in the hospital. We wanted to send her products that she could use to feel better–socks, a journal, a book, some hand cream–rather than something that she would enjoy for a short while (chocolate or flowers). We scoured the internet, but we couldn’t find anything that did that. So we built it.
Fun fact: our friend is totally healthy now, became one of our first hires, and is now a key part of our sales team!
2. In the start was it difficult to split up roles between the three of you?
In the beginning, we all wore every hat. As we grew our team and our structures, we got to really start jumping into the verticals we each care more about and truly play to our strengths. We’re lucky, because while we have a common vision, we have different strengths, interests and passions- it’s part of what we believe has allowed us to have such a beautiful partnership for all these years.
3. What is your advice for people starting a business with friends?
Just because you believe you can work with your friends (which we absolutely do!) doesn’t mean that means any of your friends. You are hitching yourself to another’s wagon in a way not unlike a marriage. Make sure this is someone you can be radically candid with and discuss money with in an open, healthy and honest way.
4. At what point did you have to commit to this idea (put in your own money, quit your job, etc.) and how scary was that to make that jump?
We were all committed from the get go, but Chelsea was the first to quit her job and live off of side hustles. About a year in, Jenni was able to quit her full time job and 6 months later, Sabena was able to join full time as well! That was the moment it all felt very, very real (and exciting!) Everyone manages that stress differently, the three of us included, but we were very committed to taking those leaps conservatively in a way that matched our risk tolerance. We’ve never looked back.
5. How did you market your idea in the start?
We leaned heavily on social, primarily instagram and pinterest and tried to replicate the feeling of “word of mouth” as best we could by aggressively telling anyone who would listen (hello, uber drivers!) about our idea, the benefits and ourselves. Word of mouth really does hold a lot of power at the beginning. Also, don’t ever doubt the power of great customer service- it builds loyalty, retention, and is probably the best referral strategy out there. Think about how many times you talk about a brand you had a great customer service experience with (easy returns, a free gift, a super personal response) – it’s memorable and it really works.
6. How have you been able to grow your social media following and what tips do you have for businesses looking to establish a social media presence?
Our approach to social media is generosity and authenticity. Before you roll your eyes, let us explain! Essentially, we’re brand curators and one of the key pillars of BOXFOX is bringing all the best brands to one place, so you can curate one-of-a-kind personalized gifts! We carry some of the most wonderful, well-designed brands, run by innovative and interesting people and we love to give space for their stories. By doing that, we’re amplifying their missions and founders, and hey, maybe that means some of them will return the favor. If not, we’ll still do it.
7. What has been your proudest moment thus far?
Some of our proudest moments come from the operational and internal wins that help propel our growth and take care of our employees. As a small business, setting up benefits like comprehensive insurance, 401ks and 4 months paid parental leave meant so much to us. They aren’t the sexy Forbes or TechCrunch features (hey, we have those too!) but they are more memorable and impactful for us.
8. What has been your greatest challenge?
Our greatest challenge has been knowing when to say no to opportunities. It’s been our ethos from the start to say yes and figure it out later (hey Tina Fey!), but that’s not always the most sustainable or healthy approach. Over the years, we’ve gotten a lot better about knowing what’s a good use for our time, a good fit for our brand, and a good alignment with our overarching goals and vision.
9. How do you make space for your personal time and needs?
Balance is a myth! Once you accept that and start to understand that there will be periods where you’re focusing more on work and periods where your personal life takes a front seat, you’ll learn to just go with the ebbs and flows. Instead of fighting it, just deal with what’s in front of you, and know that it won’t always feel that way.
10. How have you had to pivot this past year?
COVID was a whirlwind. The two hardest aspects were managing the physical and emotional well being of our employees and the roller coaster and ramifications of supply chain disruption. The word of the year was definitely, “adaptability”. We had to learn to build relationships horizontally with more vendors to help weather storms a bit better and operate on full efficiency, even if a few folks were out of the office.
11. What is next for BOXFOX?
We’re excited about where we’re headed. We’re constantly working on partnerships that will help us expand our footprint and our offerings to a bigger audience, so we’ve got some exciting things up our sleeves.
12. What is your favorite part about your job?
As dynamic individuals who love a challenge, we love that no two days are the same. We wouldn’t, or couldn’t, be doing this otherwise. We’re so proud that we built this from scratch so even the day-to-day challenges feel like problems we truly want to be solving.
13. What is your advice for anyone just starting out with a business or idea?
One step at a time! No one has a playbook, no one has the answers. Google has been our MBA curriculum, and luckily, it’s something we all have access to.
14. What does “The Art of Being Female” mean to you?
Women are superheroes. The amount of silent, emotional labor that women do to keep balance and peace for those that depend on them, whether that’s family, friends, or employees is never ending, and we believe that doing that well is a true art form.