tis the season of giving gifts. How many of us fallen a spectrum when it comes to our ability to source procure acquire and actually present those gifts not once some people are really get added, others not so much welcome dishonest or school. My name is critical about what I realized in working on this episode. Isn't it's not just that some people are good at it? Some people really are good at giving gifts of all kinds. It's that there's a different skills in the gift giving world there is. The art Selecting the perfect gift, there's the mere fact of remembering to buy gifts, keeping up with important dates, etc, and there is the art of presentation and at last one the art of presentation? That's what today side all all about two friends in Europe. The aim to provide a beautiful turnkey solution to everyone who is not good at wrapping presence or otherwise

was in that department of presentation. Some. I offer to write to you as a gift and the stories actually paid for by our sponsor. So thank you sponsor and stay tuned for that story. Gary caused and Catherine Wing have been best friends since our senior Europe College after graduating, they found themselves living just, four blocks from each other in New York City as both embarked on careers in finance as their personal and professional life through that each attended more and more events, which means they needed gifts, both Gabby and Catherine, absolutely love, gifting and always put effort into making their gifts thoughtful. Unfortunately, they found her customized approach made gifting somewhat of a hassle after finding the perfect gift, they were then left with toddler style, wrapped jobs. Oh no, we forgot the card last minute spreads.

And uninspiring department store gift bags when there are particularly desperate course. There was one other option: the pre curated gift box, but even when those boxes were beautifully presented, the trade off was up and generic impersonal gifts, the recipient didn't want or need not work well for cabin Catherine, so they search for more solutions to their gifting problems. One would think it would have been an easy search after all. Unique packaging. Forgives is certainly nothing new and ears if, in fact, the first doc The use of wrapping paper actually goes all the way back to ancient China around the second century BC, but they found nothing that met their needs and the options they did discover left them underwhelmed. They can either how beautiful presentation or the personal touch they were looking for

But not about so. Naturally they decided they would create a ready to give gift packaging that they called a black box and it works just like it sounds a set of give boxes featuring sheikh designs, no visible branding fourfold over magnetic closure and a built in satin ribbon that effortless first impression, plus each black box and three simple steps becomes a custom gift box with a personalized give tack featuring handwritten calligraphy or a printed corporate logo and, of course, their convenient blank box, arrives right your door and ready to roll you, just as your gift and got there first step was to test the market for even sourcing a supplier. They compiled a list of five hundred first, second and third degree, can I five hundred people and then surveyed them on all kinds of things from pricing to designs. Yes, it was time consuming, but it was also free and highly valuable.

Guardian Catherine, believe in their new idea for that cheek, turnkey, packaging solution, and so did many people they market test it which encourage them to move forward. The immediately began sourcing, the product which, of course required money. Now, in this case the start up costs were not cheap Ali and they spend approximately thirty thousand dollars more than twenty four thousand dollars of which went to their first packaging order. They chose to this large first order in order to keep their profit margin high and because there are sorting and materials from a chinese mender after a process of trial and error, to the perfect options ass for designing, though shake packages, the two partners have many talents, but art and design is not one of them, so they were incredibly good an amazing designer Madeline, the partners that they must have gone. They must have gone through thousands of designs before finalizing the three to launch with, but they persisted and launch they did Length box went live in August, twenty eighteen and the almost immediate orders they received made for two emotional partners. While celebrate.

Ever Marguerite. As guardian Catherine say they also probably cried fifteen times during the first week, tears of joy, thankfully, In this case, there were just overwhelmed with a positive response in couldn't believe how much people love their project. Their investment proved fruitful and in the first year Blank Box earned back thirty thousand dollars, allowing them to repay themselves. They not only broke even but also had product left over for their second year. They expect revenues to growing year two, especially as they make inroads into that lucrative corporate gifting market in response to customer demand their exploring new sizes, a line of blank box, basics and special Limited edition, actions, Gabby Catherine say now that their blank bauxite side has been the most empowering incredible and difficult, They ve ever done notice how those things go together, right, empowering incredible and difficult their number one challenge has been. The self funding

we done they put into the business, came from money earned from their other jobs, which forces them to make tough decisions. Of course, that's not necessarily a bad thing. They said second hard struggle. Has been hearing no, this is part of the pitching process. They get alot of rejection. They have in common, knows from editors when our seeking press coverage or in corporate clients have chosen another solution, and they it meant that all the rejections are tough to take, but they to respond by focusing on building a better products, crafting a better offer. In writing. Better messaging around both of those so now- and here too, in points for higher profits. The blank box hustle, is all wrapped up in a nice satin ribbon Well, what a fun project, and just in time for the holidays, the gift giving season. Of course you know you give gifts throughout the but in particular I imagine they are busy. But this time I was taking look at their web

sites. I love the product names they have for different boxes. The main themes, I see a homepage are at first blush, which is a kind of and then marvellous darling, which, as you know, not shocking, a marble look and then checker me out which is you would probably never guess, is kind of composed of like a checkerboard pattern, so really fun names. Good job Tyner story just and I saw a minimal website that delay highlights the product, which is exactly what you want to do over this kind of thing. The only constructive come in. I had it there's. No. Link anywhere to their instagram. Please not an is one that I found. I looked over the site and for something that is so visual like they do have an instagram account. Why not linked those things? A little bit closer? because somebody might not be ready to make a purchase, but they might be interested in connecting elsewhere. Then, following a long and then, of course, your product is fresh in our minds when they already like. I said just one constructive comment there and here is another

In fact, by the way I learned this myself, I did not know it gifts and presents like the term gift. The term present on their use interchangeably but do you know that they're not exactly the same, because, according to Dick married. I can at least such a lot the authority if you give something to the recipient at a ceremony, it is present. Otherwise it's a gift, right gifts and presents now. You know you're learning, all kinds of stuff. That's why you listen, Let us all school right. Inspiration is good, but inspiration with action is better today. Show its, including links to Black box and anything else. I mentioned dictionary back on our side of the school. Calm, slash, one, zero, seven, zero episode, one thousand and seventy eight hour I much more coming up come back. My name is critical about this site, us all school

from the onward projects.