In honor of Women’s Small Business Month, meet Katie of Box+Wood Gift Company! We are re-sharing this post that was originally shared on The Scout Guide.
Please tell us a little about who “Katie” is.
My name is Katie Fritchle and I am the founder of Box+Wood Gift Company. We are a corporate gifting company, based here in North Georgia, that specializes in thoughtful gifts for clients, teams & events. Our team works with businesses nationwide to create and send gifts for all sorts of occasions- from client appreciation gifts to new employee onboarding to virtual event gifts… my personal favorite gift to create!
When I am not in the studio working, I am usually with my husband and our herd of animals (3 dogs & 3 cats). My husband is a Chef, so a lot of our free time is centered around travel and enjoying good food and wine! I also really love the mechanics of building a business, so I spend a good bit of my time reading business books and trying to learn as much as possible, usually with a cup of coffee in hand.
How, why, and when did you start your business?
I founded Box+Wood in late 2019 after years in the wedding industry, specifically venue sales. While there were many aspects of my previous job that I enjoyed, I struggled with being in a “sales heavy” role, where I felt I had very little control over the final result. I knew when I left that job, I wanted to be in a role where I could be involved in every step of the process, from start to finish. I’ve also always felt a pull towards entrepreneurship, so when it came time to change careers, starting my own business felt like a no-brainer.
The general idea for Box+Wood had been floating around in my head for a few years, but the specifics changed so much from inception to now. The best advice I received about starting a business is to be willing to allow your idea for your business to change as it grows, and Box+Wood has definitely changed and morphed over time!
The best part of owning Box+Wood is having the freedom to create the experience and overall culture of the business. We put a huge emphasis on client experience, which is so important to me, but we also work to create a happy environment for our fulfillment team and anyone else that comes to work with us! Assembling thousands of boxes is hard work, and our team is the absolute best, so we want the experience to be fun and joyful for them.
What exactly is Corporate Gifting?
Corporate gifting is really any type of gift that is sent from a business or company to clients, employees, vendors, etc. We work with companies all over the country to create gifts that thoughtfully represent their brands, while still feeling like a gift that the recipient would want to receive! We do this by balancing branded components, such as logoed tumblers, with fun themes and contents that feel like a present. The most common types of gifts that we create are:
Virtual Event Gifts
With many 2020 & 2021 events going virtual, we have created quite a few virtual event gift boxes! I personally love virtual event gifts because they tend to be centered around a celebration theme, which is always so much fun to create. From branded tumblers and champagne flutes, to fun snacks and treats, there are so many opportunities for thoughtful branded elements.
Client Gifts
Client gift boxes are one of our favorite gifts to put together, because they tend to be the most thoughtful and recipient focused gifts! Some of our favorite themes include: backyard BBQ, campfire s’mores, fun filled picnic and luxury cocktail party. While we go a bit heavy on branding with virtual event & employee appreciation gifts, with client gifting we generally limit custom branding to packaging.
Employee Appreciation Gifts
This past year has definitely put a lot of employees under additional stress! Whether they are working in the office or from home, this past year has been hard. Because of that, we have put together so many employee appreciation and employee encouragement gift boxes… ranging from wellness to work from home themes. A lot of our employee appreciation gifts include beautiful notebooks (Appointed is a favorite of ours), coffee mugs & sweet treats.
What is your biggest piece of advice when giving a Corporate Gift?
When putting together a corporate gift, just like a personal gift, it is important to consider the recipient! Whether the gift is for clients, employees or a virtual event, it’s important to take a critical look at the contents and make sure it includes things that they will actually want to receive. Additionally, when you are sending a corporate gift to a large number of people, it is important to ensure the gift is appropriate for a wide variety of recipients. A virtual happy hour gift can be a huge hit, but if you are sending them to 6,000 employees, it may be safer to send a work from home or morning coffee-themed gift box.
It can also be easy to go crazy with customization & branding, but in many instances, the gift recipient may not want a fully branded box. We love to add logos and customization in a thoughtful way, like a custom label on a bag of popcorn and custom packaging, to not overwhelm the entire gift.
Post originally shared on The Scout Guide North Georgia / Photography by Katie York Photography
