We were lucky to catch up with Elise Boivin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Elise, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Taking care of customers isn’t just good business – it is often one of the main reasons folks went into business in the first place. So, we’d love to get a conversation going around how to best help clients feel appreciated – maybe you can share something you’ve done or seen someone do that’s been really effective at helping a customer feel valued?

The best thing I have done to show a customer that I appreciate them was to gift a key client an art book that documented artwork featured in their office space. The artist, Martin Venezky, created a commissioned photographic installation that spans multiple floors of their corporate headquarters. The art piece is personal to the client as it incorporates images from the surroundings of their current office, as well as their original headquarters – bringing up positive memories of time past and present.

When Martin informed me that he had documented his work and published an art book about the making of the installation, I knew it would make the perfect gift and show our immense appreciation for the project. I often share gifts with clients but rarely have the opportunity to present them with something so special – a custom art piece in and of itself. The client loved the gesture and has enjoyed sharing the book with other team members and visitors to their office. It offers context into the art that is installed throughout the office and serves as a fun reminder of the creation of such a meaningful piece of art.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Prior to joining Wescover as Head of Business Development and Partnerships, I founded an art marketplace and consultancy called ArtlyOwl. ArtlyOwl became part of Wescover in 2022. In the six years since founding the company, ArtlyOwl grew from an initial idea, inspired by an interest in connecting our friends and neighbors to all of the great local art we spotted around San Francisco, to a fully-operational business. Through our online gallery, corporate and residential art placement, and many community-focused art events, we lived up to our mission to democratize access to art and elevate the role it plays in our daily lives.

Joining Wescover has taken ArtlyOwl’s mission to the next level. Based in San Francisco and also led by a female founder, their origin story is similar to ArtlyOwl’s. Wescover expands upon ArtlyOwl’s original mission to include unique, hand-crafted furniture, lighting and decor, in addition to fine art – all created by independent artisans and small ateliers. They are well-aligned with ArtlyOwl in their dedication to supporting artists and designers through connecting clients to thoughtfully crafted, meaningful items.

By joining forces we have been able to accelerate growth, expand opportunity for Creators, and provide a viable alternative to mass market items to our clients and partners.

Have you ever had to pivot?

ArtlyOwl was a self-funded business. As we grew, it became apparent that a pivot was necessary to bring the company and our vision to the next level. I saw two viable paths — raising funds from outside investors or joining forces with a like-minded organization. Both had their merits, but joining Wescover was the best fit for achieving (and expanding upon!) our mission.

It’s important as an entrepreneur to remain flexible in the ways you achieve your vision. Remaining true to your mission and really understanding why you are choosing to pivot is important. Think critically about your options and how they align to your overall objectives, as well as whether you have given your current approach enough time to test its success. If a pivot still seems like the best path forward, go for it.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Placing clients first, both our Creators and buyers, has been key to building our reputation. Wescover’s focus on curation for quality, “above and beyond” support, and follow-through on commitments, from concept to installation, has led to our stellar client satisfaction ratings.

We develop trusted relationships with each of our clients by researching Creators and items that will be a great fit for their space so they can enjoy the process of discovery and making final selections. We appreciate that our clients have chosen to work with Wescover and our community of independent artisans instead of sourcing mass market. We show that appreciation by going above and beyond to help them execute their design vision.

When requested, we support our clients with the seemingly small details that have huge impact – things like inspecting work and providing custom framing recommendations, as we did for the print by Wescover Creator “Upton” featured in this interview. We follow up once a piece has been delivered to ensure it matches or exceeds our clients’ expectations. We continue to expand our trusted client relationships by regularly introducing them to new Creators and items that may be of interest via emails, our design blog, and social posts.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wescover.com/
• Instagram: @ wescoverapp
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wescoverapp/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elise-boivin-3bb17b28/

Image Credits
Photography courtesy of Rylan Greg Carpena. Artwork by Upton, available on Wescover. Featured book by Wescover Creator Lutz Hornischer.