We recently connected with Guillermo Maldonado and have shared our conversation below.

Guillermo, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

Our business idea started when Gladys shipped a box to a high school friend in Venezuela. There was no direct shipping service from Kansas to Venezuela. She contacted two companies looking for possibilities.

We met with our accountant to learn the business and tax implication. In our conversation, he mentioned something like “you will ship goodies in a box” to your country.

Venezuelans casually call a friend, brother, or someone close “Pana.” We decided to name PANA GOODY BOXES which is related to shipping a box filled with goodies to a friend.

People can ship clothes, food, toiletries, shoes, gifts, and other necessities in a box to their families and friends. We never dreamed when we started how many people’s lives we were going to impact and touch with great experiences here and overseas.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

ITell them about yourself- We are Gladys and Guillermo Maldonado from Overland Park, Kansas. We came to the United States in 2001 from Venezuela as international students. I have my master’s degree in business administration, and I am currently a staff accountant for an insurance company. My husband, Guillermo, is a math teacher at a private high school in the area. We are owners of Pana Goody Boxes.

Since we came to the United States, we have always done our best to take care of our family here and in Venezuela by sending over care packages. These care packages were filled with clothes and gifts. However, it was not until four years ago that we had the idea to start creating mass shipping of care packages to send down to people in Venezuela. At that time, they really needed food, medicine, clothes, shoes, toiletries, and anything in between. It has proven economical with the growing population of Venezuelans and South Americans in the Kansas City area.

What sets us apart from other companies like this is that we can send packages over to several countries in South, Central, and North America, and Europe for a much cheaper price than other companies can afford, thanks to our partnership carriers. We offer shipments by air, ocean, and ground services. We can facilitate your efficient and cost-effective shipping of other products as well.

We are most proud of the idea that we have helped unite a community here in Kansas City and have helped those people in the community to help their families in need overseas. It is truly a beautiful thing when a few weeks down the road, you hear about how thankful the recipients of these care packages are.

What makes us proud: we are a team and work together for our family and community. We set goals and work toward them. We are hard workers who are always looking to learn around, and perseverance is what defines us.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

Venezuelan families from Kansas wanted to help their families and relatives by sending food, clothes, and medicines which were difficult to obtain in Venezuela. They wanted to ship these items at a low cost and expeditiously.

As a service business, we didn’t need to invest a lot of money to set it up. Instead, we had to draw a route map, gain shipping knowledge, and make reliable connections to make this work. As my wife, Gladys had experience in shipping, logistics, and international business in Mexico and South America; it was not too difficult to find the right people to work with and start this project.

Gladys contacted a freight company in Florida to ship our boxes from the USA to Venezuela. We called the right company at the right time as the company’s manager was looking for agents in the Midwest to offer the service to Venezuelan people.

The Venezuelan population in Kansas and Missouri was also growing in the last past five years. The manager gave us information, prices, and details and met us two weeks later in Kansas to close our deal.

Shipping between the two countries was set, but then we had to find a way to ship these boxes from Kansas to Miami at a low cost. We contacted friends who work in the shipping industry and shared our idea. They were happy to guide us and, in the beginning, let us use their business accounts and warehouse.

Regarding our small office, we set up a folding table in our garage, grabbed a laptop we barely use, and a printer. We ordered shipping supplies, small shipping equipment, and a used thermal printer.

We researched businesses that offer the same services in other cities. We considered the distance, prices, and transit time to offer the best solution and prices for our customers. Having the logistics in place, shipping carriers’ services, and other details, we were ready to begin our adventure. We advertised our service to close friends hoping to interest them enough, to try our service. We received 13 boxes for the first shipment; we guess it was a lucky number.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

This type of business is built on trust, honesty, and service. People are aware have been living in Kansas for twenty-two years, and our family is very well known in our community. We shared our experiences with our clients from our beginning in Kansas to now.
Venezuelans feel comfortable talking with us about different subjects and about settling in our city. Sometimes, friends whom we haven’t seen in a while could meet at our place ship a box, and share updates on their lives.

Venezuelans began to pass our information by word of mouth and encouraged others to try our services. The newly arrived Venezuelans in town tried our service and recommended us to others. We have families who started shipping with us four years ago, and now their relatives live in town, and they also ship with us. It is like we have been passed on to second and third generations.

Through friends of friends, we were able to connect with people from other cities in the Midwest, three to five hours away. We visited them and offered personalized services. They were appreciative, we pick their boxes up for shipping from their door to Venezuela. Everyone cooperates and works on schedules that help each other. It is amazing how we can coordinate our logistics to serve customers in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado, and really any other state in the USA.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.panagoody.com
• Instagram: @panagoodyboxes
• Facebook: panagoodyboxes
• Other: Whatsapp: 913-230-7147 913-230-7145

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