Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jennifer O’Hare. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jennifer, appreciate you joining us today. Quality control is a challenge almost every entrepreneur has had to focus on when growing – any advice, stories or insight around how to best ensure quality is maintained as your business scales?

Our quality and our presentation is our #1 focus. I get asked a lot from other business owners if I will ever use a 3rd party fulfillment center. My answer is always no. I will invest in people to help with assembly & fulfillment before investing in a 3rd party. Our brand depends on the quality and presentation that we deliver. What we offer is a hybrid of a product and a service. We focus on the service we provide just as much as the elements that make our gift concepts exceptional. We work with clients that believe the same thing.

We had a project this summer that had many different facets and made products hard to source as they were specific to an island location. We called mutiple vendors and sourced products from a variety of different boutiques on the island just to pull this project together as one cohesive gifting concept. We offered onsite gift fulfillment as shipping the gifts would have resulted in a finished product we wouldn’t be able to stand behind.

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

I was a senior buyer for a leading off price retailer- working with large international brands and procuring assortments for various product categories. I spent 14 years climbing the corporate ladder in a role that afforded me the opportunity to travel the world and have high stake conversations with some of the biggest industry leaders in retail. But even then I always had a soft spot for the small businesses, the start ups, the family owned and operated businesses. I gravitated toward the brands with a story, a specific mission, or a purpose behind the product. Those vendors were really my favorite to work with-brand discovery was definitely my favorite part of the job.

I was finding it to be increasingly difficult to stay connected to all the important people in my life. Being such an ambitious woman with alot of professional goals allowed me to build this strong and promising career – but it required a lot of sacrifice on my part- mostly meaning my personal relationships took a backseat. My demanding travel schedule left me missing out on birthday parties and other important events in the lives of the people I cared about the most.

So while working full time from home during the pandemic and managing homeschooling and various childcare situations- I started curating thoughtful gifts for neighbors, friends, and family. Mostly to lift their spirits and spread hope and happiness as each one of us dealt with our own challenges- BUT then I started getting requests from people in the community for custom gifts. My first custom project was for a bridal party. Gifts given by the bride to her bridesmaids. My second was a baby shower- at that time they were still virtual- so I was sending kits to people’s houses to help them celebrate virtually with the mom-to- be. From there- I decided to launch a website and created a collection of pre-curated gifts that focused on celebrating big milestone events in a person’s life.

Belle Box Co. is a female founded and sustainably focused gifting company located in Watertown, Ma. We offer a collection of pre-curated gifts and large order custom gift design to help you celebrate all the moments you don’t want to forget! We specialize in exclusive gift designs for social + corporate events plus year round client/employee appreciation gifting. We have mastered the art of crafting sophisticated, unique, expertly-packaged gifts that will wow your recipients and create meaningful connection. Belle Box Co takes all the stress out of gifting by partnering up to really understand our clients vision, goals, and needs. We offer a next level client experience from design, to sourcing, to inventory management, down to a creative distribution strategy. We are your go to gifting resource and your reminder to keep showing up for your VIP’s both personally and professionally. Offering a high touch service as well as a high quality/beautifully presented product continues to be the backbone of our company.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I first launched this business, I was working full time and homeschooling children. I launched this as a side hustle- hoping it would grow. The model and the niche was different. We were subscription based and our niche was narrowed in on mom’s and self care. Although I loved the moms I connected with and the impact I was making by approaching self care from a holistic standpoint- it wasn’t what the world wanted from me. I knew I was up against alot of limitations. My consumer at that time was also dealing with her own set of challenges and was under water with overwhelm. She wanted so badly to get on board designating time and resources to her own self-care- but given the economic struggles during the pandemic that just wasn’t at the forefront of her mind.

I decided to launch a more luxury gift concept as you see on the website today as a one time limited edition promotion for mothers day. Being the nurturers that mother’s are- my audience was excited to purchase and give such an elevated gift to their friends, family, and neighbors. That was the catalyst for changing the model. That concept blew out and before I knew it I was pulling together bigger gifting projects! It was because of that experience that I pivoted into a gifting model vs. a reoccurring subscription model.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

I do not manufacture all the products that we include inside our gift concepts. I do manufacture my signature wooden white pine box that we pack a lot of our gifts in + a variety of other products. But for the most part I do not manufacture. I have the experience from my prior life as a senior buyer. During my time in corporate America, I not only procured assortments from other vendors and brands but also developed programs in house product lines and worked with a product development team. I was apart of the design process, sourcing, QC, and QA, and the allocation plan. I oversaw these programs and at the time was in charge of receipting in 200,000 units monthly.

My business model now affords me to have the blend of both. Supporting other businesses by buying direct from their product lines and manufacturing my own packaging to create the overall lux vibe and presentation I stand behind.

I have learned so many lessons over the years about manufacturing. The process is a lengthy one if done right. Sending a inspirational sample, desired specs, pantones are all helpful in the beginning- but taking the time to find the right manufacturing partner is your first step. If they don’t provide the level of communication and quality you are looking for then its not worth your energy and time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.belleboxco.com
• Instagram: @belleboxco
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-o-hare-18770a148/

Image Credits
Stephanie Berenson Photography