We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nneka Ezeoke. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nneka below.

Nneka, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

I think that in order to be successful, you cannot be scared of failing. I have had countless times where i tried something and failed, or got rejected. Although that idea or decision turned out unfavorable, I would say I learned valuable lessons that reevaluate my approach, innovate, and adapt.

There’s also something about overcoming failure that toughen you up, and teaches you hot to bounce back from setbacks, I’m pretty sure if you ask any successful business out there, they have had their fair share of failures, but the key is always your perspective and how you get back up.

Nneka, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started Gift Box Fest almost a year ago out of a need to find more personal beautiful gifts for a baby shower i had attended. I was looking for something truly special and memorable, outside of the items found on gift registries, and i just could not find any that fit the need. So i decided to curate and personalize a gift for the parents to be, and the rest is history! Since then, i have invested a lot of time in learning the different ways to add the extra special thought to every gift – from the gift box, packaging, to curating unique gifts. My goal is to unbox joy, one gift at a time.

A consistent word that customers use to describe my gifts is “beautiful” which gives me great joy and pride because i put a lot of care and love into every gift i create. Gift Box Fest offers personalized gift boxes for corporate events, weddings, baptisms, birthdays, baby showers, and all of life’s occasions.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

The initial capital i used to start Gift Box Fest came from my personal savings. Once i made the decision to start the business, I created a budget and started putting aside funds every month that i needed for the initial investment.

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

Initially I would curate specific gift boxes for various occasions and purchase a lot of unique inventory in the hopes of selling them all. I learned the hard way that this was not a smart business decision, because you can never predict what type of gift boxes will sell at various seasons, so I was left with slow moving inventory. With this knowledge in hand, I now try to keep minimal quantities of unique items, and buy as the need arises.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.giftboxfest.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/giftboxfest
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/giftboxfest/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gift-box-fest-4282a028a/