We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ruby. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ruby below.
Ruby, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
I’ve always loved the art of gifting, but during a holiday shopping trip, I felt frustrated by what I was seeing. Everything felt like a compromise—either the packaging was boring or the products were useless fillers. I kept thinking, ‘Where is the soul in this?’ That’s when the vision for Giving Tree became clear. I wanted to eliminate the fluff and replace it with quality. By featuring products from fellow female entrepreneurs, I’m able to offer something unique and high-end. My goal was to move away from the ‘boring beige’ and create something that feels like a true event from the moment it’s received.
Ruby, 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?
Our goal is to make beautiful gifting effortless. We all know the stress of wanting to show appreciation to a friend or client but feeling overwhelmed by the process—choosing the right items, finding the gift wrap, and making it to the post office. It’s a time-sink.
With Giving Tree, you can have a hand-curated, beautifully wrapped gift box that feels anything but ‘ordinary’ on its way to their doorstep in under five minutes. But ‘easy’ doesn’t mean ‘impersonal.’ I’ve personally tasted, applied, soaked in, and lit every single item we carry. I’ve done the vetting for you, sourcing high-quality goods made with heart by female entrepreneurs across the U.S.—from hand-poured soy candles in New York to prosecco gummies from Virginia. I’m essentially telling my customers: ‘I found this gem, I love it, and I know your recipient will too.’
I’ve always had an entrepreneurial brain and a genuine love for building things from the ground up. To me, the most important trait a founder can have is resilience. I’m not afraid to try, and I’m certainly not afraid to fail, because I know I can adapt. There is something incredibly satisfying about taking a spark of an idea and turning it into something tangible and meaningful. I pride myself on being a ‘boots on the ground’ founder—I’m deeply invested in the details because I care about the impact the final product has on someone’s day.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
A book that deeply resonates with me is ‘The 10X Rule’ by Grant Cardone. Its core message is that success requires ten times more effort and action than most people anticipate. I truly believe there comes a turning point for every entrepreneur where things get difficult, and you’re faced with a choice: do you give up, or do you push through?
How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.
Currently, we are a digital-first, e-commerce brand with the capability to ship nationwide. We’ve also expanded into the lifestyle space with subscription boxes on Cratejoy, which allows us to build long-term relationships with our customers.
Our primary mission right now is simple but ambitious: we want to get Giving Tree boxes into as many lives as possible. We are focused on scaling our reach while cementing our reputation for three things: unwavering reliability, premium quality, and being the ‘not-boring’ gift box. We want to be the first name people think of when they want a gift that feels personal and curated, but only takes five minutes to send.
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