Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Samantha Farley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Samantha, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
PeopleProud was started in January of 2020 for a few main reasons. I’ve have a couple of jobs in the past, one where I was extremely valued and cared for at, and the other…. well, not so much.
The first job I had right out of college was a “Sales Representative” job in Columbus, Ohio. This job was a true “sales” job where we had to cold call every single day, all day long. It was a very strict culture. The way I was treated at this job could have been better … that is for sure. Employees at this company were truly just “employees” and were not treated like human-beings. It was not a good cultured company.
Then, I switched companies to my next role as an Account Executive in Indianapolis. When I started at this role, the culture was completely different. Employees had the freedom to work the way they wanted, as long as they got their work done. And we all did. We were celebrated and appreciated when we did something well. It was like “butterflys and rainbows” compared to my first company.
Going from a bad-cultured company to a company that valued culture, really got me thinking. I knew that more companies needed help creating a better culture and needed help learning how to appreciate their employees better.
So, I created PeopleProud – an employee appreciation gift box company. Our goal is to make each and every employee feel valued and cared for at work so that they love the companies they work for.
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’m Samantha, founder and ceo of PeopleProud. PeopleProud is an Employee Appreciation Gifting company, helping companies celebrate their employees throughout the year. Our goal is to make each and every employee feel valued and cared for at work.
We offer pre-made and custom gift options to our clients so they can easily send gifts to their employees to show they care.
While there are many corporate gifting options out there, we are the only gifting company that focuses solely on employee appreciation.
Occasionally, our team sees posts on social media from employees receiving our gift boxes. It’s the most amazing feeling to see that we are making a difference in their lives!
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
When you first start a business, it’s important to evaluate at your competitors. However, if you compare your business to theirs too much and too often, it can be detrimental. It’s important to keep your blinders on and do the work you need to do. Comparison is only good in small doses.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
PeopleProud is 100% bootstrapped. When I first started, I slowly purchased items to test out with my market. My initial costs were about $300. From there, we listened to our customers and would only order inventory when we had a deal in place. We are still bootstrapped and plan to be going forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.peopleproud.com
- Instagram: @PeopleProud
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/64272715
- Other: Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PeopleProud?ref=seller-platform-mcnav
Image Credits
Yes all were taken from me (Samantha) or my COO (Ian)