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

Sarah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Along with taking care of clients, taking care of our team is one of the most important things we can do as leaders. Looking back on your journey, did you have a boss that was really great? Maybe you can tell us about that boss and what made them a wonderful person to work for?

I was a military wife for 11 years and a stay-at-home mom for six years. My sole purpose was to support our family. It wasn’t until all three of my kids started school that I decided to pursue a professional career of my own. Stepping out into the world of business was terrifying. In 2016 we moved, and yet again were subjected to house hunting. Our real estate agent had a series of homes lined up. As we walked through a potential new home, I asked her in a joking tone if she knew anyone hiring. I loved the house, but it was outside our price point. She hired me on the spot. This woman had a knack for “trusting that gut” and for the next three years my professional career took off. I started as an administrative assistant and within a year became her Director of Operations. She took a chance on me, and our working relationship turned out to be mutually beneficial. Little did she know, like a sponge, I watched and learned all about leadership from Kristi. To this day, she is the boss I admire the most.

Kristi grew her independent real estate firm from 5 agents to 30 in one year and after the second year doubled that. She was a natural born leader and trusted people. She empowered and trusted those around her to be the best. She is a collaborator and a cheerleader for other’s successes and knew how to be the best in her field. This kind of energy was contagious.

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 have always been a horrible gift giver. Life is busy and gifting felt like a chore. Even the birthday card was a daunting task as that would require loading up a two-year old and infant twins to run to the store. This didn’t take away from the fact that celebrating those that mean the most to me is incredibly important. That is why I created The Joyful Juniper Company, a custom gifting company to make gifting easy. Our mission is to spread JOY with each JUNIE box! Our product is called a Junie Box and this gift box is filled with carefully selected products from unique brands all over the country.

We love to work directly with our clients to design a custom product and bring your vision to life. I am most proud of our attention to detail and the personalization our services provide. We get to know the recipient and each detail guides the process of curating something unique and custom. The reaction from the recipient is magic.

Our corporate gifting service is also great for elevated gifts for a variety of occasions to include real estate closings, employee appreciation, weddings, and large-scale custom/branded gift boxes. Our goal is to take the guess work out of gifting and design a gift in line with the client’s own branding or message. From design, to sourcing and shipping, we have you covered! Give JOY with a JUNIE!

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

The Joyful Juniper Company began as a side hustle in the basement. Each day following my day job, I focused on spreading joy one gift box at a time. This project quickly turned into a full-time business after one year. A key milestone was my very first holiday season in 2021. With countless custom orders and large corporate holiday orders, I realized this dream was now a reality. We are still hustling in the basement, creating goals, developing systems, and promoting our services.

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

When The Joyful Juniper Company was just an idea bubble, my day job was Executive Director for our local chamber of commerce. A chamber of commerce is a network of businesspeople designed to promote and protect the interests of its members. For me, the connections made within this chamber and network were priceless as I started my very own business. This helped to build my reputation in our local market as a businesswoman, entrepreneur, and gifting expert. There is value in getting to know your business neighbors as a way to cross-promote, refer business, and build mutually beneficial relationships. A community of business owners is much stronger than going at it alone.

Contact Info:

• Website: juniebox.com
• Instagram: @thejuniebox
• Facebook: @thejuniebox

Image Credits
Megan Hannon Photography