Zero to One, A True Story

Over a casual beer with my friend Nico at Berkeley, CA’s Freehouse Tavern, Nico was sharing his plans of taking over his family’s succulent farm in San Diego, CA.

I pitched him the idea: "Why not build a succulent gifting company? Succulents are far superior to the typical swag, and I'm all in to help you make it happen." Several months later, my phone rang, and we decided to dive headfirst into this new venture.

We agreed it would be best to bootstrap it and utilize a SPRINT framework to scale it from zero to one. I booked a flight to San Diego, CA and we quickly got to work.

Here’s how we did it:

1. Market Research

   We started with setting the infrastructure, what is the market landscape, total addressable market, and competitor analysis, and are there any active disruptions or new trends in this market?

   We knew it was a crowded marketplace but by analyzing markets, trends, and new verticals we pinpointed new verticals and shaped our product strategy to optimize the needed services of end users.

2. User Research

   We conducted user interviews with potential enterprise target customers to learn their pain points with the gifting experience. I used Linkedin and Hunter.io to find their emails, I was honest and asked for a quick phone call of no more than 30 minutes. The interviews helped us define our Ideal Customer Profile and User Journey, a key step before our launch and go-to-market strategy.

3. Build MVP & Launch

   Nico and I engineered and designed a basic website using Shopify. For our MVP we began with a simple 4-inch succulent gift, dedicating a month to designing a unique unboxing experience that would leave future customers in awe. We tested our shipping processes and handpicked a selection of the most exquisite succulents for our gift collection. An important note is that we only created one gift size and didn’t offer a lot of features for gift features.

4. Go-To-Market Strategy

   In our journey to redefine corporate gifting with Grow by Gifting, we quickly realized the market was evolving with SAAS entrepreneurs carving new digital spaces for gifts, gifting automation paired with advanced marketing tools. Standing against these well-funded giants felt like a modern-day David vs. Goliath scenario. Our initial strategy leaned on account-based sales and digital marketing tailored to our ideal customer profiles, This failed, we were overshadowed and outbid by larger companies with deeper pockets. This challenge led us to pivot and embrace collaboration with major gifting marketplaces. Despite the competitive landscape, this move increased our visibility and introduced us to a model that brought in recurring revenue and insightful data on our unit economics. Customers gravitated towards our sustainable offerings, appreciating our thoughtful and eco-friendly gifts, affirming our product market fit in the corporate gifting space.

   As we integrated into these platforms, we faced select rejections in favor of other succulent suppliers, yet this didn't deter us; it only sharpened our focus. We doubled down on direct engagement strategies, harnessing the power of SEO, email campaigns, social media, and CRM to build a robust growth engine. This strategic pivot allowed us to secure annual contracts for regular gifting needs, marking a significant shift in how we approached customer acquisition, retention, and monetization. Our journey through these strategies wasn't just about adapting to the market; it was about carving a sustainable, impactful niche that resonated deeply with our clients, proving that even in a crowded marketplace, thoughtful, eco-conscious gifts could not only compete but thrive.

5. Iterate User Focused Design Website & Technical Lift

   In our quest to perfect the user journey, we discovered a pivotal insight: the essence of an unmatched gifting experience was to enable our users to effortlessly send multiple gifts, each with a personal touch, to distinct addresses in a single stroke. To bring this vision to life, we partnered with a 3rd party team of engineers. I created well-written technical documentation and designed mockups of what success looked like. This collaborative spirit propelled us to refine and implement a bespoke API that redefined our fulfillment capabilities. Now, our team seamlessly manages a flurry of personalized orders, ensuring every gift dispatched from our website effortlessly reaches its intended destination.

While we aren't yet thriving, we are undeniably growing. Looking ahead to the coming year, I'm filled with optimism. We have a growing list of vendors and individuals seeking alternatives to conventional gifting experiences. We aim to be the sustainable option, committed to building a brighter future in the corporate gifting marketplace. Today our products employ recycled materials, ceramic pots, living plants, rocks, and soil. They're gifts that encourage growth and contribute to a better world, something we hope more people will consider when thinking about gifting.

So, here's to the journey, from beer talk to entrepreneurship, and the hope that we can all choose gifts that make a lasting impact while making the planet a little greener.

Want to see what Grow by Gifting is up to today?

Check us out at www.growbygifting.com