Lynn is a fabulous entrepreneur that we met through #startupchat on twitter! Goodies are a great promotional item. They are yummy, appreciated and remembered! Lynn is one smart cookie for turning this into a thriving business!
Name:
Lynn Steinberg founder of Goodies For Gifts
Location:
Chapel Hill, NC – The goodies on www.goodiesforgifts.com are “Made Anywhere, Shipped Everywhere.”
Education:
I graduated from Ithaca College in New York with a degree in exercise and sports physiology.
Professional Background:
I worked in media and market research before launching Goodies For Gifts.
What you wanted to be when you grew up:
When I was younger I wanted to be a sitcom writer. I’m still not sure why, but I am definitely not doing anything related to that today!
What you are:
I am an entrepreneur, wife, mother, daughter, sister, half-sister, grand-daughter, cousin, sister-in-law, daughter-in law, aunt and friend. I am also a lover of all things food, an adoption advocate and passionate believer in women being able to do anything – being a role model to girls is part of every decision I make.
Brief Summary of your Start Up:
I started a blog to channel my passion for food and gifting into a fun, social project. Little did I know, this food blog would soon become a new chapter in my life. Today, Goodies For Gifts is widely popular and successful. Goodies For Gifts is the only food gifting website and it specializes in offering food gifts from small mom-and-pop type stores that consumers may have otherwise never known about. Goodies For Gifts also offers small boutique food companies a chance to market their products in an affordable, cost effective way.
Where you are located:
Chapel Hill, NC
Company Website?
www.GoodiesForGifts.com
What inspired you?
Having lived in six cities since college, each year I send gifts to all of the people in my life, all spread throughout the country, for all different occasions – whether holidays, birthdays, just because or special occasions. Over time, I found myself finding unique foods to send as gifts instead of more traditional presents. First, it was pizza from Chicago. Then it was pickles from New York, followed by cookies from Columbus and ice cream from Cincinnati. Today, I am an expert in shipping food from coast to coast and finding the best gifts for the people in my life. And now, I’m sharing my advice with others, helping consumers everywhere be the most popular gift givers around.
How long have you been in business?
Goodies For Gifts started as a blog in June 2011. After gaining a significant fan base I decided to expand that into a food gifting website to serve as a resource for consumer to find yummy edible gifts. www.GoodiesForGifts.com was launched in December 2011.
How did you fund it?
The initial investment was from a private investor. The total investment for startup was $45,000.
Do you have a Fairy Godmother (or Mentor)?
My mentors are my father-in-law and my husband. Both are successful businessmen with great business acumen. I value their opinions and feedback greatly.
Do you belong to any Business Organization or Networking Groups?
Yes, I am a member of the American Marketing Association.
Current Business Challenge?
My current business challenge has been balancing my time between sales, social media, expansion and keeping up to date on industry trends. Sometimes there aren’t enough hours in the day to everything you want to.
What are you doing about it?
We use a great PR firm that helps us. I have also hired a talented social media marketer who helps me when I need to dedicate time to sales or outside initiatives to grow Goodies For Gifts.
Favorite motivational quote:
“If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.” ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Family?
I am married with three daughters who call themselves my “Goodies Girls.” One of my children is adopted which is near to my heart because I too was adopted. My family has been my main support system throughout the Goodies For Gifts start-up process and I couldn’t have done it without them.
If so, how do you balance family and business?
Honestly, balancing it is a challenge. Days go by so fast when you are working for yourself and LOVE what you do. I remember sitting in my office at work staring at the clock waiting for the day to go by. Now hours pass in a flash. My kids are home from school in a blink of an eye and I have not even thought about preparing a family dinner let alone laundry and the other necessities. Goodies For Gifts has almost become my fourth child. Even though my kids see me less and I am working much more, they are happier and share the joy of seeing their mother happy. Knowing they are proud of me is just another reason that makes it all worthwhile!
Favorite book?
The Help
What do you do to relax?
I love riding horses.
What do you want to change most about your world?
I want to hire someone who does all of our laundry and puts it away each night. I really think this would solve so many of my problems!
What are you most proud of?
I am most proud of the fact that I stuck with my dream through all the ups and downs. Throughout the start-up process there were times when I had to tell myself to keep going. I’m also proud that my daughters have seen the emotional ups and downs of starting this business and that they now know that you can overcome challenges and accomplish anything you set your heart to.
What advice would you like to offer other Start Up Princesses?
I would recommend having a strong support system before starting a business venture because I often leaned on them to get through rough patches. I also recommend becoming savvy with social media. It is an affordable way to market your company and engage with fans and consumers. It’s so important to me that I actually help the Goodies For Gifts food companies better market themselves.
Favorite Magic Wand (tool/resource)?
My favorite magic wand is Pinterest! With the turn of the New Year, Pinterest has fast become a prominent social network and gives many businesses, including mine, the opportunity to engage with users based on lifestyle and shared interests – it can be a deeper connection than is possible on other social networks. Goodies For Gifts has directly benefited from Pinterest. Approximately 85 percent of traffic from my Pinterest page results in new visitors to the Goodies For Gifts site. This is 25 percent higher than Facebook or Twitter.
If you could design a tiara, what precious stones would you use?
My tiara would be made out of pickles and cake pops! What a weird combination, but I love it! The first time I ever gave any thought to food gifting was when I received Full Sour Pickles from a friend in college. It was one of those moments I truly will never forget. It was one of the best gifts I ever received because it solidified that even though our lives were changing, this friend really knew me and knew what would make me happy. And as for cake pops, they are so delicious and so much fun. I guess my tiara would be a yummy mixture of sweet and salty!
Did I leave something out you would like me to know about yourself or your business?
I love what I do and I can’t wait to get to my desk each morning.
I think it’s the greatest quality an entrepreneur can have to outsource. Sometimes we think we can do it all but it’s so much better to get that extra help we need. In the end it aways makes us so much more productive.
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