The Blogger Box: An Inside Look with the Founder

You have probably noticed how much I love subscription boxes by now. So, you can imagine how thrilled I was when I heard that Clara from Clara and Co was launching a business of subscription boxes – for bloggers! I know the majority of my readers are bloggers as well, so I roped Clara into letting me interview her. 😜

I am in bold!

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Hi, Julia! Thank you so much for interviewing me – I’m excited to answer your questions!

Let’s dive right to the beginnings of this: how long have you wanted to run your own business?

I’ve been coming up with business ideas since I was about five or six years old, the earliest of which were “stores” in which I tried to sell cardboard crafts to my siblings. When I was a little older, I learned how to sew and set up an Etsy shop (that no longer exists) where I sold little felt creations. To sum it up, I’ve been wanting to run my own business for many years, which is why I’m so excited to be launching The Blogger Box! 

When did you first hear about subscription boxes?

Hmm… I’m not quite sure! I didn’t really know what subscription boxes were until I began blogging, and that’s when I was introduced to book subscription boxes like OwlCrate. From there, I began researching and discovered hundreds of innovative subscription boxes through sites like My Subscription Addiction and CrateJoy.

I first heard of subscription boxes when a blogger I followed did an OwlCrate unboxing, actually. 😃 What made you want to make one of your own? And why did you choose for it to be themed for bloggers?

Once I saw how many different kinds of subscription boxes existed, I began to wonder if there was a box created specifically for bloggers. I was surprised that I couldn’t seem to find anything of the sort, and that’s when I was inspired to create one of my own! I love being a part of the blogging community and I know how hard it can be to stay inspired and come up with new ideas. My goal with The Blogger Box is to inspire bloggers to create the best content that they possibly can!

Awesome! How long have you been working on this project for?

I came up with the idea in May of this year, and I started working on it in June. I honestly thought it would take a lot longer than it has to get everything ready, but it’s gone surprisingly quickly!

Did you happen to write down/type up any ideas close to the beginning of your project? Could you share some of your original thoughts?

Yep! When I first came up with the idea, I quickly created a new Google Doc and typed out the idea. The original paragraph that I wrote was this: “The basic idea of The Blogger Box™ is a fun, creative, blogger-aimed gift box filled with things to help bloggers of all ages and types create better content, take better photos, and just generally relax, be creative, and have fun.” My vision for the boxes has changed a little since then, but it’s overall it’s the same concept!

If you can remember (or else find in notes) what was your first idea for an item to put in the box?

Some of my first ideas were items like laptop decals, camera straps, and coffee mugs. I’ve since come up with more helpful, blogger-specific products, so none of those things will be included in the first box, but they may be used in the future!

I’ll definitely keep an eye out for those in the future, then! How many items do you hope will be in the box?

The first box will include a total of eleven items in a variety of sizes. Future boxes should contain a similar number of items. 🙂

Really?! That’s epic! Could you give us an idea of what types of items will be in it?

I’d rather not share too much information about what you’ll find inside just yet! However, I can say that there will be items to help you plan blog posts, relax, come up with new ideas, take better photos/videos, advertise your blog, and much more. 😀

I am getting even more excited now. I noticed on your Instagram for it that you mentioned a blogger being featured in each box giving tips and inspiration; what kind of format would that come in? Printed on a piece of paper? In a small booklet?

Yes! I’m super excited to be featuring blogging tips from Allison @ A Farm Girl’s Life in the first box. Her tips will be printed on a matte card, and that’s most likely the format I’ll be using for future blogging tips.

Cool! Did you have fun designing the physical box? When do we get to see what it looks like?

Yes, I did have fun designing the box! The design may change in the future, but for now it’s a very simple black-and-white design with the Blogger Box logo on a white background. I’ve already shared a photo of a box prototype on the Instagram, so here it is:

 

 

I love the lightbulb! How big is the box? (like, physical measurements of the physical box)

Each box will be approximately 7” x 7.5” x 3”. I purposely chose to use a box smaller than your average subscription box so that I can stuff it to the brim with exciting products without wasting space!

I like the way you think. 😜 Are you hoping to run this business for a long time to come?

Yes, I certainly am! My dream is that this business will grow throughout the coming years and that I can continue to run it for quite a while.

*in a Baymax voice* On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate your excitement? (Personally, mine is up there in the 20’s by this point 😉)

Haha! I would say that my excitement is probably a 15 right now. XD I think I’ll be even more excited (and nervous) once I officially launch the boxes!

It’ll be awesome! What do you think is your favorite thing about having a subscription box business?

I love how much room I have to be creative, from everything to what I include inside the boxes to the design of the box itself. I also love that there’s such a big community of subscription box owners who are willing to share tips and advice for new business owners like me!

Are you working with any vendors? Do you hope to in the future?

Currently, I’m working with one vendor, a fantastic Etsy shop called Purely Proper Planning. I hope to work with many more vendors in the future!

Nice! Do you have a favorite item that’ll be featured in the first box? Are we allowed to know what it is?

Yes, I do have a favorite item! It’s an amazing custom product created by Purely Proper Planning. I’m not going to say exactly what it is, but you can visit my Instagram for a sneak peek!

I’ll make sure to put a link below to that for all my followers! Are you hoping to have reps someday? *not-so-subtly raises hand to volunteer*

Yes!! I’m hoping to have reps within the near future, and they’ll definitely be creative, inspirational members of the blogging community like you! 😀

That’s super awesome! How much time do you put into the box? Like, how much time do you take out of your day – or week – to work on it?

As of right now, it depends on the day! I’ve spent all day packing boxes before, but other days all I do is write an Instagram post. As I begin to sell boxes, I’ll probably get a better idea of what my process looks like and how much time I need to spend on average per day.

And, the question end all questions: do you like to snack on anything/drink something while you work on this? 😉

 Excellent question! 😉 I don’t generally snack while I work, but sometimes I do enjoy drinking tea and listening to music or a podcast while I pack boxes or do research.

Podcasts are great! (and tea) Thank you so much for letting me interview you, Clara! Good luck with your business!

Thank YOU for taking the time to interview me, Julia! I had so much fun answering your questions! Have a wonderful day. 😀

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Well, I think that I’m not the only one here that’s writing down the Blogger Box on my Christmas wish list by now. 😉

Here are some links to other places you can find Clara!

Blog

Instagram (Make sure you check this one out! There are some sneak peaks on there!)

Do you like subscription boxes?

Are you excited for the Blogger Box?

Did you enjoy the interview?

-Julia

Disclaimer: images were not created by nor are owned by me. They were given to me by Clara to use.