Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kristina Lubofsky, Founder of Busy Minds Box, located in Sandy Hook, CT, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Busy Minds is dedicated to engaging the brains of older adults with cognitive challenges through activities. We offer a subscription box filled with activities designed to stimulate the mind, exercising different areas of the brain while helping to improve mental health and quality of life. Each box features a different theme and offers a variety of arts and crafts, puzzles, games, books, and activities delivered right to your doorstep.

Tell us about yourself

I've had three grandparents diagnosed with dementia in the span of just six years. When my father's mother was diagnosed, it blindsided my family. We had no idea who to turn to, what resources were out there, or how we were supposed to handle things. I quit my corporate job and went back to school to become a gerontologist or someone who studies aging. After my mother's father was diagnosed, I decided to focus my efforts on dementia/brain health space so that I could help other families facing the same thing. He passed away just a few weeks after his wife of 64 years, my grandmother, was diagnosed.

Simultaneously dealing with grief, loss, boredom, confusion, and a new Alzheimer's diagnosis, my grandmother started to become depressed. I would bring her activities that we could do together, and it occurred to me that if we were going through this, other families probably were, too. That's how the idea for Busy Minds was born: I could offer the kinds of activities I'd do with my grandmother, ones that would concurrently help the brain and improve quality of life, packaged as fun and exciting games, puzzles, arts, and crafts, etc., delivered each month. Knowing that resources for caregivers and those living with dementia are limited is what keeps me motivated to keep improving the subscription boxes, month after month.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

In November 2022, I celebrated one full year in business. Around that time of year, there's a huge push and lots of pressure to dump a ton of money into marketing for the holidays. But it didn't feel right to me. Instead, I chose to take the profits from my first year in business and instead put them back into the community I'm dedicated to helping. I funded the "Gratitude Giveaway," donating 100 boxes to people across the country so they'd get to experience the magic inside the boxes. I received valuable feedback about the activities, which I would never have gotten from putting that money into a social media ad, but more importantly, I got to touch the lives of so many people out there.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Acceptance and adaptation. You have to learn to accept the realities of running a business and then be flexible enough to adapt to them. For me, it meant learning to accept that my version of a "great idea" and a customer's interpretation of that idea doesn't always line up. I've been so excited about products that ended up being a total flop, and I've had products I wasn't confident about that ended up being what the customer was really looking for. I used to fear failure, but now I accept it's not the end of the world; it's valuable feedback, and I have to adapt and figure out how I can best serve my customers.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Start a business you're passionate about. That passion will keep you going during those moments you wonder whether you should give up, and success will be all the more rewarding because of it.
  2. Keep your customers' best interest at heart. If you're looking for quick money, your customers will be able to tell. If you're looking to bring real, true benefits to your customer, they'll be able to tell - not only will they appreciate it, but wanting the best for them will encourage them to keep coming back.
  3. Nothing will go the way you think it will, and that's okay.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.busymindsbox.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/busymindsbox/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/busymindsbox/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/busymindsbox
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/busy-minds-box/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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