Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Sophia Pierro, Owner of Present Day Inc., located in Toronto, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Present Day is an elevated gifting company that focuses on gift boxes and gift baskets filled with luxe, artisan goods made by local craftspeople and heritage brands. The items are impeccably packaged and of the highest quality. Our customers are across Canada and the US. We create gifts for all of life's milestones and special occasions, and we also focus on corporate and event gifting. When we started in 2015, no one was really doing modern gift baskets, and no one really carried local, artisan brands. We were one of the first companies in Canada to do so. Now it's more the norm.
Tell us about yourself
PRESENT DAY was created by me; I am a Set Decorator for television and film in Toronto. While seeking out pieces for the films I was working on, I kept finding unique and beautiful local goods made by highly skilled craftspeople and artisans in my city. Noticing a gap in the market for modern, well-designed gifts, I put my refined and practical design sensibilities and my wealth of resources towards building Present Day - Toronto's first curated and customizable gift box service - with a modern edge and a strong focus on locally made goods. Over the years, Present Day has grown to be one of the pre-eminent gifting destinations for personal and corporate gifts in Toronto and Canada.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Being able to start a second business (a home decor and gifting company called Baa Baazaar, which is more of a fun passion project for me) while knowing my first business can operate successfully with a qualified team behind it is probably my biggest accomplishment. Though, truly, my biggest accomplishment is finally feeling secure. It's a hard and fleeting thing to feel secure when you own a business. Having a feeling of security means that you've gotten to a certain level, and you know that the business you've created is truly working, and you can let it operate without having to hold the reigns so tightly. Oh, and also making gifts for celebrities. It's always a thrill when you know someone like Cate Blanchett or Nicolas Cage is getting one of your gifts. Make you feel pretty good, haha.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Bootstrapping is always stressful and a strain. And scaling without outside financial.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Success, in the way that people typically imagine it, takes longer than you think. You may have a brilliant idea, but everything takes time, and if your idea/product/service is truly good, and you believe in it, and you work hard, you WILL be successful, but not overnight. Plan for financial strain and, more importantly - mentally prepare yourself to be patient. The discomfort is temporary (though incredibly stressful), but the reward of accomplishment is worth it.
- If you can do it with your own money, try. Start small, and don't overextend yourself beyond your means. But if you can do it on your own, it's worth it. Because when success comes, it will be all yours.
- Be ready to pivot when you know that something isn't working. Don't pivot out of impatience or fear, but educate yourself to know what your options are and always think of potential ways to pivot in case the world changes and your business, as-is, becomes irrelevant. Business owners that can pivot adeptly will always succeed. Don't get hung up on the initial idea of what your business is. If it's not working, it's not worth holding on to.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.presentdaygifts.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/presentdaygifts/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/presentdaygifts/
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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