.png)
Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Adams, CEO/Founder of SharityBoxx
Hi Amy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I graduated from Texas Tech University in 2000 with an MBA in Healthcare Administration. I went to work right after graduating and spent almost 20 years in the medical field. Majority of that time, I spent working with an outpatient imaging group in Dallas. Over those years I gained some valuable knowledge about strategic leadership, management, and entrepreneurship. After serving as SVP and President for almost 8 years, I decided it was time for a change.
My kids were both teenagers at this point, but they still had their high school years ahead. I wanted to be more present for them during these important years, so I knew that I wanted to do something that allowed me flexibility with my time. I struggled thinking about what my next path would be, but in the end, I realized that at this point in my life I just wanted to do something that made me happy, challenged me, and something that at the end of the day I could feel proud of. I came up with the idea of SharityBoxx after this realization.
The urban dictionary defines “sharity” as ~The idea behind sharing what you have with others that are in need. I knew that giving back was important to me and would be something that would make me proud no matter how well things are going. Combining that definition with my love for gifting, brought me to the name SharityBoxx. We are an online boutique featuring personalized and custom gifts for any occasion. I donate 10% of our profits to a different charity each quarter. We also specialize in corporate and client gifting. This was a totally new industry for me with lots of competitors, so I knew that I would need to learn a lot about SEO and social media marketing in order to be successful. I spent the first year researching, learning, building my website, and buying lots of products… the FUN part! I went live in September 2021 and had an amazing 2022 growing my business.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road? I have definitely had some ups and downs along the way and struggles in figuring out what works and what doesn’t. One of my biggest struggles has been gaining market share through social media and search engines. Most of my growth has been through word of mouth and client referrals, not through social media. Once I realized that most of social media is all algorithm based and if you don’t play the game, you won’t get noticed, I knew I had a lot more to learn if I was going to have an internet-based business.
I started a Women’s group with other women entrepreneurs. We began meeting monthly and it was reassuring to hear that we were all dealing with similar frustrations. We would strategize together and share our successes and our struggles. After many of the these discussions, the biggest takeaway for me was, “it takes time”! Some of the women in my group had been in business 5-8 years and each of them reassured me that success won’t happen overnight. This realization changed my mindset. It was way too early for me to get frustrated. I reminded myself that one of my main goals with this new company was to do something that makes me happy. So, I decided from that point forward, I would just enjoy the little things and keep working hard to reach my goals. I enjoy creating gifts for people/clients and I enjoy giving back. I have worked with some amazing charities over the past year and met some really neat people. I know that I will face new struggles at every turn, but also now know that I will learn from those struggles and be better because of them. The more failures I have, the more successful I’ll be! CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY >>