Sabena Suri: Co-Founding BOXFOX Without Venture Capital

Slow and steady is the BEST way to build a business, laying the foundation brick-by-brick. 

Sabena Suri is the co-founder and board member of BOXFOX, an ecommerce gifting destination, curating elevated, thematic boxes for all occasions. The company is tremendously successful, and yet, Sabena and her co-founders never raised capital. Instead, they learned to wear lots of hats and built their business slowly with no outside forces dictating the direction.

After 8 years, Sabena made a bold and unconventional decision to pivot and step down from BOXFOX, realizing her “zone of genius” is actually in establishing the foundations for a new business from scratch.

Today, Sabena takes us on her fascinating career journey: her early experiences, what it was like to grow BOXFOX with friends, and the work she’s done since. She shells out great advice for fellow entrepreneurs, from the importance of being open, to knowing when it’s time for something new.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Sabena’s early work experience writing for CNET and working as an associate at Ogilvy and Mather, where she became fast friends with one of her future co-founders
• The benefit of focusing on problems instead of products and the birth of BOXFOX, a curated platform for gifting
• Sabena’s advice for deciding whether to start a company with a co-founder, plus things to consider, from your vision and commitment, to the skills you each have
• Why BOXFOX decided to not raise capital (an unconventional decision!) – and advice for entrepreneurs going that route
• Leaving a thriving company in order to pivot, pursue personal growth, and find more opportunities that enable you to use your “zone of genius”

LINKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Check out BOXFOX’s elevated gifting options on their website.

Sarina is a career coach and consultant who works with startup leaders and entrepreneurs. Connect with her on her website, on Instagram, via email, and check out more episodes of the Career Memos podcast.