A Year of Firsts: 2016 in Review
A year ago, Boxiki was one person at a kitchen table with twelve products and a dream that felt slightly delusional. Today we're three people, two brands, and more products than I can count without checking the spreadsheet. 2016 was a year of firsts — some thrilling, some humbling, all of them necessary.
The Highlights
We launched Boxiki Travel. What started as a personal frustration with lost passports and RFID scares became a real product line that real people use on real trips. Our RFID sleeves became our first breakout product, and watching them take off was like watching a kid learn to ride a bike. Terrifying and beautiful.
We hit 1,000 reviews. Not all five stars — and that's okay. Every review, even the painful ones, made us better. Especially the painful ones.
We went international. UK, Australia, Germany, Japan. Each new country was a crash course in logistics, customs, and the universal language of "please don't let this package get lost."
We grew the team. Rizwan joined us part-time in the spring and went full-time by fall. He handles operations with a calm efficiency that makes me wonder how I ever did this alone. Victoria started in November, bringing a customer service warmth that our customers noticed immediately. One reviewer actually wrote, "Whoever handles your customer emails deserves a raise." (We gave her one.)
The Honest Parts
Not everything worked. I need to talk about the spice rack organizer.
In May, convinced we could expand our kitchen line quickly, we launched a bamboo spice rack organizer. I loved it. The team loved it. Our moms loved it. Customers did not. Reviews were lukewarm. "Fine but nothing special." "Works but overpriced for what it is." "I've seen better at the dollar store."
Ouch. That last one really stung.
We pulled it after two months. The spice rack taught us an important lesson: just because a product is good doesn't mean it's Boxiki good. We need to offer something you can't easily find elsewhere. Otherwise, why do we exist?
The Other Failure
I tried to do our own photography in August. I set up a makeshift studio in the apartment — white backdrop, desk lamps, my phone camera. The results looked like crime scene evidence photos. We hired a professional photographer the next week. Some things are worth paying for.
By the Numbers
Since this is a year-in-review, here are some numbers that feel meaningful:
Products launched: 23 (across both brands)
Products pulled: 2 (rest in peace, spice rack)
Countries shipped to: 8
Customer emails answered: More than I can count
Coffee consumed: Medically inadvisable amounts
Looking at 2017
We have big plans. New product categories. Possibly new brands. A proper office space (the kitchen table is getting crowded with three people). But we're going to grow carefully. The spice rack taught us that growing fast matters less than growing right.
Thank you for a year that changed everything. Here's to the next one.
— Stan, Rizwan, and Victoria