We interviewed Tiffany Lombard and Alzira Williams from a company called Boxed With Love on what it is like being a Small to Medium Enterprise (SME).
Keeping with our “Growing your Business” theme, we dived into how they grew their business and some tips they may have for anyone wanting to start up their own business.
- What does your business specialize in?
Our business specializes in specially curated and personalized gift boxes for all occasions. We strive to make your gift-giving experience easy, exciting and best of all, no queues.
- How big is your company and how long have you been operating for?
Our company is still in its infant stage but growing daily. We have been operating since November 2018. We are a small business enterprise run solely by Alzira Williams and me. me.
- How did you grow your business (from the ground up)?
We have mainly used social media (Facebook and Instagram) for our advertising, where we have almost 900 followers. This has been our main source of income for the past year, but we are developing our website which will take our business to the next level. We have always pushed for great service delivery and competitive turnaround times which has given us a loyal following of returning customers and new customers by word of mouth.
- What has your relationship with EasyBiz Technology been like?
We have just started our relationship with EasyBiz, a relationship we would love to see grow through many years. They have been helpful, friendly, intuitive and ultimately made everything run smooth and kept it easy for us.
- Where did you hear about EasyBiz Technology?
We were looking for an online accounting software package and a family member recommend we contact EasyBiz Technologies as they are the authorised reseller in SA for QuickBooks Online.
- How has QuickBooks Online assisted you with day to day tasks?
QuickBooks has halved the time it takes us to do our day to day tasks. Invoicing is easy and available instantly which helps us maintain a competitive turnaround time. Keeping track of funds by linking our accounts gives us a quick overview of the business’s current status whenever or wherever we require it. Reports are also available at a click of a button for feedback to our accountant. QuickBooks also assists in automating tracking of expenses, so we can stay better prepared and we are not caught off guard at the end of the month.
- How has EasyBiz Technology and QuickBooks Online assisted in growing your business?
It has freed up more time for us to concentrate on the marketing side of the business. Our business is dependent on the creativity we generate in order to come up with new gift ideas and concept boxes, the free time has allowed us to dig into our creative sides to be able to give us our market edge.
- How can accounting software assist a business in growing?
Accounting software makes finance control easier and quicker than trying to do it all manually. It gives you one place to view everything and find everything, whenever you need it.
- What are some tips you can give to someone wanting to grow their own company?
Just keep pushing, persevere. Push through the tough times, as the reward of customer satisfaction is worth it. Success = 20% strategy and 80% mindset. Keep positive.
“Keep pushing, persevere.” This is the most important thing to remember when starting your own business. The next most important thing is having trustworthy and reliable accounting software, which is where we can help. Have a look at our products here EasyBiz Tech and let EasyBiz and QuickBooks assist you with your accounting and bookkeeping needs.