Oct 14, 2013 8 Questions With: John Tabis of The Bouqs
When I heard John Tabis, founder of The Bouqs Company, share his story at the Anderson Entrepreneur event, I was amazed at how easy he’s making it seem to enter a mature and crowded market, to disrupt an entire model. John is extremely passionate about solving the problem of customer experience when ordering flowers, and his team is building a business that is straightforward and honest, allowing people to show love to those in their lives through flowers. Sourcing directly from an active South American volcano, from eco-friendly, sustainable farms, The Bouqs offers fresher, brighter, more affordable flowers. Obsessed with flawless quality customer service, the company is counting on customer loyalty and subscriptions as a service. The company has been impressively profitable since inception, and John, veteran of ShoeDazzle and Walt Disney, shares some valuable insights with us.
Why did you choose the flower delivery industry to disrupt?
We felt that we had identified a unique opportunity to do something new and different in both the operations/supply chain side of the market, as well as with the brand and consumer experience. While new businesses are started all the time with one or the other, we were very excited about the combination of the two. Plus, it’s a fun, meaningful space – something we felt we could believe in!
Can you describe at what point you felt validation of your business model?
January of this year (2013) was a big month for us. We had been operating for just over 2 months, and we hadn’t yet hit the ‘crutch’ of Valentine’s Day. And sales were growing significantly. This, combined with some great press in outlets like Daily Candy and Thrillist, felt like it validated the consumer need for a new answer in online flowers.
Where do you hope to take TheBouqs.com in the long-term future?
Our plan is to be the world’s largest florist. We will be a multinational, vertically-integrated, trusted provider of farm-fresh flowers in every market we can possibly serve. It’s a big goal, but we believe we have the secret sauce to make it happen.
What has been the best thing about the growth of the business to date?
This may sound a bit cheesy, but honestly it’s been the customer response. We have some amazing customers that purchase every single week, and keep coming back for more. And we get some amazingly touching notes from consumers whose lives we have touched in some way with the product. That’s a high that goes well beyond financial or metrics-driven results. It’s something that really motivates us, and it’s been a really special part of the journey thus far.
How would you describe your typical work day?
The best word is ‘variety.’ Every day is a variety of topics, challenges, people and locations. The best part of my job is that we’re tackling a lot of interesting challenges, and they are all over the map. It’s what makes working at any startup great! My typical day starts with taking my son to daycare (he is just awesome!), followed by meetings around town meeting with potential partners, investors, advisors or potential hires. The afternoons we’re typically talking about supply chain innovations, flower performance, catalog options and marketing strategy. In the evenings we’ll often meet on web site and graphic design, the look and feel of our product, and hopefully have some fun over some dinner. It’s a non-stop, chaotic day almost every day, but it never, ever feels like a job. I feel incredibly lucky!
What are some of the challenges you face at this stage of growth?
The hardest part right now is growing at the right pace. What I mean by that is investing in the right way and at the right pace. Investing in marketing and people to grow the business, while operating what you already have, while also considering what you might need to invest in to enable future growth. As such a young company, all of these decisions have great importance, and they are all inter-related. Luckily for us, thus far we haven’t hit any major roadblocks
What is the best gift you’ve given and/or received?
When I was younger, my father gifted me his father’s (my grandpa that I never met) cufflinks. I will give them to my son someday. They are epic in so many ways – the way they look, what they mean, and from whom they came.
Where do you personally find inspiration?
So many places! The amazing team that I get to work with every day is the biggest source. The community of LA and Venice in particular, and other great brands that tell amazing stories and deliver quality experiences and products. Magazines, random stores I happen upon, our clients’ emails.
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