Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Archer Chiang, Founder & CEO of Giftpack, located in New York, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Giftpack is a concierge AI-powered enterprise gifting platform specializing in offering personalization at scale. We aim to help our clients by streamlining the gifting process with AI technology to efficiently select the most appropriate gift for any individual. Whether your list is for 1 or 50,000 recipients, Giftpack is able to cater to a variety of personalization features depending on the gifting occasion. Giftpack operates globally, so recipients can claim their gift or donate to a charity of their choice no matter where they are in the world. Our customers are businesses who have the need to send gifts in any situation - client, employee, prospect gifting, anything you can think of.
Tell us about yourself
I have been a serial entrepreneur since age 19, with one success, one exit, and one failure. Now, the fourth startup journey — is Giftpack. With a deep technology background in software development and a master's degree in product design, I have a keen sense of identifying corporate challenges and coming up with a solution. I started Giftpack when I realized keeping international relationships on a personal level is already quite difficult; it must be even more challenging for businesses. One thing that helped keep great relationships was sending gifts, but it was a pain to deal with. That was when I saw an opportunity — A gifting platform that helps anyone pick and send gifts without geo-gap, cultural barriers, or language issues, hence, the story of why Giftpack was founded. After a small amount of time at Stanford University, I realized that my passion truly lies in entrepreneurship, so I decided to continue with Giftpack rather than school.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Building a team of unbelievable talents who believe in the same vision. No matter how many times from 0-1 or 1-100, people are always the most important part. Without them, nothing is possible. That is why I'm proud of being able to build such a dedicated team.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Truly speaking, being an entrepreneur is never an easy job. While scaling and managing a company globally is tough, the most difficult thing is building trust and raising funds from investors, even when you know that your company is on the right track.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- First, no matter where your talents lie, learn human resources, finance, and relationship management as early as you can. This will save you money and time when running a business.
- Second, find co-founders who believe in the same dream and work as hard as you do. Always hire talents that are smarter than yourself, and don't miss the chance to use the right person for the right job.
- Finally, make sure you are the best salesperson in the company. Be on the front line for your company and people. Create a branding that people believe in.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://giftpack.ai/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/giftpackai
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giftpack_ai/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/giftpack-inc./
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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