Stubborn Fox Co is an innovative business which supplies giftable tissue boxes that can be personalised to suit any occasion. Perfect for events such as weddings and funerals, these tissues are a practical alternative to a gift card. When I came across the tissues, I knew I wanted to include them in our gift hampers because they are so cute and unique, and I hadn’t seen them anywhere before.
Ange Ritchie is the entrepreneur behind Stubborn Fox Co, and what a powerhouse she is. Warm, charismatic and hilarious, she’s an expert goal-setter who inspires positivity in everyone she meets. I asked Ange to tell us a bit more about herself and her business.
Tell us a little about yourself – who are you and what are you passionate about?
I’m Ange Ritchie, an entrepreneur, goal coach, triathlete, lover of post it notes and elevating people’s lives. I’m passionate about seeing people live a life they love, helping people put a smile on their dial, feel great, find happiness and fulfilment in whatever way I can.
That could be through:
- smiling at people as I go for a jog,
- listening to friends so they feel heard and helping them through challenging times
- doing random acts of kindness,
- empowering them with the skill of goal setting so they can create a life they love
- or through creating our Stubborn Fox Co tissues that allow people to give a cheer up message or a funny line to clear their tears away, like ‘We never liked him anyway’ to your bestie who’s just broken up.
How did your business, Stubborn Fox Co, start?
Everyone goes through good times and bad times. It’s no different for us, as the founders of Stubborn Fox Co. The idea was formed when I lost some very important people in my life, my mum and grandma. In all sad times, people use tissues, yet I realised they were boring and didn’t help lift your mood.
So I teamed up with our other founder who specialises is developing unique, innovative and high level products, thus, Stubborn Fox Co was born. Our goal; to make tissues that will lift your spirits, put a smile on the face of those in a tough time, and to help catch those happy tears before you get panda eyes during good times like weddings.
So we have designed our own box, patterns and the whole concept to make it personalised because that adds an even more special aspect to it.
We have turned a household item into a giftable gift that’s personal.
Who are your customers and what do they love most about your giftable tissues?
Our customers are mainly retailers such as GIFT BOSS! (woohoo!) we add an extra special to the gift box you get. We are honoured to be chosen as a product in these great boxes for a cool company.
We also supply brides for their weddings, event managers for events and retailers who want to have a unique fun and funny product to be bought in a bundle of others. We are a stockist for Belle Property real estate agents for them to buy a personalised congratulations box that has their logo on it and give that with some champagne to new home owners.
What people love MOST about Stubborn Fox Co Tissues: the fun and funny lines we have on there such as ‘No Bonus This Year’ for your boss you can have a joke with or ‘Single Man’s Box’ for that bloke who has just broken up with his partner. We also personalize 1 unit if you want to send one with a bunch of flowers to a friend who lost her Grandma. Send us the photo of their Gran and their name and your loving message and we will post it directly to her. Personalised empathy means more than a generic card.
What has been your proudest moment in regards to your business?
It’s often the firsts that are the most exciting and for Stubborn Fox Co, it was incredible to receive our first shipment and see this idea we had conceptualized and created ourselves when we saw a need, right in front of us. To see the reality of something you think of, then take time to decide if you will do it, then hold it in your hand, that was a pretty exciting and fulfilling. Many people don’t execute their ideas and then think ‘what if?’.
What do you find most challenging about running your own business?
Due to how new and innovative it is, it’s difficult to generate traffic, because no one who’s out there is searching for it. I guess like if Henry Ford was trying to sell a car today and they hadn’t been invented yet, everyone would be Google searching for horse and cart, not car. Same with gift cards, etc. for us.
Do you have any tips for someone who wants to start their own business but might be feeling a little lost or overwhelmed?
#1 Write out your goals for the business (I can’t help but say that because it’s the game changing framework of goal setting that I use and teach others about. If I didn’t have this guide, I wouldn’t know what I’m doing each month, week or day. It’s the guide that ensures I’m on track and focused day to day. I couldn’t function without that.)
#2 Every Sunday, write a list of what you need to do. When you sit down to do that list, think about: what are the top 5 things that will make the biggest difference to the business or sales this week.
Do them first.
#3 Find a group of other entrepreneurs and arrange a meet up with them either weekly or bi weekly so you can bounce ideas off each other, or even create a Facebook group with them. The support is essential when you are starting out and to hear other people are going through the same challenges. Remember not to compare your start to someone else’s middle… and everything takes longer than you think (especially when you are learning)! But keep persisting!
Where do you go for inspiration?
I go to gift fairs like: The Big Design Market, Boho Luxe Fair, Art Gallery gift shops, I also get an email from Co Design which have interesting and new products from around the world.
I also get inspiration when I wish I could have xxx product and then look for something like that and it doesn’t exist. I’m one of those crazy people who have lots of ideas but will never in a lifetime be able to deliver on them all.
What are you working on right now?
We are working on sharing this new product with event managers and florists so they can double as a gift card to go with flowers.
How can people find you?
@stubbornfoxco
Or phone: 0411 445 606