We want to welcome 100% Women-Owned, Bundled to the Great Lakes WBC network. This gifting company is now certified as a women-owned business.
Courtney Taylor and Chelsea Gheesling started Bundled with a straightforward mission; to be authentic in everything they do and build connections through gifts you will actually use. For five years, these women entrepreneurs built the business as a side hustle, and finally, last year, they made it their primary focus. They took a chance and went all-in on their company and dream, Bundled. Bundled is a Michigan-based company that offers personal and corporate gifts. These gifts include products that have been personally curated and include many Michigan small businesses.
As Courtney explains, Bundled began as a passion for trying new things and supporting small businesses. Courtney and Chelsea would travel around Michigan, trying products from small businesses, and featuring them on their blog – Chick in the Mitt. Eventually, they had an epiphany, “Why don’t we turn these products into gifts?” Seeing how they already had relationships with these businesses, Courtney and Chelsea began packaging these products and marketing them as gifting options.
One of Bundled’s big breaks came when a Michigan-based Fortune 500 corporation requested their services for corporate gifts. The business began taking off from there. Since then, they have added to their corporate clientele and also sell their products through their online store. Bundled’s team has since grown to 15 employees. They are also looking to expand its operations to a larger distribution center.
When asked what the secret to scaling effectively is, Courtney points to two things: 1) Stay true to what you believe in, and 2) Try and grow using your capital. Our [Bundled’s] success has come from us only offering products we love and use ourselves. Also, using our own money and staying away from debts, we are uninfluenced by external forces and remain authentic and autonomous.”
Courtney also expressed her excitement about being a part of the Great Lakes WBC network. “Being certified Woman-Owned makes her feel powerful and reminds us of how hard we have worked. To be in a community with like-minded that want to support you means a lot. Also, it’s valuable to have incredible role models to look up to and from which to learn. We are looking forward to building strong relationships with our network peers, as well as attending the conferences.”
Bundled can be found on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/bundledgifting and YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe0Q6Cy4FZHFySiF7Sj50Ag
