SNACKZILLA meets Lynda Phoenix, Founder of Happy Craft Box
I met Lynda a year ago when she was a consultant helping start-ups with strategy and social. Over the first lockdown she set up a brand new business, Happy Craft Box, which has gone from strength to strength in an amazingly quick time. I sat down to chat to her to find out how she’s done it and her plans for the future.
Tell us a bit about your business, when did you start it and what inspired you to set it up?
I became increasingly concerned about the effect the pandemic was having on my child. Being an only child she had no other child to play with for long periods of time and I noticed changes to her mood and behaviour. I used art therapy, yoga and mindfulness to help my daughter through her feelings of isolation and change of routine. It helped her process and understand what was going on and got her to open up more and more. As lots of little one's lives have been thrown into complete upheaval in the midst of these uncertain times I knew these activities would also help other children.
How do the craft activities in your boxes help support children's mental wellbeing during lockdown?
The boxes contain various craft and art based activities that have been designed to help children with their emotions, process change, and become happier in the present moment. These activities are based around the principles, art therapy, mindfulness and positive psychology. By supporting children to focus on positive experiences and help them understand their emotions - they will develop a more positive mindset which helps them break the cycle of worry and anxiety.
You have grown your business so quickly during the last year, how have you juggled that whilst homeschooling your daughter, and is she involved in the business at all?
I come from a background working with startups, so I have applied the same principles to scaling my own business quickly. I used techniques such as quickly ‘testing and learning’ on each marketing channel. I work in an agile way, changing rapidly according to the needs and feedback from my customers. I don't expect or strive for perfection whilst in startup mode, my aim is to grow at speed but constantly improve quality and customer experience. I also had national press cover my story so that has brought rapid growth to the business. I’ve had to be very flexible with my work time around homeschooling and by working early mornings, late evenings and involving my 5 year old daughter in a variety of tasks. Prior to hiring a fulfilment company to dispatch the orders, my daughter helped pack the subscription boxes. It was a great way for her to practise counting, follow instructions and understand how a business works, I feel she is learning a lot helping me with my business. She tests out the activities for the younger age box, so her official title is ‘chief tester’. I have taught her a powerful lesson on how to start your own business - she will grow up knowing that’s always a viable option for her.
How do you come up with all the amazing ideas for your box activities?
My boxes work on the topic of emotions and feelings rather than just focus on seasonal craft activities. The challenges children face now inspire me to create these activities. I create activities around being aware of emotions, gratitude, resilience and positivity in a fun and engaging way, helping children to use mindfulness techniques and help foster a positive mindset.
What's your plans for the business over the next year?
I want to start hiring so I can grow the business rapidly and reach as many children as possible - as children need support right now. I also want to work with more children's charities. I’m aiming to have streamed yoga and guided meditations sessions available to enhance the experience of the activities, but as children have so much screen time at the moment I’m happy for children to be immersed in just art and craft, but it's on the roadmap. I believe strongly in the benefits of the activities and I’m excited about what the future may bring for the business.
Lynda Phoenix - Founder Happy Craft Box
Website: www.happycraftbox.com
Instagram: @thehappycraftbox
Facebook www.facebook.com/HappyCraftBox