Meet Constance Panton | CEO & Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Constance Panton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Constance, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I started Bifties Gifts in 2016 as a gift exchange. During that time, it felt like you couldn’t go a day without seeing news about an unharmed Black man gunned down by police. This is your Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice period. It was deeply affecting me. I wanted to give a hug to our community. But that is unrealistic. It was something that I was actively thinking about, so when my aunt invited me to a gift exchange, I immediately knew I found a solution. Why don’t I start a gift exchange with the only criteria being all gifts must come from a Black-owned business! So no, it wasn’t a literal hug, but a financial one. It’s the holidays, people have more disposable income, it is a great way to funnel some of that money into the Black community through businesses.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I love sending gifts! What sets us apart from other gift boxing companies, is that the majority of our items come from other Black-owned businesses. We allow you to build your own gift box, with items you feel speak to your recipient all from Black-owned businesses. We also offer already customized boxes for those that prefer that convenience. We also make sure we give back to charities doing work in and/or for Black communities, either through sponsorships or donations.

I am most proud of the positive response we have received for our corporate gifting service. We have had the opportunity to work with so many awesome companies, like Google, Amazon, SnapChat, and Disney to name a few!

It wasn’t easy getting to this point, and we are just getting started. Like with most minority businesses, we struggle with finances. Not getting approved for loans or business credit. Having to operate very, very lean. Learning how to leverage payments for services with ordering inventory. Never having enough cash on hand at all times for opportunities or marketing. One quickly learns how to juggle, use their resources, rely heavily on companies that do offer defer payments, in order to procure inventory. One becomes very resourceful.

I want the world to know that buying Black isn’t just for Black people or a fad. There are ways to support Black businesses on a continual basis in everyone’s everyday life. Replace your pancake mix, with Vicky’s pancakes, replace your cleaning products with PurHome, or your detergent with True products. And if you need to send a gift, limit your use of Amazon and try Bifties Gifts instead!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love nature so the weekend would begin on Saturday with a nature walk at Hacklebarney State Park, followed by desserts/refreshments at Hacklebarney Farm. They make the best Apple cider donuts! On Sunday, we would head over to Brooklyn for a caribbean brunch at Bamboo Walk.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Teak and Twine deserves a ton of credit for where I am today. Torrance Hart, CEO & Founder of Teak and Twine offered the only business course (that I know of) on the gift boxing business. Her mentorship and courses helped me tremendously. It gave me a blue print on how to run a gift box business. From contacting clients, to sourcing inventory, to preparing for the holidays, her courses and her personal time have been invaluable.

Website: https://bifties.com

Instagram: BiftiesGifts

Linkedin: BiftiesGifts

Twitter: BiftiesG

Facebook: Bifties Gifts

Image Credits
no image credits.