How a snail mail gift package is redefining the party girl lifestyle.

by Joanna Demkiewicz

As far as parties go, they take gusto (and alcohol) to pull off. Whether you send invites or e-vites, whether there will be a cheese plate or endless bowls of Cheetos, the idea is the same: to gather with those you love (and their plus ones) for an epic evening. In 2013, then 23-year-old Jordan Jones imagined encapsulating that feeling into a box and sending it to a friend. Then she turned that idea into a business – and appropriately called it Packed Party – the only box service based on doing good to others, not just yourself…but also to yourself.

In creating Packed Party, Jones wanted the “party” to go both ways. “I wanted people to feel confident enough to say, ‘Hey, I’ve had a bad week, so I’m sending myself a party,’” she told me via email. Her brand, which started from the feet up – Jones utilized social media to spread the word before she even had a website – is reimagining how we communicate with one another and proving that snail mail (or boxes) isn’t dead.

Packed Party offers themed boxes for birthdays, breakups and just-becauses, like “Yay, You!” and “Miss You, Bitch.” I caught up with Jones to find out what it’s like to run a business solo and how she’s redefining what it means to be a “party girl.”

Joanna Demkiewicz: I read that you founded Packed Party in 2013 literally because of a dream. You had just moved to San Francisco and told your mom over the phone that you were having a “pity party” that particular night. That simple comment led to a dream, which led to a business plan, which led to you creating Packed Party. What other (if any) intuitive moments have driven you and your business?

Jordan Jones: That is true, and it just goes to show you should probably always listen to your mom, right? Being that I created Packed Party from “scratch,” a lot of my business decisions are based on intuition. Going with my gut is something I think I have mastered in my first year. There have been so many times people have said things like, “Weren’t you worried [about] putting the word ‘bitch’ in a product name, or that people wouldn’t understand what a ‘Beb’ was?” I kind of just knew I wanted the brand to be very personal and fun – the way I speak to my friends. Using instinct to drive decisions about the brand has made Packed Party really authentic to people.

JD: How are you redefining what constitutes a “party”?

JJ: Packed Party is redefining what it means to “party” in a big way. I’m a huge homebody. Not in that I love being alone…I’m just happier with a close group of friends in an intimate setting rather than an actual jam-packed “packed party,” if you will. I wanted people to feel confident enough to say, “Hey I’ve had a bad week, so I’m sending myself a party” or [confident enough to] simply start the party for themselves with our packages. You have an opportunity to wake up every day and dictate how your day is going to go, so why not make it fun?

So many times I have heard people say, “Oh, is she a party girl?” referring to someone with a negative connotation, and I hope to take that away with Packed Party. A “party girl” as defined by Packed Party is the girl who’s confident enough to start the party for herself, and kind enough to start it for someone else.

JD: After I graduated from college, my friends and I all went to separate parts of the world. Even though we are constantly “in touch” via social media, simply “liking” a photo or sending a quick email can feel shallow. What are other ways we can keep in touch outside of relying on our devices?

JJ: Staying in touch post-college is difficult! You definitely find out whom you’re going to stay in touch with based on who makes the effort. I’m obviously a large proponent of care packages. I think “liking” or sending a quick email is so impersonal and something I’m guilty of at times, too, because of a demanding schedule (like everyone), but I try to stay disciplined in the gift-giving department.

I think being in your twenties is hard because it’s like, okay, none of us have money and we’ve all accepted that, so sending an email or a Facebook post is fine, but in reality it’s not if it’s one of your closest friends. I think being on a budget presents an opportunity to be creative with gifts, and that’s what Packed Party helps with. We make it easy to be extremely thoughtful and intentional no matter where you are, with everything from the fun packaging to the gifts inside to the hand-signed letter-pressed card. Being thoughtful is all in the details and I always try to remember that when I’m gift giving. You have to think okay, what would I want her/him to do for me?

JD: On that (social media) note, how have Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest helped your brand grow?

JJ: Social media has helped Packed Party grow immensely in the last year. I started posting photos on Instagram of packages before Packed Party’s website was even up, and [we] gained a lot of interest early on. Hashtags can sometimes seem “annoying” but actually are your best friends in gaining an audience and helping potential new customers find you and your product for no cost. Being a very small start-up, marketing dollars were limited so I knew I needed to get to work on the social media front in a big way when we first started. We also used exciting looking skin boards for packaging to ensure our products stand out in the market.

I had no prior photography experience when I started taking the photos for Packed Party’s social pages; I was just that girl who was gifted a nice camera for graduation and probably was going to let it collect dust somewhere because my parents didn’t know what else to get me as I entered the real world. What a gift that camera turned out to be! Because we don’t tell people (everything that’s) inside (the) packages as to add to the surprise of sending and receiving, I have to take creative and fun photos of the packages each day to showcase on social media. It’s actually one of my favorite things to do! Pinterest plays a large role in the business in conveying our brand, who we are, what we like outside of Packed Party, our style, and the type of women we believe “party girls” as defined by Packed Party are. Integrating health & safety consultancy ensures our creative efforts are safe and compliant.

JD: What’s your strategy in targeting women in college, especially with your College Brand Ambassadors program?

JJ: I created our version of a brand ambassador program and called it the Leader Of The Packed when we first started to help get the word out about Packed Party. I decided we’d select one girl per campus and have her promote our brand as a leader and encourage women to start their own parties in life. I remember being in school and being targeted by so many fake-feeling brands that felt pushy and desperate for college women’s attention. I always went the opposite direction and said I disliked the brand for their insincerity, my interest couldn’t really be bought when I was 19, and I wanted a story to be interested in so I could directly relate to a brand and feel like they understood me.

Our LOTPs are asked to speak to people about the brand like they are their friends. It’s a very organic approach and something I think has worked for us in gaining interest. I also think it helps that the women representing Packed Party genuinely want to be representing us. We aren’t seeking these women out to be brand ambassadors, they’re coming to us with reasons of why they’re simply the best. These are the kind of young women I want representing Packed Party – the go-getters.

JD: How do you choose which products to feature in your packages?

JJ: Picking products is definitely a bit of a process! I find products I personally like or would enjoy receiving, ask for input from a few people, work simultaneously on finding other products that fit under the same theme, piece them all together, and then move forward in ordering. There is a ton of back-and-forth between myself and vendors with communicating timing, quantities, and all of that good stuff, but I’ve made a lot of new friends in the crazy process. There are so many amazing people out there creating unique and fun products, so I feel really blessed by the opportunity to meet a lot of them.

JD: “Packing” each box seems like an art. How do you decide what products pair well together for each themed box?

JJ: Ha! An art, I like that! I draw things out in my notebook and base things a lot on color in putting them together. There have been times, though, when colors won’t perfectly coordinate, and I’ll make the executive decision to say screw it, I’m not sacrificing a subpar “matching” product for one that seems a little out there packaging-wise but is something great I think customers will love. It’s all in the details. We try a few different ways of packing things before we decide that’s how “that” specific package is going to look. This is all before it takes a ride on the delivery man’s truck and does a little party dance (a nicer way of me imagining the truck taking sharp turns and packages shifting around in the back with all the other lame brown boxes.)

JD: I read recently that you literally do it all when it comes to your business – social media, product questions, warehouse management, etc. How do you separate the Packed Party You from the You You? When you’re not focused on Packed Party, what are you most likely doing?

JJ: Although Packed Party might seem big because we sell internationally and have a fairly solid following on social media, we’re truly a small business and I am pretty much a one-woman show. Shocked? Me, too, sometimes. I’m still learning how to separate my work and personal life, honestly. I’m someone who’s very Type-A and a “do-er,” so it drives me nuts if my to-do list isn’t done that day. I can’t really just shut off from Packed Party at 5:00 pm and call it a day. It sort of never ends, but it’s funny, it doesn’t feel like work or like I am “having” to do it all. I simply want to. When I’m not focused on Packed Party, I’m walking around the city exploring with friends, spinning, trying a new restaurant, or seeing a movie. I love seeing movies and conveniently have two old-school theaters right by my house in the city! You’ll find me curled up in the corner with a giant Sprite and some Junior Mints.

JD: San Francisco is an entrepreneur’s wet dream. How does the city inspire you? Is the overall startup community supportive or competitive, or a little of both?

JJ: Where to begin on living in San Francisco… I visited the city one time before moving here and decided, as cliché as it was, that I had left my heart here. Funny I picked San Francisco of all places with it being the hub of start-ups and innovators before I ever had the dream about Packed Party. I can distinctively remember sitting at my kitchen table with my parents (um, crying) telling them there was something more for me waiting in San Francisco and I didn’t know what it was, I just knew I wanted to go. Talk about fate, right?

The city is so incredibly inspiring because it’s filled with so many movers and shakers. Everyone I meet is working on something interesting it seems like, and hello, they’re working extremely hard because it’s not cheap to live here. People I’ve met in the start-up community have been mostly supportive. There are a lot of great female entrepreneurs in San Francisco to learn from. One start-up I love is Sweet & Spark. Their founder Jillian Bremmer is on a mission to make vintage jewelry cool again, and she has really tapped into an awesome niche finding vintage jewelry pieces and selling them. She’s a hustler and I really respect that.

JD: You recently partnered with Gap Factory and Betches Love This. Why is it important (or is it?) to not remain an island and to interact with other businesses?

JJ: It’s definitely important to branch out when you’re creating a brand, as opposed to staying on an island and keeping your head down. Collaborating with other brands gives Packed Party new dimensions and enables me to work with different types of people. It challenges me working with other brands because it’s never as easy as, “Hey, let’s partner.” Working with different types of brands like Gap Factory or The Betches takes a lot of planning because I have to find creative ways to approach things and make exciting and unique content.

JD: What’s on your bedstand right now?

JJ: On my bedstand right now there’s a huge water bottle, my Breakfast At Tiffany’s eye mask from our “You Pampered Thing, You” package, a tiny bottle of lavender oil from Whole Foods to help me sleep, and The Glitter Plan by Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor about how Juicy Couture started with $200. I always try and read at night before bed or journal to sort of shut off.

JD: What’s on your “inspiration board”? Even if you don’t have a literal board, what inspires you on a daily basis – magazines, parks, movies, celebrities, writers, etc.?

JJ: I don’t have a physical inspiration board, but should! I’m always so envious when I see people’s boards on social media hanging perfectly above their desk. Reading other people’s stories of starting businesses inspires me. Everyone has some sort of story of how they got where they are or what they’re doing to get to where they want to be. It always makes me feel less alone in giving up my life to chase my dream.

[hr style=”striped”]

Joanna Demkiewicz is The Riveter‘s co-founder and features editor. Find her on Twitter at @yanna_dem.