Today we’d like to introduce you to Andra Cornea.
Hi Andra, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Long story short, I am a former tennis player and a health & wellness advocate. My journey began in 2011 when I received a full tennis scholarship at a D1 school in TN. I am originally from Romania, but I consider America my second home. My passion to help others started at an early age when I found myself not getting the help I needed for my injuries. I thought for a long time that I was called to help athletes, through the health industry and more specific chiropractor, but down the road, I realized that there are other ways I can have an impact in people’s lives.
The journey of Arete Gifting Company started in winter of 2018, initially known as AC Gifts. It all started when my roommate and I decided to create and sell gift boxes as a holiday side project. At that time, I was a full-time professional tennis coach at Four Seasons, so I got the opportunity to help a few clients make gifts for their family and employees. I remember as it was yesterday, the thrill of curating these boxes based on individual preferences and the gratification expressed through messages of appreciation was unforgettable. After the holiday season, I remember thinking that it will be amazing if I could help people and corporations with their gifts throughout the year – and just like that a vision had began.
Over the next four years, I crafted boxes only for major occasions like anniversaries, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and more. But it was the culmination of 2022 that changed everything —I decided to fully commit and take the business to the next level. Although I would love to say that it was an instant success story…it wasn’t. At the beginning, I got lost into the nitty-gritty, paperwork, lots of website changes, branding, transitioning from a sole proprietorship to an LLC, and even a name change to Arete Gifting Company, followed by expending our vision to a nonprofit.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As in any endeavor, there is no smooth road. I think business itself has up and downs, no matter how ready we think we are for it. For me, there were 3 main challenges: dealing with doubt, managing finances, and battling my inner perfectionist hehe.
Once I fully committed, I found myself questioning my decision. Doubts crept in about whether the business would really grow the way I envisioned, if my initial inventory was enough, and so on. But despite all the “what ifs,” I kept pushing forward.
On the other side, money was tight at the beginning – we didn’t have as much capital as I would have preferred. So, instead of doing all at once, we had to take small steps each month. We’re not exactly where we want to be yet, but looking back, I’m thankful for the progress we’ve made so far.
Then, there’s my perfectionist side. Learning that things don’t have to be flawless before launching was a lesson in itself. When I started this journey in 2018, I had nothing, but I figured things out along the way. Transitioning to the next level and formalizing the business made me feel like I had to have it all perfectly sorted from the start.
As you know, we’re big fans of Arete Gifting Company. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
We’re genuinely passionate about entrepreneurship, and we find joy in supporting other local small businesses. Currently, we collaborate with libertyandleathergoods.com for our leather items, but our journey has also intertwined with a local clothing brand, a candle artisan, a talented book writer, and more
Our services consists of both ready-made and custom gifts. For our custom gifts, we will have a complimentary 30-minute consultation to see if we are a good match and to be able to personalize the gift as much as possible by staying within customer’s budget and gather some more information about the recipient. The orders can be as small as one gift or big orders for corporation or personal event.
What are you known for? What sets you apart from others?
Well, when it comes to gifts, I’ve always been known as a thoughtful giver. I remember growing up and receiving items that I couldn’t use because they didn’t align with what I wanted or needed. I think that’s why I learned to catch the subtle hints when people around me talk about things they like or need. As a company, we want to help customers stand out with their gifts, so not only we are striving to make them as thoughtful as possible, but we also want the presentation to be unique and elegant.
What matters most to you? Why?
The most important thing for me is to always remember that God plays a big role in all of this and to give credit where credit is due.
In our business, one of the things that matters most is our service towards our customers . We want to take good care of them and make them feel as important as the recipient. Our top value is “excellence,” which is what our company’s name “Arete” means. It comes from ancient Greek and stands for pursuit of excellence of any kind in order to fulfill one’s purpose.
Equally close to our hearts are the recipients of our gift boxes – we strive to bring joy with a simple gift. Therefore, we put a lot of time in making sure that each box is unique but also personal.
Recently, we realized our impact could extend even further. That’s why we’ve integrated a nonprofit element into our business, creating gift boxes for kids in foster care, orphanages, and hospitals. We are really excited about this because unfortunately, not all kids get meaningful presents on their birthdays or other special days. We’re currently working on partnering with Cook Children’s Hospital, but we would love to build more partnerships.
Contact Info:
- Website: Aretegiftingcompany.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aretegiftingcompany
