Welcome Willinglee
If you’ve seen the recent changes and you’re anything like my grandmother, you’re probably wondering why we’ve rebranded from Little Boxes. It’s a valid question—but don’t worry, we did it for good reason.
Why the change?
Believe me when I tell you: we’re not twiddling our thumbs over here. Alex and I both work full-time jobs and run an Airbnb in addition to this beloved small business. We don’t have a ton of downtime, which means we didn’t make the decision to rebrand Little Boxes lightly. We knew it would take time and money—two resources we’re not flush with, especially since we bootstrapped the company with our personal savings. In addition, we knew we’d be running the risk of confusing our loyal customers, which was severely unappealing to us.
In the end, though, the pros outweighed the cons. We started Little Boxes in the midst of the pandemic. We spent a lot of time figuring out what we wanted our company to stand for, who we wanted to help, and what we wanted it all to look like. We spent weeks thinking of the perfect name for our company… it’s a tough job encapsulating all your hopes and dreams you have for your business into one tiny name. After much back and forth, we landed on Little Boxes. It felt as right as possible in the moment.
But the moment passed. We won’t bore you with too many back end and SEO details, but search “little boxes” in Google, and a whole host of items populate in return, most namely Malvina Reynold’s popular song everyone knows as the Weeds theme song. Little Boxes wasn’t one-of-a-kind, and since we’re reaching for a one-of-a-kind service, we wanted our name to match.
What’s the meaning behind Willinglee™?
Conscious connectivity was the inspiration behind our name. Our mission with the company is to build an emotional connection between the artisans we work with, the customers we serve, and the community we give back to. It is our hope to help shape and reinforce intentional, compassionate relationships between humans.
Willinglee™ is derived from the concept of giving with willful intent and goodwill toward others. Our customers show us their intention to care for their loved ones through continuous gestures and small offerings.
We like to think Willinglee™ wraps people in a friendly and thoughtful embrace. It has an everyday appeal and is fresh, fun, and approachable.
Goods that matter. What’s that all about?
We believe in supporting small. As creatives ourselves, we feel a pull to support our fellow artists and makers.
The products in our gift boxes and marketplace are made authentically (and willingly!) by creatives all across the US. We do our best to seek out and work with smaller shops in hopes of helping them become more discoverable.
These goods are the livelihoods of the makers we partner with. That book or candle or dog toy or ceramic mug you purchased? It’s more than just a product. The people behind these wares have put their whole hearts into their work. At Willinglee™, we refuse to supply items not made with intention. We offer goods that matter, made by people who matter, for people who matter.
How’d you do it?
I never recommend rebranding in a silo. We sought out the help of a branding professional and we were lucky enough to land ourselves a spot on Studio Studio’s schedule. Claire helped us take a step back, look at our business holistically, and make choices that would allow the company to grow over time.
Through branding exercises, we worked diligently with Claire to unpack everything our business meant to us, and everything we hope it will become. We were looking for a name that was fun, intentional, approachable, and rooted in human connection. We wanted it to be inclusive and professional, but nothing too girly or serious. We also wanted a name that was totally unique to our brand, that couldn’t be boxed in (sorry for the pun) or mistaken for something else.
Willinglee™ was not the first name we tried on for size. There were many before it, and some really good ones Claire brought to the table that came close to being the one. Claire told us from the beginning that the moment we see the right name, we’ll know it, we’ll feel it.
And lo and behold, when Willinglee™ was presented to us, we realized we had found what was missing the entire time.
What’s next for the company?
Today, our hope for gifting is that it becomes more than something to do on birthdays and holidays. We imagine kindness occurring on nothing-special-weekdays: a treat for a friend at work who always has your back, a gift for the mailman to brighten his day, a surprise for your partner to show your love.
And while gift-giving will always be the soul of our company, we hope, too, that our customers feel comfortable buying for themselves through our marketplace. Willinglee™ exists to supply a connection between you, our makers, and your recipients—and no one said the recipient can’t be yourself. Trust us, there’s joy in knowing your purchase supports and celebrates this cycle of goodwill, intention, and connection.
What do you think?
I’m not sure my grandmother will come around: she’s still calling us Little Boxes. 😅 But we’re curious to hear your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below.
Have a beautiful week!
xo,
