Cherylann Stachow: Providing Customers With Beautiful Gifts and Baskets, Delivered on Time, With a Smile

I started Boodles of Baskets in August of 1995. I remember my criteria for starting my own business was it had to be something I loved, I needed to still remain available to my family and I wanted to do something that, no matter how small, was for the greater good and made people happy. I was able to meet all of these goals with the creation of Boodles of Baskets.

To this day, I am still passionate about Boodles of Baskets. I am proud of how it has grown beyond my wildest imaginations. I could not have done so without the love and support of my wonderful family, the dedication of my fantastic staff and the faith and feedback from my amazing customers.

I am dedicated to providing our customers with beautiful gifts and baskets, delivered on time, with a smile! We combine fresh, excellent product, great customer service and good value to make our customer’s gift basket shopping experience an easy and pleasant one. I appreciate their business and am truly thankful that they have chosen us over the hundreds (if not thousands) of other gift basket companies out there. If at any time they have any questions, comments or concerns, I encourage them to contact me personally. I will always respond personally to any issues.

Tell us about yourself?

I started my career as an Early Childhood Educator. Once I had children of my own, I wanted to find something that would allow me to still be accessible to them and their needs, while also contributing to the family income.

I have always been driven, motivated and a hard worker. Being self employed allows me to work within my strengths and still be in control of my time and schedule.

I am the first entrepreneur in my family. They have always believed in my vision and have supported and assisted me throughout my journey. They are just as responsible for my success as I am!

If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?

If I went back a couple years, it would be just before Covid, so I would tell myself about everything that would be happening. My children were all on the front lines when it came to Covid, so I would have assured myself that it would get better and my children, family and loved ones would be safe.

Business wise, we were very blessed to increase our sales due to Covid and were in a very good position to ramp up quickly to meet our customers needs. I think we handled the situation extremely well, during a very difficult time for the world, so I wouldn’t be able to give myself advice that would have helped during Covid, but I would have loved assurances that my children would make it through unscathed.

What problem does your business solve?

We live in a global world. Families, friends, clients and even co-workers are stretched near and far. Boodles offers a way to connect and let those around us know we are thinking about them, that we care and even though we may be far away, they are always close at heart. Our fresh baked cookies, fudge, popcorn and gift baskets are the perfect gift for so many occasions, including birthdays, corporate events, welcoming a new baby, get well, congratulations and even sympathy (sometimes the volume of flowers and plants can be overwhelming, but a nice basket of food that can be opened and served when people stop by, or small goodies that can be consumed during this very busy and hectic time are always appreciated).

What is the inspiration behind your business?

My business was inspired by my need to be available to my children. Unfortunately, when I started the business over 27 years ago, society was not very receptive to parents wanting to both work and be parents. There has been some improvement, but not enough. That’s why I try to hire parents, so that I can ensure they are able to go to school events, field trips and after school games and still earn an income. Our children are young for such a short period of time, and they need their parents, so I do what I can to help them have both an income and be there for their children, and in return, they show me, day in and day out, that they are the best workers out there!

What is your magic sauce?

Customer service, hands down. The number one complaint we hear from new customers is they called ABC company and had to leave a message and then no one returned their call, or email, etc. When a customer calls Boodles, they get a real live person. If they have to leave a message after hours, on a weekend or holiday, it is usually returned within an hour, if not sooner. We are always monitoring our voicemails and emails. We want to make sure we are there when our customers need us. Have questions about an order? We are here to help. Need help with the website? We are here to help. Want to know when something will be delivered? We are here to help. It’s that simple. We too have experienced the frustration when trying to contact other companies and been unable to reach a real live person. Our customers deserve better and they get it. We know they can go anywhere and are honored that they have chosen us. We always take very good care of our customers.

What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?

I have been in business for over 27 years. We will continue offering the great products and services that our customers have come to expect from us.

How do people get involved/buy into your vision?

We had many companies purchasing gifts for their staff when they held virtual meetings (due to Covid). We had excellent feedback about these gifts. Many of these companies will be continuing with staff working from home, and we hope that they remember those staff members from time to time and contact us for ideas for gifts of appreciation for them.