ENTREPRENEURSHIP
“ BRIANNA AND I HAVE ALWAYS MAILED LITTLE THINGS TO EACH OTHER ’ S CHILDREN JUST TO SAY ILOVEYOU .”
Annyssa Cantor
COAST TO COAST Despite the distance , Annyssa Cantor and her sister Brianna Ricks remain close siblings and business associates .
to make it premium and offer full-sized items from really great companies ,” says Cantor . “ We wantedeach box to feel like agift and not just abox of stuff .” To thatend , the sisters spend countless hours planningwhat to put inside . “ We ’ reconstantly calling companies , going to gift shows , searching Instagram for new partner businesses and looking for the latest trends ,” Cantor says , adding that they were amazed by the response from companiesthey reached out to for items .“ Businesses likePACT Wearand JAFRA cosmeticshave been so supportive and were excited to partner with us .”
Cantor alsonoted that they dependonfeedback to fill boxes .“ We surveythe kids afterthey receive a box and ask what they liked or didn ’ t like and what they ’ d want to see in the next box , and we use those answers to curatethe packagesaswego .”
When they launched in June of 2016 , Cantor and Ricks were flooded with requests for abox parents could send to kids at sleepawaycamp . So this summer , they ’ ll have aone-time Camp Box that will include ten special items campers wouldwant . “ We ’ ll do thingslike earbuds , awet brush , socks and areusable water-bottle . We won ’ t include any foodsince many camps have restrictions on that ,” Cantor says . ThoughCamp Boxes can ’ t be ordered until kids have actually left for camp , details about the Camp box are already on their website .
The philanthropic sisters also wanted acharitable end to their business , so they ’ ve partnered with Julia ’ s Butterfly Foundation , aWyckoff-based non-profit dedicated to improvingthe lives of terminally and chronically ill children and their families .
“ The foundation ’ s resources go towards great causes , like putting a wheelchair lift into avan or paying the hotel bill for afamily whose child is getting treatmentout of town . So we ’ llbegiving them aportion of our profits ,” Cantor says . They ’ ve also donated boxes to numerous charities includingOasis , aPatterson-based women ’ s shelter and NephCure , which supports kidneydisease research , as well as many school fundraisers . “ We even heard from awoman who couldn ’ t afford abox but wanted to send somethingspecial to her husband in the Navy , sowetailored aspecial box for him and sent it overseasfor free ,” she says .
Though Cantor and Ricks have always discussedbeing business partners , none of their ideas felt right until this one . “ Brianna called me on her way home from mailing acare package to her daughter who ’ s at Syracuse University . She said she had a great idea for abusiness and that was it ,” recalls Cantor , amother of two , who gave up her career onceshe had kids . “ We ’ rebest friends and we work really easily togethersothe distance isn ’ t a problem . We figure it out .”
And they ’ re bothglad they waited for the perfect opportunity to do something special together . “ A young girl just told me that every time she opens one of her boxes it warms her heart ,” Cantor says .“ We ’ re having so much fun doing somethingthat makes others feel good . There ’ s nothing better than that .” ●
COURTESY OF ANNYSSA CANTOR
30 FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017 | ( 201 ) FAMILY 201magazine . com