Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenna Baik.
Jenna, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Bebox started when I started my health journey on being more aware of what I eat. It started back in 2012 when I worked from 8-5 at an office then from 6-11pm as a waitress. Meal prepping was extremely important at that time because it saved me time, money and my health. From there, I decided to create a fun lunchbox that would fit my foods in certain portions. The first design of the Bebox is very different from what it is now. It was more of a bento style lunchbox. I held focus groups and researched and realized a bento style box was not innovate or wanted by the market.
I decided to move to Los Angeles from Calgary in 2015 to pursue my dream in launching a business in health and fitness. I took the feedback from my focus group and designed the Bebox to what it is now. It’s been such an adventure and learning experience to develop a product from scratch. I had no idea where to start or what to do, but what drove me to get shit done was by JUST DOING SOMETHING. I made tons of mistakes, got screwed over, wasted a lot of money BUT from that I also met amazing people that led me in the right direction, knew what NOT to do, learned the process and steps of developing a consumer product and learned more about business from experience than I did in school.
Because of my limited resources, it took me 1-1.5 years to make an idea in my head into a tangible product I could touch and use in real life. Every milestone to make Bebox into a reality has been tough as I’ve had several obstacles come my way, but with determination and a positive attitude I’ve pushed through each obstacle.
I am now waiting for my first batch of inventory for Bebox to arrive. It’s been 2.5 years now since it was an idea in my head… to now almost a real business!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
NO! It was NOT a smooth road! I ran into SEVERAL obstacles such as:
– Not having money: solved by getting loans, doing a crowdfunding campaign, putting myself into credit card debt, borrowing from family and friends.
– Not knowing what to do or where to start: solved this by networking and meeting anyone and everyone. I would tell everyone I met what I wanted to accomplish and I got lucky that I met a few people that led me in the right direction of what I had to do or who I had to meet to make it happen.
– I got stuck in Canada. After a year of working hard to make Bebox happen, I ran into immigration issues and got stuck in Canada for 3 months. I fought through it by getting all my paperwork together and made it back to LA to finish what I started here with Bebox.
– I lost a lot of money. One investment in particular of $2,000 went to complete trash because I was naive and did not sign any work agreement, contract, or anything with a guy that promised me he would build a Bebox prototype. He took my money, did little work, and now I have no idea where he is.
These are only a few of the many struggles I went through to make Bebox into a reality.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Bebox story. Tell us more about the business.
Bebox is an all in one container that customizes portion control (www.mybebox.com). Our mission is to TEACH YOU HOW TO FISH. We give you the tools and resources to get started with meal prepping or to help you maintain it. We provide recipes, containers, and programs to follow. Meal prep delivery is also another service we offer for those who do not want to meal prep themselves but want to eat healthy meals.
We are your one stop shop for anything and everything meal prep related. We SAVE you time, money and your health through meal prep!
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I do not really believe in luck. I believe hard work brings you luck. If I had to choose a luck though, it would probably be being lucky that I have supportive family and friends that have encouraged me and believed in me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mybebox.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/mybebox
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bebox.ca
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
