It is with great sadness that I am writing this post to inform our Bonnie Box community that we have finally come to the dreaded time we had been trying to avoid.
Statement from Founding Director
Holly Campbell-Smith dated 30/05/2023.
'As of the 5th of March 2023, I have come to the realisation that I have done everything I can possibly do to prevent Bonnie Boxes from going under. It is time to face the fact that Bonnie Boxes will now have to close indefinitely. This is an extremely difficult decision, as for me, Bonnie Boxes is a passion that I never wanted to give up. It has helped me to connect to people who love Scotland's heritage, culture, and history, as much as I do. I have met people from all walks of life. I've worked with some incredible artists and designers who's friendship and knowledge has taught me so much. I've discovered places and history of Scotland not only IN Scotland, but of overseas in North America, Australia and beyond. I've met people who have a connection to these discoveries and in turn found a connection with these people myself.
It is no secret that starting this company was a learning curve for me. I'd never run a limited company before and had chosen to start this while also completing a university degree! What was I thinking!?
While I'd worked in business and marketing before, the whole aspect of accounting, policies, business regulations, and international shipping, was quite a daunting and intimidating task to begin with. If you were with us from the start you may remember the hiccups we had with all this after the launch? I tackled each new chapter heads on and with a willingness to succeed. My love for this project, and those that it was going to touch, were enough to get me through even the most devastating blows that running a business can serve out. As anyone whose ever started and run a company knows, it's challenging even at the best of times, and then Covid-19 hit! My business plan went out the window!
I remember telling my friends and family members that "I'm not sure Bonnie Boxes can survive this?". Covid-19 made our suppliers unable to fulfil orders. So even if I did manage to get our branded cardboard shipping boxes to post, I couldn't guarantee I'd have anything to put in them? Not only did our customer orders start backing up, but so did that of our suppliers! Before we knew it we were in a catch-22. Only businesses who could afford to order stock 6-9 months in advance were going to ride out this tidal wave, and Bonnie Boxes was just a tiny business that could only currently afford to book stock 1-3 months in advance. On top of this, because of lockdowns I'd also lost any packing help I would need to make up boxes, print, fill, and send out to post. All the while trying to source back-up suppliers and being on hold what felt like 24-7! At the same time I was also studying as a nurse in a busy and burnt out hospital ward caring for patients in Covid recovery. I'm not going to lie, my nursing was more of a priority at this point due to how sick people were and the severity of everything going on with the NHS and public health. This meant that Bonnie Boxes became a lower priority, even though it was still a priority in MY eyes.
To be even more honest, there were times were I wanted to be doing the subscription boxes more than I did nursing. It provided a way to escape from all the horror of not being able to save people from Covid, consoling burnt out registered nurses, and the stress from a crumbling system that was not prepared for this global pandemic (but should have been). Any sane person would have closed Bonnie Boxes then, but I wanted it to stay alive when so many other things weren't.
Bonnie Boxes Ltd. survived the pandemic...just. The company had come out the other end looking like a dishevelled dog who'd been found inside a water pipe after 2 weeks. Because I ran the business from home and I had technically not started paying myself anything (the business owed ME money), Bonnie Boxes Ltd. did not qualify for any covid government funding. Grants that had been open before had "closed due to uncertainty of the outcome of the pandemic".
Despite all this, I was in deep and had invested too much to let go at this point.
I wanted it to work, whether it was going to or not!
For a little while it felt like it was going to work. The boxes started coming together again after a long wait. I'd had a plan to space them out longer so there was more time for artist and designers to make and send me their stock (as they too had backed up orders). Outstanding subscriptions were being filled and honoured but, this meant again, that any money from new orders was covering the supplies and expenses for the new boxes, but only just. I thought with a few more injections of cash from myself I could keep it topped up enough that eventually the box would be back on it's feet within a year to actually start making enough profit to both sustain and grow.
Then we hit postal strike hiccups, which insurance refused to cover. Bonnie boxes had to choose between paying taxes on time or paying extra prices for sending out boxes that would arrive to their destinations while also refunding customers. Because I'm a "people first" person, I chose the latter. Which in the corporate world is most likely a terrible mistake. I still think it was the right decision for me, as my customers were loyal, and I wanted them to see that I was loyal to them also. After all "the same people you meet on the way up, are the same people you'll meet on the way down." and I was always taught "never s**t where you eat." Ultimately this led Bonnie Boxes ltd. into the negative. We were fined late fee's and this left us with no money for new stock. At this point I was still determined to keep going. I looked into loans and grants that had started to open back up, but to no avail, Bonnie boxes Ltd. didn't qualify for any of them. Then, without warning, I had a medical emergency with my health and became extremely ill. I had to abandon the business while I was going through drug treatments, scans, and many hospital visits and calls. I was burnt out. Unlike large businesses, a small businesses doesn't have the luxury of someone stepping in and taking over when the Director is unwell. There is no "forgiveness" for filing and fees that should have been done during that time. Everything gets backed up. So when I was well enough to come back, I realised this was it. I'd come to the end of the road. I had tried all sideroads and pit-stops but there was no more roads to go down. I remember a deep sense of sadness rush over me. I reflected on everything I had done, what I'd do differently now that I knew? Had I exhausted every avenue? I remember a family friend grabbing my shoulders and saying "Holly, I would have given up ages ago! Most people would have! The fact that you made it this far with everything that has happened is a testament to your stubbornness to commit until there is nothing left! Frankly I think you're crazy, but crazy is what got you this far!"
At the time I was not sure how to take this statement. I wanted someone to tell me what to do, how to keep Bonnie Boxes going. You might even say I was still in the denial phase? I've gone through the process of grief now. I've come to terms that this too must end, like all things eventually end. But it was a glorious adventure, that taught me more than I could have imagined. I will take those memories, the things I've learned, the people I have friended, all of it, with me into the future. I cannot thank everyone who helped keep Bonnie Boxes going as long as it did. Without you, Bonnie Boxes wouldn't have made it the four years it did! You were there for the highs and the lows. I only wish it could have been a better outcome.
Wishing all of you reading this a wonderful future. Please know I am forever grateful for the support you gave this small business and being a part of this journey.
For all of you who wish to keep in touch, you can still email:
infothescotbox@gmail.com
and TheScotBox instagram page that I will keep up for those of you who might want to look back on posts etc.
Should you wish to see what I'm getting up to or any new endeavour's that I may take up you can always find me at www.hollycampbellsmith.com or @HollyCampbellSmith on instagram.
I hope you all enjoyed your little slices of Scotland as much as I did curating and sending them. Until we speak again! Kindest regards and many salutations, Holly Campbell-Smith (Founding & Closing Director of Bonnie Boxes Ltd.) '
From this article date onwards Bonnie Boxes Ltd. is no longer trading.
Any previous orders still outstanding may not be fulfilled despite the wishes of the director to fulfil these orders.
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