WELCOME TO GRATITUDE COLLABORATIVE!!!
The picture above is what two best friends working together looks like. Sweet, right?
Well, what you can’t see is that I’m not wearing shoes, Dana is in pajama pants, we are both covered in a less than attractive layer of sweat, and we both need manicures like WHAT. But, the love that you see in the photo is real. We’re tired, hungry and go from being under to overly caffeinated every couple hours, but we’re doing what we makes us happy with a person that makes us happy.
Dana began making gift boxes three years ago. At the time, she was working full time as producer of multi-million dollar film and TV projects. (Three years ago, I was also a film/TV producer, but of multi-dollar projects.) Seeing the joy that giving and receiving gifts brought to people, Dana was determined to transition into offering gifting services full time. She founded Gratitude Collaborative in 2014, and made sure to model the business in a way that nurtured a charitable component. Helping friends give and receive gifts was important to Dana, but so was giving back. A portion of the proceeds of every GC gift box goes directly to feeding children in our community. Therefore, the gifts that Gratitude Collaborative give are more than just presents — they’re contributions.
I joined GC last year… when I was eight months pregnant. I saw the incredible things Dana was doing with the company, and I wanted to be a part of it from the ground floor — and I wanted to work with my best friend. Well, it’s been a little over a year that I’ve been with Gratitude Collaborative, and I’ve gone through every emotion as a working mom. I was humbled by the notion that there’s no “working from home,” once you have a baby and it hasn’t always been easy to create a balance. Dana has been doing the heavy lifting as the company has grown, but I’m very happy I will be able to tell my now almost 11 month old son Henry that he used to join mommy on treks across Los Angeles to deliver gift boxes.
Dana and I have learned so much about each other as we have endured the challenges that come with starting your own business. Luckily we share similar ideals as to what we want Gratitude Collaborative to be, as well as a toolbox of conflict resolution strategies for when we disagree. They say you shouldn’t work with friends, but we are currently proving them wrong. Chocolate helps.
We’re so glad you took time to visit the site, and we hope you come back to see the great things we have planned. We are grateful for YOU!
— LB xx