An entrepreneur who started a business selling snack boxes to office workers in the midst of a global Covid-19 pandemic is now on track to make $1 million in sales.
Natasha Giannetti, from Melbourne, launched Snacks With Bites in January 2020 after she saw a niche in the market for a subscription service offering snack boxes for office employees around Australia.
After spending two years researching, developing and investing in her brand, the 28-year-old was left distraught when every office in the country was closed indefinitely as employees were forced to work from home amid the coronavirus lockdown.
‘Like many business owners at this time, I started to panic. I had to make the tough decision on whether to place the company into hibernation or pivot,’ Natasha told Daily Mail Australia.
Natasha Giannetti (pictured), from Melbourne, launched Snacks With Bites in January 2020
The 28-year-old saw a niche in the market for a subscription service offering communal snack boxes for office workers around Australia
As things took a turn for the worse, her clients had no choice but to cancel their subscriptions after the global pandemic hit the corporate industry.
‘I attempted to make the most of the covid challenge and used it as fresh inspiration to pivot the business and find a new way to make it work,’ she explained.
She put her effort into speaking to customers and seeing what they actually want.
‘The more conversations I had with existing or cancelled customers, the more I kept hearing about demotivated employees and how they were struggling to maintain their corporate culture remotely,’ Natasha said.
And so the idea to adapt the product from ‘communal office snack boxes to individual-sized employee wellness boxes’ quickly sprung to mind.
Ditching the communal option, she quickly came up with mini boxes, designed to be sent out to remote employees working from home.
As her city was plunged into a draconian stage-four lockdown, she was forced to work on the ‘most pivotal times’ in her business.
‘I worked from my dining room table for most of the growth stages,’ she said.
She started her booming business selling snack boxes to office workers in the midst of a global Covid-19 pandemic
After tweaking her business model, the brand went on to sell 20,000 boxes within 12 months
After tweaking her business model, the brand went on to sell 20,000 nutritionist-approved snack boxes within 12 months.
‘I feel like I haven’t had the chance to fully reflect on last year. While I am proud of what has been achieved, I still have tunnel vision on what needs to be achieved to grow this business,’ she said.
Before her success, Natasha was working in customer service when she found herself snacking on unhealthy foods during office hours.
‘Falling in a slump by the afternoon, my productivity and focus took a hit,’ she said.
‘I found it difficult to ensure I was fuelling my body with the right foods. When work was busy, I would reach for snacks filled with sugar and other nasties.’
Her colleagues felt the same way, which sparked the idea of her business.
‘Here I saw a gap in the market to offer healthy, corporate snacks as a way for businesses to establish a convenient, cost-effective wellness program at work,’ she said.
And so she was determined to help ‘reshape the Aussie corporate culture’.
The brand offers one-off boxes and single-portion snacks to suit every employee’s needs
Natasha (right) spent two years researching, developing and investing in her brand
She came up with Snacks With Bite, a subscription service to offer businesses easy and affordable access to quality snacks to help keep employees healthier, happier and more productive while helping cultivate positive office culture
She came up with Snacks With Bite, a subscription service to offer businesses ‘easy and affordable access’ to quality snacks to keep employees ‘healthier, happier and more productive’ while ‘helping cultivate positive office culture’.
Working alongside qualified nutrition experts, Natasha spent the next two years building her business from the ground up.
Fast forward, she’s now on track to make seven figures in revenue in its first year, with profits in the first year that’s already paid the start-up costs.
One of her major corporate clients include Telstra after her business signed a ‘huge’ contract deal with the country’s largest mobile network.
‘I couldn’t believe it. I remember pacing up and down my house in excitement and relief,’ she said.
For those looking to start a business, Natasha suggested: ‘Start today.’
‘Once you get your foot in the door, find out what part of a company is most exciting to you,’ she said, adding you should ‘always be hungry to learn and not to be afraid of trying something new.’
‘If you need some inspiration or lack knowledge don’t be afraid to reach out to people in the industry that you look up to, you would be surprised how many are willing to help out. When all else fails – Google, Google, Google,’ she added.
Natasha’s top five tips for starting a business
1. Don’t be afraid to not know it all: In the beginning I was so scared of asking the ‘wrong’ questions, but there really aren’t any! I was in my own head about the fact that I would be portrayed as a ‘young dumb girl’ that stopped me early on from asking the right questions earlier, I have learned the importance of sharing that
2. Work smarter, not harder: I used to wear how many hours I worked as a badge of honour. However, I am learning the importance of balance and listening to your body and taking a break when you are at your highest points of stress as it helps with clarity
3. Vulnerability can be a sign of strength: Not dissimilar to my first point, but reaching out to your support network or family, friends or co-workers and letting them know when you need help with workload is important and not a sign of weakness but instead a sign of strength
4. Know your numbers: This was my biggest weakness with starting a business, I didn’t understand the key indicating numbers of business success. I learnt very quickly the difference between generating revenue versus profit and money in the bank
5. Go for it: This is probably the most important mistake I made was not going for it in the biggest and coming up with so many reasons why not instead of solutions to the problem. Instead, just have a go, see if it works, if it doesn’t move on, if it does amazing