MEET CONSTANCE PANTON
CBN: Hi ! We’d love to learn more about you, your story and what you are focused on professionally – whether it’s a business, nonprofit, artistic career etc. Please tell our readers about what you do, what you feel is most exciting or special about it, as well as anything else you’d like folks to know about your brand/art/etc. Be sure to include any important connections to your Caribbean identity and how it has influenced or shows up in your work.
Constance: My name is Constance Panton and I am the CEO/Founder of Bifties Gifts. I started Bifties in 2016 as a response to the constant news of unarmed Black men being killed by police. This was your Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown period. It seemed everyday another one. I wanted to give the Black community a hug somehow. When my aunt invited me to a gift exchange she found on social media, I immediately knew how I could give a hug to the Black community, through gifting. I created the gift exchange/secret santa with the only criteria was that gifts had to come from a Black owned business. This was my way of sending a financial hug to the Black community. Not only were we showing love to each other, but we were also supporting Black businesses and by way of that the Black community. I invited everyone I knew to participate regardless of the color of their skin. Many of my non-Black friends felt this was a call to action for Black people only and didn't participate. Of my Black friends that did participate, some found it challenging to find gift worthy Black owned products, mind you , this is 2016 before their were a ton of directories and labels identifying Black owned businesses. So after 4 years of conducting the gift exchange, I decided to make it easy for ANYONE, regardless of skin color, race, or religion to buy quality Black-owned products. As a Jamaican-American, I am 100% familiar with group economics. Bifties provides a way to funnel money into multiple Black businesses. When you send a gift with us, you are supporting up to 6 or 7 Black owned businesses in one gift!
CBN: It’s wonderful to meet you! Thanks for that lovely insight. What author/specific book/podcast has/have played an important role in your growth and development and what were a few of the most valuable or impactful nuggets of wisdom?
Constance: Two books that have helped me think differently about my business are Profit First by Mike Michalowicz and Company of One by Paul Jarvis. The administrative part of my business I struggle with a lot. We start our business based on the work we provide and initially don't think about the admin part of it, like paying taxes, or how to scale. All we want is that first order then the next, and the next. I struggled with managing cash flow and paying taxes, especially in the first year of business. Profit first helped me change my mindset and how I manage my capital. It shows you how to bucketize your money, so you have enough at the end of the year to pay your taxes and yourself. When I read a "Company of One" it allowed me to appreciate where I am in my business, and that trying to scale too fast isn't always in one's best interest. It is much more beneficial to dive in and make sure your systems are running correctly before you decide to scale. Is your inventory management under control? Are you reaching the right audience. Paul Jarvis basically suggests making sure your shoelaces are securely tied before trying to run so that you don't fall.
CBN: What role does data play in your marketing strategies? How do you gather and analyze data to refine your marketing efforts?
Constance: I rely heavily on data to move Bifties in the right direction. This is and continues to be a learning curve for me. I have made numerous mistakes when it comes to marketing and tracking ROI. I recall spending thousands on an advertisement for HULU. They had launched a small business program where you could advertise beginning at $500. So, I paid to have an ad created and then paid HULU to advertise on their platform. Once the ad was live, I realized I had no way of tracking that ad to determine is my investment was worth it. I failed to add a QR code or discount code to the ad in order to track it. The company I used did not advise me to add such things, but when I asked if we could edit the ad to add one, they said sure...but for an additional fee. That made me think it wasn't suggested initially for a reason. Mistakes on my end, means more money on their end. Now when it comes to marketing, I advertise in smaller increments and with ways to track performance so that I can pivot, pause or stop ads if they are not performing. I know how much I need to recoup in order to determine if my ad is successful and I have much more transparent conversations with advertisers when I am looking to use their service. Even when it comes to donations I now require ROI. I may give you a free product for your organizations event but in return I outline requirements that I need too, for example, I may ask that an email goes out to their distro highlighting me as a partner with a discount code attached. It's all about tracking ROI and determining what works and what doesn't.
“As a Jamaican-American, I am 100% familiar with group economics. Bifties provides a way to funnel money into multiple Black businesses. ”
CBN: Can you share an example of a significant opportunity that came about through your business network?
Constance: Just this month I had the honor of being a judge for the Louie Awards. The Louie Awards are presented by the Greeting Card Association. The Louie Awards recognize the most outstanding greeting cards, invitations, and announcements in the industry. I was nominated to be a judge due to a recommendation by one of the stationery companies I buy from for Bifties. They sent my name over to the Greeting Card Association, and explained that as a buyer of numerous greeting cards my insight would be valuable as a judge. This was an honor and full circle moment. As a teenager, I worked with a greeting card wholesaler and we would stock greeting cards in local pharmacies early in the morning. That is where my fascination with greeting cards began. Unlike other gift box companies, Bifties uses greeting cards from our network of Black-owned businesses. It is our way of raising awareness of the awesome design our stationery network has to offer, as well as an additional way of getting one more Black-owned brand into our gift boxes.
We thank you Constance for sharing your BOLD JOURNEY!
Contact/Follow: @biftiesgifts | chpanton@bifties.com | https://bifties.com
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