The Future of Gift Giving is Here: Meet Lindsey Miranda, Co-Founder of Tell Me More Gifts
The Future of Gift Giving is Here. Meet Lindsey Miranda, co-founder of Tell Me More Gifts
In the multi-billion dollar gifting industry, we are often plagued with an over-saturation of impersonal, mass-produced gifts. However, Lindsey Miranda (aka Mira) is on a mission to make gift-giving better - meaningful, local, and eco-friendly.
Mira, like millions of workers during the COVID pandemic, had the chance to reflect deeply on the future of her career. Ultimately, Mira created an opportunity to pivot and do good.
"I was living in San Francisco and saw a lot of my artist and gig worker friends struggling. I kept on thinking about ways to connect people who want to uplift local artisans. I knew there could be a way to improve the current gift-giving ecosystem and benefit local artisans."
A few months later, Tell Me More Gifts was launched.
Tell Me More Gifts is a female-led startup matching gift-seekers with local vetted artisans to create meaningful gifts. Customers fill out a fun, custom gift form and get matched with a trusted artist who creates a one-of-a-kind piece in about 3 weeks. Each gift comes with a note from the gift giver and artisan.
While her co-founder Stephanie works directly with the artists and runs the inner plumbing of the company, Mira brings her nonprofit, startup operations, and psychology expertise to the venture. Over the past year, Tell Me More Gifts has worked with a pilot group of artisans and is delighted by the heartwarming stories from early adopters.
The Future of Gift Giving is Here. Meet Lindsey Miranda, co-founder of Tell Me More Gifts
Image Description: Lindsey Miranda holding her cat, Murderlint.
Throughout this startup experience, Mira has learned many lessons and hopes aspiring founders think about these health, wellness, and equity-focused reflections:
Mentorship is a cycle; those who are ready to seek a mentor are often capable of offering a lot of value to a mentee.
Diversity and representation in the entire Mentorship cycle is important.
Plan for it to never go as planned.
Seek connection. Don’t do it alone.
Identify and check your assumptions frequently. No one’s perfect.
It’s possible to teach yourself self-reflection skills.
Be in therapy. Work on yourself.
Walk your talk.
While there is no wrong way to give, Mira hopes all gift-givers remember to give with love: "Give however works best for you. Gifting should be a celebration, instead of an obligation."