We had the good fortune of connecting with Maria Boustead and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maria, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Staying true to our brand values of purposefulness, engaging, and fun has been key in our company’s growth. Growing a brand is so full of ups and downs, deciding which opportunities to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to, and learning on the job (daily!) that it can be easy to lose focus on why you’re doing what you’re doing and what is really moving the needle.

Purposefulness is like making decisions with the mind of a chess player, looking at problems/opportunities from all the angles so that when we make our move we are confident that it is taking us in the right direction. Does this sometimes slow us down? Yes. But getting everyone to buy-in to the move helps us navigate the issues that inevitably arise as we try to do something new.

Engaging reminds us to interact with our customers and the market and to really learn from the people we are serving. At the end of the day, if we’re not making people’s rides better, we didn’t succeed.

And fun reminds us that this is business and part of our life and while we take it very seriously, we need to enjoy the journey.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Like many entrepreneurs, I started Po Campo to solve a problem I personally experienced: needing a better way to carry things on and off my bike with style and ease. Seeing more people using their bikes for transportation all the time, I knew that there were a lot more people like me, looking for that transitional gear that helps them integrate biking into their daily lives without compromise.

Po Campo turns 15 this years so I’m letting myself be nostalgic and appreciate how far we have come. The first 10 years were mostly spent perfecting our product and building out the supply chain while waiting for the market to get ready. We relaunched the brand and product in early 2020 and since then our sales have really taken off. I’m so glad we had the patience to keep plugging away because now we are exactly where we want to be: in a growing market with a unique product and loyal customers.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A weekend trip to NYC would include a visit to a museum, a Broadway show, some sightseeing, lounging in parks, and hitting some of my fave cafes and restaurants. All from the seat of a Citibike of course!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’m dedicating my shoutout to my terrific advisory board who has been a great source of wisdom and support over the last few years. In alphabetical order:
– Michelle Nadeau for reminding me to focus on how we want our customers to feel
– Mike Zucker for guiding us in inventory, forecasting and product planning
– Mona West for knowing something about everything and up for jumping on a call whenever
– Todd Stockbauer for being such a terrific financial problem solver

Website: https://www.pocampo.com

Instagram: @pocampobags

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mboustead/

Image Credits
Kyle LaMere Monica Semergiu

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