Doug’s story is an inspiration to many business owners in BC. After a varied career in physical therapy, high tech sales and marketing, franchise management and telecom consulting, Doug wanted to pursue a venture that would make a positive impact on the environment. He created FROGBOX.
Launched in 2008, the eco-friendly moving company has gone from strength to strength. Just one short year after opening their flagship location in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, Doug and his team crossed the border to Seattle to open their second location. Just one year after that, they expanded to Eastern Canada and opened a third location in Toronto. Now? They have over 20 locations across Canada and the US, with a plan to open a further 50 in the next few years.
Media Frenzy
In 2011 Doug graced the TV screens of households across Canada, on CBC’s Dragons Den. With a successful pitch under his belt, he gained two new business mentors, Jim Treliving and W.Brett Wilson, and a lot of media interest.
Since then FROGBOX has been featured in NBC14’s Sunday Morning show, HGTV’s new show – Consumed, CBC The National, Entrepreneur Magazine, Profit Magazine, The Globe and Mail, The Financial Post, The Vancouver Sun and The Vancouver Observer.
Not bad for a company just hitting its fourth birthday.
Validating the Concept
The media interest didn’t stop there. In 2011, Doug and the team were named: the Georgia Straight’s Best Moving and Storage Company, one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 10 Start-Ups, in the Forbes Magazine’s Top 100 of Most Promising Companies and one of Profit Magazine’s Hot 50.
And it’s not just media coverage the team has benefitted from, they’ve also been featured in a number of Awards, including Small Business BC’s very own Successful You Awards where they were joint winners for the Best Green Business Award in 2011 and a Top 10 Finalist for Best Company in 2012. Other awards have included the Sustainable Seattle’s Sustainability Award and The Inaugural Leos(TM) Award.
The Importance of Passion
Looking back at all this success it’s easy to think that Doug’s story is one of someone who happened to be in the right place at the right time. But that’s not the case. Doug has put many long hours of planning, preparation and hard work into his business. He admits: “Due to the long hours that are required when starting your business, it is incredibly important that you are passionate about what you do”. He notes, taking time for yourself, your family and your health is just as important as working hard. “Making sure that you set time aside for these things, even when it seems like there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done, is essential to preventing your business from taking over your life.”
Giving Back
When launching a business with the intention of creating something that has a positive impact on the environment, it is safe to assume that Doug would run FROGBOX with the lowest environmental footprint that he could. But he doesn’t stop there. FROGBOX donates one percent of its sales to frog-habitat restoration projects, including the Vancouver Aquarium’s Oregon Spotted Frog Recovery and BC Frogwatch programs.
And it’s not just about the amphibian community that the business focuses on. Doug has actively built a relationship with Building Opportunities with Business (BOB), employing a number of workers from their Supported Workers Program, which helps those living in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
Other beneficiaries include the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, who uses FROGBOXES to collect toys for kids and textile recycling initiative, Our Social Fabric, who benefit from subsidized office space in Doug’s Vancouver office.
The concept of giving back is something that Doug has tried to ensure flows through the company, including in the 20 franchise locations, with every location donating services to charities across North America.
Putting Customers First
From very early on in the business planning process, Doug made the decision to make customer service a priority. “Moving is rated as one of life’s most stressful events. Our purpose is to make this event as easy and affordable as possible while minimizing the impact on the environment, “ Doug observes, “And what better marketing vehicle is there than a happy customer?”
It’s a tactic that seems to be working. Doug uses a standardized satisfaction collection system called Net Promoter Score, to monitor how they are doing. The results? A companywide score of 90. The average in North America is 15. Not bad.
