As the month of March comes to an end, our coffee cups are filled with gratitude for the amazing female business-owners we’ve collaborated with during Women’s History Month. Feeling especially thankful to know these women, support their endeavors, experience their brilliance, and share their stories. Here at Sip and Ship, the hard work that goes into running a business does not go unnoticed. What makes it worthwhile is knowing that the impact will resonate within our personal and community journey where we intersect and ultimately create something more beautiful together. 

In the fourth and final installment of this series, we are eager to spotlight virtual mailbox customer Priyanka Raha, founder and CEO of PopSmartKids. As Women’s History Month seeks to educate and empower all generations, Priyanka and PopSmartKids have a similar mission to support and inspire students. Serving as a reminder that investing in one another is one of the most powerful tools to create a better future. 

PopSmartKids is a learning solution that offers writing programs for K-12 students and digital citizenship programs for parents and families. The goal is to empower every child with the skills and confidence to express themselves clearly and effectively through writing. By developing a research-based writing program which takes a thoughtful approach to teaching writing skills, the company meets students wherever they are in their growth journey. The curriculum stands apart from anything else available on the market today by using a variety of interactive and collaborative activities to inspire and engage young writers. Instead of feeling like a chore, students actually want to come to these writing classes!

As an entrepreneur and small business owner, Priyanka recognizes the importance of a strong support system.  She knows that she can’t do it all on her own and can always rely on Sip and Ship. Being a virtual mailbox customer means she can skip the hassle of going into a post office. Sip and Ship’s digital mailbox provides her with 24/7 remote access. Giving her the freedom to scale her businesses from anywhere, at any time. Priyanka can view delivered mail and packages from her phone or laptop dashboard. Giving her quick and easy access with a click of a button instructions to Sip and Ship to recycle, shred, deposit or forward her mail and packages to wherever she is in the world. The sky's the limit! 

“My experience with Sip and Ship is nothing less than stellar. Their virtual mail platform for my business is easy-to-use, and I appreciate the variety of different actions I can take on any mail that I receive. Their team is incredibly friendly, professional, and efficient. I like that they provide me with a mailing address that is a step up from a typical PO box, so it is convenient and acceptable for all business purposes. I no longer have to use my personal address as my business address or worry about missing my mail. Sip and Ship is not just a mailing service, they have been a pillar in the community for over two decades and I feel confident that I am in good hands.”

Priyanka is one of the many female founders who inspire us not only during Women’s History Month, but year-round! We hope this four-part series has given you a chance to know and connect with these brilliant entrepreneurs who are creating an impact in your community and around the world. What’s your dream? 

                                                                                                                          Staff Writer: Megan Pavek

“Here’s to strong women, may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.”
​
When women empower and uplift one another, the result is pure magic! Fearless leaders who plant seeds for others, inspire growth, and marvel at the force that blossoms before them. As Sip and Ship continues to celebrate women in business, we thought the aforementioned quote perfectly matched the values of Greenwood mailbox customer, Sara Dean.  

Sara Dean is no stranger to being a force who positively impacts others! As a keynote speaker, leadership and business coach, and mindset trainer, she supports women in leadership who want to become more courageous in their thoughts, actions and conversations. Sara moves her clients and audiences of all sizes to deeply understand that their voices have value by giving them tools to get out of their own way, retrain culturally ingrained negative thought patterns, and cultivate a deeper sense of intuition and self trust.

From mom conferences to women’s empowerment events to corporate training series, Sara teaches women and moms how to identify and own their greatest strengths in order to show up and shine in the areas they most want to grow and evolve! 

Sara has been leading women through growth and transformation for the last 20 years. She has spoken for Amazon, the City of Seattle, Charles Schwab, Maricopa County Public Health, Dendreon Pharmaceuticals, Junior League of Seattle, Alt Summit, and She Podcasts Live. She was recently featured on the Dr Phil Show. When she’s not speaking and coaching, she is hosting the Shameless Mom Academy, her top rated podcast that has been downloaded over 5 million times across 140 countries.

“I have been a customer at the Greenwood Sip and Ship for years. It started with me needing a safe and convenient place to receive business mail. But that relationship quickly evolved as I had ongoing mail and gift needs.  While I'm grateful to have a trustworthy mail partner in Sip & Ship, what I truly love is being able to stop in and grab fun gifts and cards for folks. Whether it's gifts for my son's teachers, super sweet birthday cards for loved ones, or fun treats for myself, I always find more than I need when I stop in Sip and Ship. I feel like Diana curates the shop just for me! I'm also consistently impressed with how Diana and the Sip and Ship team show and lead in our community. They are a special asset to our neighborhood that I’m very grateful for.”

We are filled with gratitude for Sara Dean and the Shameless Mom Academy for participating in part three of this series. Thank you for inspiring us to show up every day and lead our best lives! 
​ 
Staff Writer: Megan Pavek

Women’s History month invites revelry and reflection. In an ode to the achievements of past female generations, we are loud and taking up space. Here at Sip and Ship, we spend our days deep in thought, drawing parallels between the remarkable women of the past and the ones we admire in the present. 

Setting aside this special month to honor dynamic innovators and acknowledge all of the ways- both big and small- that they’ve truly touched our lives. Every Monday in March, this newsletter will give you a chance to know and connect with talented woman-owned businesses in your community. In part two of this series, Sip and Ship proudly spotlights virtual mailbox customer Moji Igun, founder and CEO of Blue Daisi. 

Passionate about preserving and protecting the environment, Blue Daisi is making a lasting impact in Seattle. Offering accessible support to businesses that want to grow their sustainability practices, the ultimate goal is to inspire integral change by pursuing zero waste.

Moji Igun founded Blue Daisi to make it easier for small businesses to practice the world they want to see on a small scale. She combines her professional experiences in engineering, education, and business operations with the deep knowledge she’s gained from her personal sustainability journey to help her clients push past the frustration and overwhelm of getting started.

Since 2021, Moji has been working with the City of Seattle’s Green Business Program to offer free support to local small businesses including targeted outreach, waste management training and connecting them to funding, incentives, and other resources. She's excited to continue working to help make Seattle a more sustainable and waste-free city. You can learn more about Blue Daisi here.

Understanding the busy lives of business-owners better than most, we know the importance of reliable services to save you time and provide peace of mind. By partnering with Sip and Ship, your business can use our commercial street address as its new mailing address, your business headquarters, giving you the opportunity to optimize SEO and google searches and scale with a team of support! No one should go it alone. Experience additional flexibility as a virtual mailbox customer and use your 24/7 access to your private online portal to view all incoming correspondence and packages.

“I love having a virtual mailbox at Sip and Ship! Having a separate mailbox for my business helps me stay organized and maintain my privacy. I also occasionally buy gifts for friends and colleagues or a treat for myself from the lovely product selections. It feels so great to be able to spend some time in the heart of Ballard and knock out the majority of my errands in one spot thanks to the whole team at Sip and Ship!”

Supporting fellow woman-owned businesses is always a priority at Sip and Ship. We are inspired by this partnership with Blue Daisi and look forward to learning more about ways to increase our sustainability in the future!
​
Staff Writer: Megan Pavek

Always jumping at the chance to root for female movers and shakers, we look forward to celebrating Women’s History Month with you at Sip and Ship! Recognizing how women inspire and shape our worlds by creating progress and amplifying the entrepreneurial spirit. 

Every Monday in March, Sip and Ship will proudly spotlight mailbox customers who are strong female business-owners making an impact in our communities. Giving you a chance to know and connect with these talented women and also support their businesses. 

Did you know that the National Women’s History Alliance selects a theme each year to guide community celebrations? The theme chosen for 2023 is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories” so it felt appropriate to begin part one of this series with traditional mailbox customer Sabra Gertsch, co-founder of Side Road Media. 

Drawing on her past life as a news journalist, Sabra is a gifted storyteller who uses her expertise to empower others through sharing their experiences. Her company Side Road Media helps uplift other businesses by employing effective communication strategy and brand enhancement through a combination of different mediums. An active mailbox customer since 2016, Sabra and her team rely on the Ballard Sip and Ship as a safe haven for trusted shipping services and efficient customer service, complete with the best coffee and salted chocolate chip cookies in town!

“I showed up in a frenzy with 30 boxes of chocolates, a couple bottles of wine, and handwritten holiday cards. I looked desperate because I was late, as usual, to accomplish this one big thing I was expected to manage: special deliveries from our small business. For the first time, Side Road Media could afford gratitude in the shape of physical gifts. Gifts that had to go out that day. I handed Diana and her team a list of addresses and left my mess of gratitude on the long counter near the window. They handed me one of their crazy delicious chocolate chip cookies and told me to scoot. That was it. A couple of hours later they sent me a photo of the beautifully packaged gifts and the shipping receipt. 

For the past six years, Ballard Sip and Ship has been a transfer hub for our company, a landing place where members of our team stop for baked goods, hot drinks, and hard drives waiting for production. We are a bunch of documentarians who get to tell stories  –– video shorts for social media and websites, commercials, long form content and documentaries –– for amazing and global companies based in Washington and points beyond. We are reminded often about how relationships connect us, how one small business can support and lift another. Thanks to Diana and team for being a lovely and reliable partner in our story.”

We are grateful for our continued partnership with a fellow woman-owned business and look forward to continually supporting and growing with one another in the future!
​
Staff Writer: Megan Pavek