Female Founder Fridays: Kristina Barnes and Elizabeth Voelker, ReadyFestive

Kristina Barnes and Liz Voelker are the power duo behind ReadyFestive , a customizable subscription box service for holiday and seasonal home decor featured on Shark Tank ABC . Kristina, a Miami University graduate and former global fashion retail executive with over fifteen years' experience at Gap Inc. , co-founded ReadyFestive with Liz, a Penn State University grad who spent time in the media and entertainment industry, including Sports Illustrated and Turner (Turner Broadcasting System, Inc) . The below conversation originally took place on my Threads account in September 2023.

How did the two of you meet, and where did the idea for Ready Festive come from?

Liz: We lived in the same town outside of San Francisco. Kristina had a local tablescape rental business — and when I started talking about this idea of an online subscription box service delivering holiday & seasonal home decor (which I needed in my own life!) -- friends suggested I meet Kristina. It was basically a blind date! We met and immediately hit it off; Kristina decided to close her business, we officially became business partners and launched ReadyFestive together, in late 2019. 

What’s your favorite holiday, and why? 

Kristina: Valentine’s Day!  It’s unexpected but SO cute and such a fresh start to the new year of decorating!

Liz: Christmas! For all of the obvious reasons -- the tree, the magic, gift giving, family traditions. I’m also a Christmas baby (birthday is December 27), so it’s an extra special time of year.

What strengths and qualities do each of you bring to the partnership, and how do these complement each other? 

Kristina: My background is in Merchandising and Product Development and therefore I have a passion for all things in bringing the product to life -- so Liz and I complement each other’s skill sets and personal passions.

Liz: My background is in marketing and sales. I’m a people person and a creative person and love running point on all things brand, customer and “front of house.”

The best partnerships are a yin and yang of personalities, strengths and weaknesses. When each person excels at something different, not only can they teach the other person about their area of expertise, but they can handle that aspect of the business and make it more efficient. How do you choose the products that go into the boxes? 

We travel to industry trade shows twice a year and walk through probably 100 showrooms on each trip. We see thousands of products with the goal of finding the most on-trend, quality, affordable pieces to curate the perfect collections for our customers. 

What sets Ready Festive apart from your competitors in the market?

Our differentiator is definitely the level of customization that we offer. We're not a monthly or quarterly decor box like everyone else -– because that’s now how you decorate! You decorate by holiday and/or season, and each of us has our own unique decorating style, so we've always put our customer first, which is why with us, you can choose different holidays/seasons, mix and match your box size, and choose from various decor collections, styles and products.

We truly want you to stress less and festive more. It’s definitely harder for us to implement from a business perspective, but we’re betting on that paying off in the long run. 

Who is your target consumer?

Anyone who wants or needs a little help with decorating their home for their favorite holidays/seasons! That can look like a busy Mom with little kids, an empty nester who entertains a ton, a single parent, a college student who wants their apartment to feel more like home. Our customer spans the age of 20 to 80 with a wide range of life circumstances. 

The appeal is so broad that anyone who loves specific holidays or even seasons can decorate easily and affordably. Tell me about Shark Tank – what was that experience like? 

Kristina: The tank itself was the absolute best part!  It was so exciting and fun to be in there chatting with and being challenged by experts in the industry about ReadyFestive, its strengths, opportunities and risks. It’s what makes you better and stronger -- truly an entrepreneurial dream.

Liz: Walking into the tank was definitely nerve-wracking! It was a long process to get there -- like running a marathon -- and when we finally crossed the finish line and delivered our pitch, it was scary, exciting and a huge relief all at the same time. It was also a lot of fun. We watched it together with our families; the kids were especially proud and excited! We’re happy with how it all worked out.

Did you have a favorite Shark going into the Tank? And were they still your favorite when you came out?

We were open to working with any shark. If we had to choose one that was our “favorite” going into it, it was probably Lori Greiner because she’s a female founder/entrepreneur. She seemed like a super nice, genuine person (and she was very kind to us in the Tank). Our favorite coming out of it is clearly Robert Herjavec , who we made a deal with! 

What were some of the biggest challenges or obstacles you faced in the early stages of your business, and how did you overcome them together? 

We launched right before COVID… so that was our first challenge! It was a blessing for the business in that stores were closed, people needed an online solution, and there we were! It was a challenge as we suddenly became homeschool teachers to three kids each, while trying to launch and run our business. 

There have been so many other challenges over the years, but that’s part of the entrepreneurial journey. We’ve overcome them by trusting our gut, pivoting, firing some people, being resourceful, and reaching out to ask for help when we needed it.

Who are some female entrepreneurs that you admire and/or have helped mentor you along your entrepreneurial journey?

We love Sara Blakely . Her story is incredibly inspiring. She built a billion dollar business based on her unwavering self-confidence, grit and staying true to her gut feeling that she had a billion dollar idea. She’s also a Mom, incredibly down-to-earth and real about the challenges she has faced along the way. 

She truly makes people think that anything is possible and no idea is too silly or unattainable. What was a memorable success story or milestone that your business has achieved since its inception? 

One of the most memorable milestones was moving out of Liz’s garage and into a warehouse/fulfillment center. We packed and shipped the first few thousand boxes out of a very small garage. There were lots of late nights (with wine!) and good memories there… but also, it was time to move! We were so proud the day that we moved into our space and met our team. That space and team have both continued to grow and it’s amazing to look back and see how far we’ve come. 

It’s hard to know when it’s time to move! That must have been scary and momentous for your business all at once. I am sure the memories, trials, triumphs in that small garage were life changing. What is next for ReadyFestive – any exciting developments or new products on the horizon?

Right now, we’re heads down focused on managing the recent growth we’ve experienced, especially coming off of Shark Tank. We’re working on streamlining and optimizing the customer experience and automating some business operations so that we can spend more time on big-picture initiatives -- like new products and features!