Meet Terry August | Big Cheese at Fancifull Fine Food and Baskets

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

Hi Terry, what do you attribute your success to?
Well there never is just one factor when it comes to success. It is a myriad of things with a few basics standing out. Concerning our brand: I believe it is really our commitment to customer service and quality that has kept us in business for over 34 years. I say that because we hear it from our customers all the time. When we first decided to try this concept of a more personalized gift basket/gifting company we set out to be different from the mass produced ones that were found at every grocery store.
Important to us were: quality of products in the gifts, aesthetic design, amazing customer service, the ability of someone to come to our shop and find a little something to take home to a wife or a corporate client able to order 300 gifts. Range and authenticity reflect who we are at Fancifull. Curation was part of our process from day one. We met our makers, discovered and met the people doing it right by taking care of the planet and their employees, visiting wineries and producers around the world, and continued learning every single day. Always evolving into being the best we can. I don’t think I’d still be interested if we weren’t. Fancifull is very much a living thing
Range: Need a high end design for a tech billionaire? Okay. Just a box of chocolates? Well we have the best artisanal chocolates so it is easy. Need to thank 200 employees? Okay, give us a few days. Prop baskets for a tv show? We can do a variety of designs so they look like they are from different companies. Some will say success is finding a niche, which is true but in some ways we are the opposite of that. We can do so much it can be a bit confusing as to how to market us.
Customer Service is a broad term, but we always had a policy of making sure we understood what our client needed and noting it all correctly the first time so we didn’t have to call the client back. Our focus was taking it all off their plate so they didn’t have to worry about it; their part was done and it would be done well. We knew the bigger companies were pretty much you get what they give you. We are more motherly than that . We understand that we are a service more than a product. We solve their problem by creating a gift they will be proud to send/ represents their company well and we make it easy.
None of the above has changed in the decades we have been in business.

Our job is to make a day brighter for someone. We send messages of love, comfort, thanks, congratulations all day every day. It is a very nice thing to be part of, it makes life very pleasant.

Persistence is certainly one huge factor. There were times we thought we couldn’t go on, debt was too high, business too low, but we figured it out. It is a matter of always looking at what is working and what isn’t. What do the numbers tell you? What can you do differently? Did we take a wrong turn? Have we dropped out successful actions? It takes looking and figuring things out constantly

Pivot has become the catch word this last year but most small businesses are pivoting as part of survival. I compare us to that small motor boat that can change course and maneuver around the iceberg as opposed to the Titanic that plowed into it. It was too unwieldy to change course

Staying true to our goals, persisting, and being able to change course or react quickly are all factors in our success.

What should our readers know about your business?
Since 1987 Fancifull has specialized in artisan gifts via baskets, boxes and individual products that service corporations, the Entertainment Industry and Individuals the world over. We search the world, literally, to find the best while supporting local producers and introducing our clients to the wonders of great food, drink and handmade products. We get excited when we find companies doing it right – they can be large or small, we don’t discriminate. Our excitement comes from discovering new vendors and knowing that no matter what you spend with Fancifull you will be able to buy the best at that price. Our $10 wine is the best $10 wine you can find, but the same can be said for our $50 wine. We don’t rest on trends or brands and their marketing. We meet our makers, sample all the products that come in and choose carefully.Our philosophy has always been: If you can’t have the best of everything have the best of something.

Starting and running a small business is never an easy ride all the time. Our challenges were always lack of capital, bigger companies having much larger marketing budgets, trying to do it all when you can’t, and managing finances and a company, knowing what you know and getting help with those aspects you don’t. I don’t think we sought out enough help at the beginning. I think a challenge for many small business owners is you like to do what you like to do and it is easy to ignore the rest. But every organization no matter how small has divisions. You may wear every hat but someone has to run sales and marketing and someone has to run finances, and someone has to oversee production. If not, you run into trouble.
I overcame challenges by confronting them head on. We got a great bookkeeper who keeps our records straight and made us look at bills. I made myself figure out the actual cost of doing business so we could charge accordingly.
I think also knowing who we are, our values, and why people buy from us was important and is ever evolving. I think a big mistake is we tried to be like the bigger companies but couldn’t do it. They basically sell wholesale to the public and we can’t do that. Our quality and labor is too high. So we focused on what we like to do, who we really are and our purpose. Once we began to do that more and more people responded. They liked our story.
Knowing who your clients are is so important. By trying to be everything to everyone we got lost and tired. There are clients who are not our clients. Those who want it cheap and large are not for us. But those who want really good food in their gifts, custom gifts, thoughtful design, a focus on sustainability, a company that can do great vegan gifts or can design for any diet, terrific customer service – those are our clients. Then I needed to learn to charge for that because what we provided was so far superior to what the huge companies in our industry can do. Just the fact that we can hand deliver in Los Angeles same day is something few companies can do. The big ones ship only
I would say don’t under value what you provide. It is easy to do because it is what we do naturally so it seems no big deal. But it is a big deal. Our core values are about taking good care of our clients, helping them, sending gifts they are proud of, making it happen on time, keeping our promises, selling the best products often with stories attached, and just doing it right. Because those qualities are who we are it took a while to figure out that they put us in a different bracket. As we evolve we keep all our values in mind and just make it easier to provide. We really have met winemakers all over the world, discussed chocolate and techniques with makers, visited cheese makers and met their herds. It is who we are. Understanding how good we were took a while and was a hurdle we had to overcome so we could charge appropriately and be profitable. I think that is a challenge for many businesses. I never want to rip anyone off. We make sure we have gifts in all price ranges as I never want to be elitist. Never. Never want to be a snob. Everyone has a budget. Our job is to find the best in whatever budget a person has.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Gosh, I live in Hollywood so that is tough as there is so much. I would take them to the beach and hang. Working in L.A. I don’t get out as much so don’t know the restaurants and such as much as I do Paris, where I am always on vacation. I would take them to the Hollywood Bowl for a concert and have dinner at AOC at the bowl. We could bring our own wine and enjoy a lovely dinner outside before the concert.
Also a concert at Disney Hall is spectacular. I like Drago downtown for dinner
We could spend a day in Malibu with brunch at either Moonshadows on the water or Inn of the 7th Ray in Topanga.
Lunch at the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel is a great people watching place. Go from there to shopping on Rodeo drive in Beverly Hills
A tour of one of the studios is very Hollywood and fun for those out of town – Paramount and Warner Brothers both have tours
Both the Getty Villa in Malibu and the Getty Museum in Brentwood are great places to get outside and enjoy both terrific views and great art.
I would also go to Barnstall Park and tour the Frank Lloyd Wright house or take a tour of some of the great architecture like the Stahl House above Sunset Strip
A hike to the Hollywood sign is fun with breakfast at the Beachwood Cafe
Checking out LACMA (our main museum) and then walking down to Molly Malone’s Tavern on Fairfax
Canters in the Fairfax Kosher area is an institution.
Walk around the downtown arts district which has grown so much. A different side of Los Angeles but fun and energetic.
Tour the Gamble House in Pasadena, an Arts and Crafts masterpiece by the Greene Brothers, and then eat in Pasadena and shop.
Olvera street is funky but go for mexican food and experience a bit of tijuana in los anglees
Go up to the mountains and enjoy Lake Arrowhead for something different.
During winter and spring i would consider taking someone to Palm Springs for a day. Enjoy sunrises and sunsets against the mountains while hanging in perfect mid century modern buildings with a drink in hand.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My dear friend Loy Whitman pushed me to start this business and has been a sounding board throughout. My aesthetic sister. Also the Hubbard College of Administration had mini courses I was able to do to build up my knowledge and helped push me forward

Website: www.fancifull.com

Instagram: @fancifullbaskets

Twitter: @fancifullbasket

Facebook: Fancifull Fine Food and Baskets

Yelp: Fancifull Fine Food and Baskets

Youtube: Fancifull Fine Food and Baskets