Who is Nora Anna?
Nora Anna (a Norwalk, Connecticut resident) is the CEO and Founder of PerfectGifts4Me. She developed PerfectGifts4Me.com in 2020 to put thought and process back into gift-giving. Wanting to take the hint out of gift-giving and make it more personal than swapping gift cards, Nora created a platform where people can share gift ideas. She is in the process of designing a Latino sister site called LosRegalosParaMi.com that will be entirely in Spanish and aims to be culturally correct. This will launch in fall 2022. A long-time entrepreneur, Nora also successfully founded Coconino Consulting in 1999 and has served as the company’s CEO since the company’s inception.
What’s the story behind PerfectGifts4Me?
It’s estimated that Americans waste $13 to $16 billion on unwanted Christmas gifts each year. The gifts end up unused, thrown out or regifted. The reality is that most people don’t know what friends and family actually want or need. Seeing this happen time and time again led me to ask myself ‘how do people prevent wasting time, energy and money on unwanted gifts?’
Thus, the ideation for PerfectGifts4Me was born. I created a new, free platform to take the guesswork out of gift-giving. Using the platform is simple. Users set up gift profiles and add links to items and experiences they would like to receive as gifts, then they share their profiles with family and friends. It’s a two-way approach though, and the idea is that their friends and family members create profiles and share their desirable gift lists in return.
What was the most difficult part of your experience in the early beginnings?
Launching PerfectGifts4Me during the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging because we wanted to be sensitive to everything happening around the world. We did not want to take advantage of vulnerable people or situations. So, we had a soft launch on Valentine’s Day in 2020 and later announced the launch of the company with a press release. As an emerging company, we are working diligently to raise awareness for the platform and increase the number of PerfectGifts4Me.com users. With everything going on in the world, it can be hard to get your message out. We have to be creative in how we communicate with people that we believe will truly benefit from utilizing our platform.
What are you most proud of regarding your business?
PerfectGifts4Me prevents giftees from wasting valuable resources like time, money and energy on gifts people don’t even want. Knowing that 77 percent of holiday gifts are returned, exchanged or thrown out, I want to give people the opportunity to channel resources where it matters. PerfectGifts4Me is socially responsible and also supports small businesses and nonprofits. The Personal Gift Profile features three components – My Gift Gallery – for gifts people want; Save the World with Me – for non-profit people support; and Support my Small Business Community to bolster beloved neighborhood businesses. I am proud to facilitate the exchange of gifts that matter. By giving people what they actually want, we prevent less waste, help the environment, save time and alleviate stress. These are all positive attributes for which I am proud.
What is your vision for the future of PerfectGifts4Me?
I envision multitudes of people utilizing the PerfectGifts4Me platform to express their love and kindness through thoughtful gift-giving. Giftees have access to a plethora of useful information – ideal gifts, beloved small businesses and favorite charities. There are so many ways we can give to our friends and family and simultaneously give back to our communities too. With PerfectGifts4Me, I want to transform gift-giving to make it fun, stress-free and meaningful year-round. People can use PerfectGifts4Me for a variety of special occasions – birthdays, graduations, housewarmings, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas and more! In a world where people are impulsive shoppers or seem to have everything, this opens the door for sharing ideas and having a more giving heart. I am on a mission to make gift-giving meaningful, significant and impactful for years to come!
What’s your advice for the businesses that are trying to adapt to this economic climate?
Be sensitive. Everyone is affected by the global pandemic and is going through something different. Do not try to take advantage of a vulnerable situation or group of people. I also recommend companies look for ways to give back and be socially responsible. When a company exists to provide solutions and make a positive impact, their success skyrockets because they fulfill a need while simultaneously making a difference that matters.
Please name a few technologies which have the greatest impact on your business.
Social Media is its own entity.
It is an amazing set of platforms for billions of people to communicate with each other worldwide.
PerfectGifts4Me.com is now a part of this gigantic community. PerfectGifts4Me.com hopes to become a neighborhood where people can exchange ideas about gifting to each other and the world. Zoom and other conference platforms have changed the way we all do business. It is another medium that has made us all more accessible to each other.
On the hardware front, my Apple Watch on silent mode runs my life and keeps my iPhone from disturbing others especially in meetings and zooms. My Dell XPS is my “Zoom Book” and always makes me look and sound good in meetings. My MacBook is invaluable when I am being creative.
What books do you have on your nightstand?
Paolo Coelho’s The Alchemist – It is my niece’s favorite book. Originally, I read it to relate to her more but now it has become one of my favorite stories. I am re-reading now for the story’s encouraging messages about the journey and what’s truly important.
James Michener’s Hawaii – I love everything James Michener ever wrote. Michener’s novels helped me through some really tough times when I was younger. I read Hawaii in 1998 and it inspired me to go to
Hawaii in 1999. After that trip, my first business, Coconino Consulting, was born. I am reading Hawaii now because after 23 years it’s all brand new and just as inspiring.
Because of the current economic climate our publication has started a series of discussions with professional individuals meant to engage our readers with relevant companies and their representatives in order to discuss their involvement, what challenges they have had in the past and what they are looking forward to in the future. This sequence aims to present a series of experiences, recent developments, changes and downsides in terms of their business areas, as well as their goals, values, career history, the high-impact success outcomes and achievements.
