Virginia Trafton Frischkorn is the founder and CEO of luxury event production company Bluebird Productions, Something Blue by Bluebird, and her newest venture, Bluebird in a Box.  When the COVID-19 pandemic upended the event industry, Virginia went back to her “WHY” and recognized that her calling was to craft experiences and spaces in which others could foster connection and meaningful conversation. Whether this is around a tabletop with thousands of dollars of decor or on a picnic blanket in the backyard, Virginia and her team aim to find a way for people to gather (safely) and think about the art of entertaining as more than “just the decor” or “just the food” or “just the stress.”  Bluebird in a Box puts the magic right at the tip of each customer's finger by bringing the most innovative companies and influencers in the country together through its many themed experiences and curated products.

Can you tell our readers about your background? 

I grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia with a family that loved to entertain and host. That said, I never thought that would be my career path! After graduating from UVA, I moved to Aspen, Colorado to be a ski bum for a winter. Two years later a position in events at The Little Nell opened up and my experience with entertaining paired with my detail-oriented nature shifted my thinking! I launched Bluebird Productions 10 years ago, an event design and planning company that works on luxury and ultra-luxury weddings, as well as social, corporate, and non-profit events. In early 2020, my team and I sat down to talk about what we love about what we do and why we do it. We recognized that our greatest skills professionally allow us to create extremely memorable experiences for our clients and their guests. We wanted to bring a piece of this magic to everyone and help others do what we do! From that, Bluebird in Box was hatched!  

What inspired you to start your business?

My team and I were really inspired to start Bluebird in a Box as we’ve witnessed the deep and foundational need for connection, meaningful conversation, and togetherness. The lack of this, so brightly illuminated in the early days of “COVID quarantine,” really sparked our desire to apply our expertise and catalyze positive change.  

Bluebird Productions was healthy and thriving in the event and luxury markets, and seeing the impact of our work, exceeding people's expectations, and enlightening their events (small or big) made us want to expand our touch to a bigger market. The idea came to fruition right before COVID when we noticed a hole in the “how to entertain” market and decided we’d like to take a swing at bringing a product to the market that could potentially enhance the lives of millions.  

Where is your business based?

We are based in Colorado in Denver and Aspen.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I first started dreaming and talking about the concept with a variety of friends, colleagues, trusted mentors, and my family. We started brainstorming what the pain points around entertaining and hosting at home are and how we could help solve these problems. A large survey to about 1000 of our closest friends later, we identified the most common stress points and recognized there was a demand for something to demystify the process of gathering people at home! Product ideas started following and then, ultimately, I had to put numbers to paper to confirm the concept was a viable product. A business plan and hundreds of hours later, we developed and launched Bluebird in a Box with our first offering: the Blueprint. Just like an architect has a blueprint for a house, we offer a Blueprint to host the perfect gathering. We contemplate everything you may want or need and give you guidance for what to do, what to buy, when to do it, how to do it, and more!

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

My awareness goal for Bluebird in Box is to have national recognition and mass impact. Fortunately, I have a company called Bluebird Productions with national recognition, and I knew I would have to leverage my other company as much as possible to help garner recognition for this new one! A partner that with social media, PR, email newsletter efforts, and me personally talking to everyone I know (hello to the many Uber drivers that can’t get me to shut up about how awesome this is and how they could use it) has helped us gain some initial traction and visibility.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Launching a company during a global pandemic has certainly been an interesting challenge, but I’ve loved the ways in which it has pushed me to think creatively and stretch my own ideas about what is possible and what would serve our audience best. And to that end, another fascinating challenge has been learning how to articulate a product that the world has never seen before. It is pretty cool to be the “first” to do something, but – with that – comes the task of developing a new language for talking about it. But we’ve loved these challenges and think that they make our company and our vision stronger than they we’d even imagined!

 How do you stay focused?

Focus and passion are two things I have a lot of (for better or worse). And, sure, I sort of volley between the two sometimes, but that’s just part of my creative process - my focus can get less targeted when my passion takes over, and vice versa. I rely on external accountability by working with my team and advisors to make sure I apply my focus to the most important tasks at hand as opposed to getting overly excited about an opportunity that’s caught my eye (or brain). Time is our most limited and precious resource and it’s important to use it wisely on the most leveraged tasks and items of the highest priority. I find compartmentalizing my life as much as possible as opposed to the traditional “mommy multi-tasking” approach allows me to be fully present for each thing on my plate and allows for the greatest and deepest focus.

●      Bonus tip: I turn off almost all of my phone and computer notifications so I do not get distracted. It’s easy to be doing one thing and then a notification pops up and then…. Look, squirrel!

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

●      Our business is unique in that we don’t actually have a competition once you understand our offerings! ;) We are not just a tabletop rental company or a company that sells schwag claiming that’s all you need for the party. As I mentioned, educating our consumers is the biggest pathway to differentiating us from the perceived competition. When customers understand the Blueprint concept, the response is overwhelmingly positive and many have recognized they can use the Blueprints in various ways over a much longer period of time – aka, it’s not a “disposable” product. Some feedback has been:  “Holy cow, you’ve thought of everything!” “I use your playlists every day!” “I’m so tired of using the same recipes, and now I have three new options from this one Blueprint alone!” “Your timeline and checklists are so thorough. After having hosted events for the last 30 years, I now realize how much I didn’t know and how I wish I had had this when I was just starting!”

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

●      Our newsletters have been a great method for providing additional value to our consumer base and garnering the attention of internet “window shoppers.” We’re really proud of our engagement and click-through rates this early in the game.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

●      Think long and hard about what you are willing to sacrifice for your business idea. And make sure you have identified a STRONG why to keep you going when you’re exhausted and the excitement and passion start to fade.

●      Do a lot of research and dream big – and then even bigger than that!

●      Curiosity is key! Channel your inner three-year-old and find inspiration everywhere!

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

●      App: Headspace: I use it to sleep and recenter. It has been a game-changer for me!  Well, that and Asana :)

●      Blog: I love Pure Wow and Well + Good. I get their daily emails and use them as guilty pleasure escapes:)

●      Book: Where to begin.... I love to read and set a reading (and audible) goal each year. Two of my favorites this year are Untamed by Glennon Doyle and A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles… Oh, and Joyful by Ingrid Fettell Lee. Joyful helped me bring back some of my sparkles this year in the early days of the COVID Quarantine.  

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

●      Asana. I’m a planner and am obsessed with to-do lists and organization. Asana is the best and keeps my business, my life, my kids’ lives, and more organized and manageable.  

Who is your business role model? Why?

●      My father, Martha Stewart, and Ray Dalio.

●      My father: My father was my first role model and example of what the entrepreneurial life looks like on a day-to-day basis. I learned so many things from him that I wanted to try myself, as well as some things I knew I would do differently. He was my sounding board and resource for all business-related questions. We would often butt heads about my unrealistic expectations (and then great disappointments), and he would try to temper my aspirations slightly (as caring parents often do), but at the end of the day, his spirit and love are in everything I do. :)

●      Martha: All hail the queen of making entertaining, gardening, crafting, cleaning, weddings, and more exciting and fun. As a wedding planner myself, being in Martha Stewart Weddings was the moment I thought: “I’ve officially made it, I’m not a fraud!” The empire she has built and the ways she’s recovered from setbacks have done so much to inspire me to keep hustling, growing, and sharing my skills with others so I can pay it forward.

●      Ray: Ray Dalio clearly works in a VERY different industry and on a much larger scale than I am (but I’ll get there!). When I first read his book Principles (recommended to me by my amazing assistant) and learned more about the principles and methodology by which he runs his business and life, I was so inspired I couldn’t stop reading. Just as he does, I value meritocracy, vision, curiosity, structure from which spontaneity can arise, creativity, and a firm foundation from which we can springboard.

How do you balance work and life?

That ever-elusive goal, huh?!

My approach to “balance” is with the lens of how balance plays out over a monthly or yearly timeline versus seeking daily or weekly balance.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

I am a big runner and love starting my day with a run (long or short). This is the best way for me to decompress, dream, and get centered. I realize many people don’t need to “decompress” first thing in the morning…but, I typically start my day around 4 am, so my “morning run” actually happens after I’ve put in a first few hours of uninterrupted work time before my “real day” starts. This is my “me time.” I like to get the heavy lifting done before my run so that the rest of my day can be about answering questions, directing my team, managing the daily hiccups that occur, and more.

At the end of each day, taking a long hot bath with a glass of water and a cup of tea is my idea of pure heaven. Delicious bath salts (I love goop’s bath salts) and this quiet alone time allow me to wind down and let the worries and stress of the day wash away (figuratively and literally) before sleep.  

What do you have planned for the next six months?

I am focusing on spending as much time with my children as possible (they’re 4 and 6 and this time is so precious) and doing everything in my power to get eyes on my new baby: Bluebird in a Box. Throw in a little “me time” (running, reading, baths) and I’ll be a happy camper. I love to travel and used to travel A LOT, but the coronavirus concerns have kept my wings clipped for the last 9 months and will likely continue to do so for a bit longer.  

How can our readers connect with you?

Check us out at www.bluebirdinabox.com or www.instagram.com/bluebird.in.a.box or www.instagram.com/virginiatrafton_