Sara Rodell of Loop & Tie
How to give a gift you can be sure the receiver will actually use.
Sara Rodell’s enthusiasm about gift giving is the passionate force that drives Loop & Tie to continue providing a unique gifting experience for those who believe in a life well lived.
Loop & Tie was born from an unfortunate season of corporate gift giving Rodell experienced while working for UBS in New York from 2008 to 2011. In her eyes, the gifting process was broken: Why provide someone a gift that is acceptable but something they will never use? Why provide someone a typical gift, such as wine, when what they really want is a yoga mat? These are the questions Rodell asked herself as she began examining the social behaviors behind gift giving, questioning the rules about the process established by society. Rodell is a University of Virginia graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and a minor in anthropology, and her intrigue centers on what gifts constitute appropriate in different social situations.
“I was really interested in the intrinsic value of these social currency types of products,” Rodell says. “I saw that we were trapped by our own constraints, where we’re exchanging all of these products that aren’t weird to share, but aren’t really appreciated because they are so common.”
With this in mind, Rodell made it her mission to improve the gifting process. She focused on how people can give exciting gifts without taking away from the personal aspect of the process.
For Rodell, launching Loop & Tie in 2013 was a test of confidence and character. She had already fought for one startup, Next One’s On Me, a social-gifting app she launched in 2012, only to see its unfocused value proposition fall flat. Rodell says she never thought of herself as being an entrepreneur; she merely had a vision that she knew would help others and decided to follow it.
Although Rodell was met with adversity while working her idea, she can now look back at the process and appreciate what she learned.
“While I enjoyed my corporate role, I feel I earn my days more as an entrepreneur,” Rodell says. “Every win is hard-fought and every loss is emotional. I’m more fulfilled working for a mission and a vision, and I’m also inspired by those around me who do the same.”
Loop & Tie, named after the ceremonial details of gift giving, is based on a simple idea: having the power to give people gifts they will actually use. Corporations or individuals choose a collection of products from the Loop & Tie website, each organized by price from $25 to $500. After sending a personalized e-card and certificate, gifters are able to see when the gift has been redeemed and what the recipient chose. This tangible data gives corporations and individuals an idea of what their clients and friends are interested in. The best part: The recipient is unable to see the price of the gift.
One thing Rodell prides herself on is the personalization Loop & Tie still offers, despite the fact the recipient is handpicking their gift.
“I think Loop & Tie is important to people because we take a process that is hard and we make it easier, but we don’t make it less personal,” Rodell says. “We really play into a true need people have in a way that’s really elegant.”
Items from the $25 category include things like an engraved flask, while items from the $500 category include things like a full travel set, each item sourced from local artisans.
In the beginning, Rodell had to approach artisans about listing their products on the site in hopes they would be interested. When asked about the response she received while initially contacting local artisans, Rodell says she was met with much trust and positivity.
“That demographic is such a creative personality type and most people were excited about the concept,” Rodell says. “For many of our suppliers, we have the top online account [for selling their products.]”
Thanks to referrals, Loop & Tie now has artisans asking to be listed on the site. In exchange for being listed, small businesses have a means of entering the sphere of the corporate gift buyer, a challenging market to sell into.
In typical startup fashion, Loop & Tie relied on word-of-mouth to get the company name out to the public. Today, Loop & Tie provides gifting services for businesses such as Platinum Realty, Capital Factory, The Catherine Apartments and Admixt. Loop & Tie was also invited to attend an event at Google headquarters in April. There, the company was presented with a $100,00 investment by Steve Case, founder of AOL.
Rodell has experienced great success with Loop & Tie, not only because of her dedication to the company, but also her theory behind consumerism.
“There’s a big risk of going out there with your product and thinking you know everything, including the way the products are going to be used, giving you tunnel vision,” Rodell says. “It’s important to be responsive.”
The very attainable goal for Loop & Tie, according to Rodell, is to grow and continue eliminating inefficiencies from the gift-giving process. With the help of her eight employees, she seems to be in a great position to achieve that goal.
“Seeing the growth and determination of each member of our team keeps us all motivated and constantly improving,” Rodell says. “Our camaraderie and spirit makes working for this big, crazy vision so much fun.”
The Perfect Holiday Gift Guide
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