This is part of uOpen’s 'Industry Insights' interview series - a valuable collection of informative and intelligent insights into how some of the UK's best-known and most-loved subscription box businesses came to be and got to where they are - all shared by the very people who made it happen...

Covering customer acquisition to fulfilment, this blog series offers a behind the scenes look at how the many moving parts of these complex, yet successful operations come together each month to satisfy the ever-growing demand of subscription box customers in the UK.

How did the idea for your subscription box come about?

Through talking with friends about the subscription boxes they had subscribed to, and realising it was a perfect fit for our existing skill sets.

What attracted you to the subscription box model?

The scalability and the ease of starting without huge overheads, plus the opportunity to head up a fun and creative business.

How did you validate your idea and test the market?

We didn't - we just went for it!

How did you acquire your first customers?

Instagram.

Did you raise any seed or investor funding to help you grow?

No, we paid for the first box with our own finances and have been profitable since month 2.

How long have you been running now and what are your most successful achievements and milestones so far?

The idea of Boxcitement came up nearly three years ago and we have just sent out our 30th monthly box. One of our biggest achievements has been me leaving my marketing job and being able to work on Boxcitement full-time, as well as meeting our subscriber number objectives - we are growing at a pace we are excited about.

With the rise of new boxes launching all the time, what do you see as your USP that sets you apart from your competitors?

We have a loyal tribe of subscribers who leave great reviews which add to our credibility. We create products that you can't find ANYWHERE else, in limited editions just for that month's box, so they are pretty exclusive. We have a great creative eye and undertake lots of cool hunting trips to ensure our design and items are on - or ahead of - trend.

How does your business continue to find new and exciting products to keep your customers engaged and excited every month?

We brainstorm ideas continually. As we both have creative backgrounds, we are used to coming up with new ideas all the time - in fact I would say that's the easiest part of our job.

Have there been any particularly pivotal moments so far that have required you to make changes to how you operate?

After we reached a certain number of subscribers we realised we would need full-time staff to continue to grow, which is when I gave up my job.

How large is your team? What type of roles do they have?

Three ongoing - creative, operations and fulfilment. Plus casuals when needed to help us pack.

Across all operational areas of your business, what do you manage in-house and what do you outsource to external suppliers to support you with - and why is this?

Everything is managed in-house apart from accountancy, some aspects of web development and manufacture - because they are not our core skills.

What types of challenges do you face with fulfilment, delivery and customer service?

All of these have needed to be scaled as we grow, we are continually checking that we have enough resources to manage future growth. We will not be outsourcing fulfilment in the near future, but may increase staff numbers.

How do you see the subscription box industry is evolving and what do you believe are going to be your biggest challenges over the next 12 months?

It's become the latest start-up 'thing', meaning the industry is attracting lots of people for lots of reasons. Those who think it is easy will not last - but if they create bad customer experiences it could reflect poorly on the industry as a whole. Our biggest challenge is to manage growth with realistic expectations.

What do you enjoy most about running your subscription box business?

It's fast-paced, every day is different and because we design everything ourselves it is very creative.

What excites you about uOpen, and how do you see the marketplace featuring in your business' future?

The exposure to larger and wider customer audiences and the ability to grow faster than we would just with our own marketing efforts.