Born Beau: Designed with the customer in mind
London, England
“Our business is in the UK, and the shipments were coming from Spain. It would take a week or more. We found Gelato and shipments took only 2–3 days and were shipped locally. What a difference.”
Tomas Jancarek, Founder, Born Beau
Inspired by people
Travel was always a passion for Tomas. At the heart of it all was the people he would meet.
Originally from the Czech Republic, Tom was eager to move to London for university, to live abroad, learn English, and earn a degree in Engineering. It was there where in 2019 his entrepreneurial spirit took flight.
“Living abroad, I was attracted to the different ways people were making a living. It opened my eyes to the possibilities and creativity of earning an income.”
Entrepreneur rather than artist, Tom soon started to hustle. By establishing a few side businesses, he connected his interests with ecommerce and began testing out some ideas in the industries of fitness and art.
The perfect partnership
While perfecting his side-hustle and developing his skills in marketing, Tom soon met Shen. An ideal partner both in life and in business, Shen’s artistic skills were an ideal match. They combined their interests and passions and developed their own ecommerce ideas together.
Custom artworks in a signature style
By 2020, with a combination of Tom's ecommerce and marketing skills, and Shen's artistic talents, Born Beau was born. Conceived as a custom-art gift-giving idea, Tom and Shen hired their first artist to help create hand-made illustrations of moms and babies. They developed a signature style of soft pastels and nude colors, a classic for any nursery.
But as the business began to grow, a larger audience emerged, and customizable portraits of couples became the best seller. Now with more original and distinctive artworks, a new niche was born.
“Gifting something original can be challenging — and coming up with ideas geared towards couples that aren’t cliche, it’s difficult. I'm guilty, I'm horrible at it.”
There was only one artist when the team began. Today, there are over 18 team members from more than six countries. Through Born Beau, Tom and Shen have achieved their dream of leading a diverse and talented team of artists creating inspiring and unique artworks.
Providing reliable shipping
While initially, Born Beau was partnered with other reputable POD companies, the shipping times were extremely long.
“Our business is in the UK, and the shipments were coming from Spain. It would take a week or more. We found Gelato, and shipments took only 2–3 days and were shipped locally. What a difference.”
With consistent products shipped quickly and locally, their business was able to grow globally.
“Within the first month of joining, despite the fact that we weren't doing massive volumes, the Head of Product reached out to me personally and prepared us for success. It meant a lot to me. Building a relationship is why we have remained with Gelato.”
A scalable production solution
Now Tom has given up his office job to work full-time on Born Beau. He’s working on designing for scale, in anticipation of the growth for the fourth quarter and Valentine's Day.
“Last year we had so many orders we didn’t have enough designers. Each of these events provides us with an opportunity to learn about flaws in our business. We are constantly striving to improve.”
Customer service at the core of it all
Tom’s passion for people led him to grow a successful business focusing on what matters most, his customers.
“Gelato treats me the way I treat my customers. Unlike most suppliers, they take a different approach to selling. Although there are many companies to choose from, I am drawn to Gelato's values, principles, and culture. We are aligned. There is this equal flow. It is a very effective business model.”
We are excited to grow with you, Tom and Shen!
