Founded in 2010 by Co-CEOs Daniel and Michael Broukhim and Editor-in-Chief Katie Rosen Kitchens, FabFitFun is a lifestyle membership that inspires women to lead happier, healthier lives through product and brand discovery. Its flagship product, the FabFitFun Box, delivers a curated collection of full-size products across beauty, fashion, wellness, fitness, home, technology and beyond each season. In addition to the box, FabFitFun members receive access to FabFitFun TV, a streaming video service offering on-demand wellness videos, daily lifestyle content, the FabFitFun online community and year-round exclusive sales and shopping experiences.
They recently announced surpassing over one million subscribers as part of their membership service. In celebration of this milestone, the company launched #IamFabFitFun, a campaign that celebrates FabFitFun members, who are spread across the U.S. and Canada and range in age from teens to women in their eighties. Members are invited to submit a video explaining why they love FabFitFun, and what about them best represents the spirit of the FabFitFun community.
“FabFitFun is truly for every woman – whether you are a millennial, a mom of three, or a fashion-forward 50 year old; we see this milestone as a celebration of the diversity of our members and that’s why we launched the #IamFabFitFun initiative,” said Katie Rosen Kitchens, co-founder and editor in chief. “We have members from all walks of life – from nurses to lawyers, software developers, police officers, makeup artists, fashion designers, dog walkers, interior designers and more. They are the ones who influence our brand – their responses, messages, and input shape each item we curate for the Box, our Edit and Add-Ons sales, and the content we create for FabFitFunTV. We want to highlight the people who represent our unique, authentic community.”
Katie Rosen Kitchens further explains the FabFitFun journey to one million members.
Yola Robert: You originally launched FabFitFun as a digital magazine with your co-founders in 2010. When did you release the subscription box?
Katie Rosen Kitchens: We launched the FabFitFun box in the spring of 2013. We had launched the website three years earlier, in 2010. At the time there were tons of glossies that were telling you what to look like, how to dress, what to wear, and we wanted to be the opposite. We were your best friend who just happened to know everything about beauty, fashion, and fitness. We were lucky to build a large following very quickly and realized that we had created a pretty unique marketing platform that we wanted to use for ourselves.
Robert: FabFitFun scaled from 2,000 subscribers to one million subscribers in five years. What do you attribute that success to?
Kitchens: FabFitFun has built an intersection of content, commerce and community over the last five years. We look at our customer holistically and continuously find innovative ways to offer them value beyond the box. Although many people would also attribute influencer marketing to our success, we have found that our subscribers have become the “influencers” within their communities. The personalization that the box now has, offers something for everyone from a teenager to a grandmother. So almost all of our members have someone in their circle that wants to integrate FabFitFun into their lives.
Robert: What has been the most challenging aspect of taking FabFitFun over the one million mark? What has been the most rewarding?
Kitchens: Scaling FabFitFun operationally has been a challenge. Once we started to reach over 10,000 subscribers, many of the brands we worked with did not produce mass numbers of products that could be featured in the box. We eventually developed our own in house brands and now offer co-labeling with brands who want a presence in the box, but do not have the resources to do so. The most rewarding aspect is seeing and hearing all the positive impact we have been able to make in so many women’s lives.
Robert: How is FabFitFun partnering up with Kindness Factory in celebration of reaching one million members?
Kitchens: We are partnering up with Kindness Factory to reach a collective goal of one million acts of kindness. On November 13 ,National Kindness Day, FabFitFun is asking members to post on social media about an act of kindness they’ve either given or received. When they hashtag their post with #OneSmallAct, The Kindness Factory counter will go up one. When they use the hashtag #ThanksAMillion, they will be entered into a drawing to win prizes like beauty and lifestyle mystery bundles.
Robert: What is next for FabFitFun?
Kitchens: You can expect to see us offer even more personalization with the boxes, launching additional in house brands, building out our growing community along with continuing to develop FabFitFun TV, FabFitFun Live and FabFitFun Style.
Robert: What is one failure you have been able to turn into a success?
Kitchens: I fail everyday, but one failure that stands out is in the beginning of FabFitFun we failed to communicate a sponsored product which was a panty liner. Our members thought we swapped out a lipstick or scarf for panty liners rather than it being a bonus product. We received numerous complaints the next day and quickly realized how important communicating with our members is. Since then we clearly state in the magazine, newsletter and online what products are sponsored. Our members now look forward to being surprised by sponsored sponsored products because we have been able to communicate the value that it brings to us and them.
Robert: Now knowing everything you know, what advice would you give your 21-year-old self?
Kitchens: I would tell myself to take more risks because the more risks you take in life the closer you will get to success… and also to not spray tan so much!
Katie Rosen Kitchens with the FabFitFun Box. COURTESY OF FABFITFUN
