07 Jun Entrepreneurs in action!

Never lose faith in what you love to do.

Many jobs have the potential to be stressful, and for architect Laura Jevremovitch of Spain, she had reached her limit. Always wanting to design furniture, Laura took time off in 2014 to pursue the creative side of her skills. “I originally designed boxes to be used as temporary furniture, but chose to combine the fun and functionality of cardboard as an additional source of practicality for the users,” explains Laura. Five months after her initial idea, Laura launched Qbox.

Initial prototypes attracted lots of attention, quickly making it difficult to keep up with requests for her products. “I love to create and wanted to fill all the demands, but had to concentrate on the most marketable products first.” Limited personnel made it additionally difficult to address the manufacturing, designing and business development needs of her business.

During this time, Laura and her partner, Elisabetta Pola, attended startup groups and supporting organizations in Spain. While attending the Global Entrepreneurship Congress 2015 in Milan, Italy, she met Narbeli Galindo, international business director for Kansas City’s Economic Development Corporation. Narbeli convinced her to visit Kansas City which led to a presentation with 1 Million Cups March 2016. As a result of her experiences and the positive entrepreneurial spirit of the area, Laura and the Qbox team are planning to develop a U.S. office in Kansas City summer of 2016.

As Laura built her early prototypes, she was uncertain her product would become a success, but her experiences and positive feedback locally and abroad have encouraged her to continue. She’s also highly grateful to her team of manufacturers, mentors and friends for their strength and support throughout her journey. Qbox currently has displays at Science City in Kansas City and Arts KC. “There will be many obstacles when building a business, but self-confidence, patience and trust in yourself will see you through the challenges.”