Sometimes the inspiration for business grows from the seeds planted by family and friends.
This was certainly true of Curie and JP Gooden, the team of husband and wife behind the Yardley-based Getanichki who understood the value of the maintenance network.
It was customary for Curie never to appear on the doorstep of a relative empty-handed.
As a first-generation Filipino American, she used to stop at a restaurant or store on her way to visit family, brother, cousin to fulfill a request for their favorite treat or hard-to-find ingredient. For his part, Curie could expect the same.
“We are all close by. I think our families have built it that way, so that no matter what they need, they can access it geographically. Like, “Oh, you’re in North Jersey, in Edison, can you get me something from H-Mart.” When you have a family of guests, you always leave with more stuff because people just carry things from everywhere. It’s kind of a small Philippine network of resources, “Curie said.
For JP, whose parents emigrated from Jamaica, he found himself fleeing to New Jersey for Jamaican products that his father could not find otherwise where he lived.
“My father, who died last year, was in Seattle and there weren’t many places in Jamaica next to him, so he always asked me to go to that place in Trenton and get eight spices and pack everything and send it to him.” said JP.
In many ways, Curie and JP believe that this upbringing – a close network of families helping each other on demand – is part of what led them to create Getanicki, an ordering service specializing in personalized and locally curated convenience.
The name itself is inspired by a friend, another mother, who embodies the spirit of what they hoped to offer in their community.
“When we thought about this business idea of running around and ordering for people or delivering convenience, we thought there was no other person who was more inclined to do so much for someone than our friend Nikki. “We felt that everyone needed Nikki in their lives, so we called him GetaNicki,” said Curie.
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The business started in May 2021, at a time when many people and families were still at home amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“People were just getting vaccinated; the world was not yet open. “People just didn’t want to leave the house,” Curie said. “Sometimes whole households had Covids, so they couldn’t leave their homes, so they called and gave us a whole list of things to do for them. Some had surgeries or just had babies and needed help. “
JP said it believes there is a great opportunity to create a more personalized experience, an opening left by larger on-demand delivery services such as DoorDash, Instacart, Postmates and TaskRabbit.
“We have seen these different services become a critical part of our lives during the pandemic. They have accelerated their growth so much. But I saw that there is still a big difference for small chances and goals that you can’t get anyone to do at the moment, “he said.
“We can do everything that all these other businesses can do. We are just as fast as them, we are just as responsive, but we know our customers. There is nothing we cannot do. We are filling in the blanks that are missing from these other applications, “said Curie.
Getanicki offers a variety of services, ranging from grocery shopping, retail and food preparation to sending flowers to a friend, making party gifts or assembling a custom gift basket.
Customers send their requests, which are then arranged on routes assigned to Niki, contracted persons who are paid for each Niki run, plus tips. Customers pay a fixed rate charged for running, or a fee with a sliding scale for shopping trips. There is also an option to sign up for a monthly membership plan that comes with the added benefit of reduced fees and benefits such as free donations.
In addition, Getanicki creates a weekly pop-up schedule, allowing its customers and followers to know which places their Nickis plan to visit this week, helping to promote the business as in their local service area – consisting of Newtown, Yardley, Washington Crossing , Levittown, Wrightstown, Lower Makefield, Fairless Hills and Langhorne – and some that are weirder. These include local restaurants, grocery stores and farmers markets.
“Many times we are a kind of curator of the local community. We can help you decide or understand what you want when you don’t necessarily know what you want, ”said JP.
“We have really found that we have been able to expand the reach of people to whom they would not have access or otherwise would not have heard. The more Nikki we get, the more people we will have in these different areas to share their knowledge with people. ”
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Getanicki does not transfer any costs to the business with which they have partnered – there are no commissions or contracts to sign, explained JP. While companies that partner with one of the more popular services, such as DoorDash, for example, pay a commission of 12-30% on a purchase order depending on the plan for which they have registered.
Through Getanicki Curie said that customers pay the same price for products as they would in the store, as opposed to larger delivery applications, where prices can be several dollars higher per item. According to Instacart, these prices can sometimes vary and are set directly by retailers.
JP said it was important to keep their prices affordable and transparent to their customers and to maintain a fair partnership with the business.
“Everyone loves to support small businesses,” JP said. “By promoting them, we promote ourselves. We don’t take a percentage of their margins and they’re happy to get the business. “
Curie said she liked being able to make people happy through something as simple as helping them with their orders.
“It gives them time not to stress about all the things they have to do, and instead spend time with their baby or time with their children,” Curie said. “It’s the most satisfying thing I’ve ever done.”
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