Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark, Courtney, and Anthony Newell.

Life Startup Essentials LLC is a business located in Phoenix, AZ. Prior to founding the company, Courtney, Mark, and Anthony spent a combined 35+ years working in the housing industry and serving homeless and disabled individuals. As former social service professionals, we oftentimes would find housing program recipients sleeping on the floors of their newly obtained apartments. Although these formally homeless individuals may have recently secured housing, they frequently lacked the tools needed to maintain their housing and make their new apartment a home. They wanted to create a company that helps social service agencies provide the tools a person needs to successfully transition out of homelessness with dignity.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of the toughest struggles we faced early in the business, was defining what areas to focus our efforts on. Initially we were focused strongly on growth, however we quickly realized that in order to grow successfully, we needed to fine-tune our processes and procedures. We took a step back and re-strategized internal operations. We quickly found that by making small adjustments to specific areas, we were able to strategically create additional value for our customers, while becoming more efficient as a company.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Life Startup Essentials – what should we know?
Life Startup creates Welcome Home Kits for individuals and families transitioning out of homelessness. Intended to furnish a complete apartment with household necessities, our kits contain bedding, bath ware, kitchenware, and cleaning supplies. Our kits are provided to social service agencies, who then distribute the kits to formally homeless housing program recipients. This partnership allows social service agencies to focus on what they do best, while having the peace of mind that their clients’ need for household essentials are being met. We are honored to work for our community’s most vulnerable populations and take pride in the fact that our kits are more than just supplies. Their contents are oftentimes the only possession a person owns, and signify the start of new beginnings.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
We like to think of Life Startup as a for-purpose company. We have passion for serving those in need and incorporate it as much as possible in our business activities. Each month, we select an agency in need to donate our excess product to, and we try to take part in as many volunteer opportunities with our partners as possible. We believe if we take care of our community, our community will look to us as a key partner in ending homelessness.

Pricing:

  • Kits are priced at $250, and can be purchased by individuals as a donation to a favorite social service agency