What BestSelf Co does

BestSelf Co is a privately held, founder-led direct-to-consumer e-commerce company headquartered in Austin, Texas, that designs and sells science-backed productivity and personal-development tools. Its core product line centers on physical journals, planners, and conversation card decks — most notably the Self Journal (a 13-week goal-focused planner), the BestSelf Planner (6-month undated), and a portfolio of psychology-backed conversation decks (Intimacy, Icebreaker, Relationship, Date, Deeper Talk, Breakup) — extended in recent years by the Helm physical phone-locking device, a digital download catalog, Spanish-language editions, and curated bundles including limited 10-year anniversary boxes. Products are grounded in productivity frameworks (SMART goals, 13-week sprints, Eisenhower matrix) and behavioral science research, with copy and methodology referencing academic studies and psychologist collaboration.

The company operates a product-led growth go-to-market model on a Shopify-hosted storefront, supplemented by Amazon Marketplace, Faire wholesale, and self-serve bulk/corporate ordering with tiered volume discounts. It monetizes through one-time purchases, a Subscribe & Save replenishment program (20% off first order, 15% recurring), digital downloads, and optional shipping protection. Distribution spans 72+ countries via direct shipping and wholesale. Customer acquisition relies on a content-marketing and SEO-led funnel, a 150,000+ subscriber "Winning Wednesday" founder newsletter, organic social (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook), and substantial earned media in outlets including NYT, WSJ, Glamour, and Good Morning America. Primary customer segments are individual self-improvement seekers, couples/families, and professionals/teams, with a secondary corporate gifting and bulk buyer channel. The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding and is led by founder Cathryn Lavery (with co-founder Allen Brouwer and COO James Bake), having cumulatively served over 1 million individuals and shipped 600,000+ orders across a 10-year operating history.

Name

BestSelf Co

Legal name

BestSelf Co.

Website

https://bestself.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BestSelf Co is a bootstrapped, founder-led Austin-based DTC e-commerce company that designs and sells science-backed physical productivity tools — journals, planners, and conversation card decks — serving individual self-improvement seekers, couples, families, and corporate buyers across 72+ countries, with cumulative sales exceeding 1 million units over 10 years.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personal Development Productivity Tools

NAICS

Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)

SIC

Blankbooks, Looseleaf Binders & Bookbindg & Relatd Work (2780), Wholesale-Paper & Paper Products (5110)

akta.pro primary industry

Puzzle Books & Brain Teasers Retail (CRALALAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Arts, Crafts & DIY Hobby Supplies Distribution (CRAOAMAE)

Keywords

• Productivity journals
• Goal planners
• Conversation card decks
• Personal development tools
• Planning notebooks

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Physical Products - Journals & Planners: One-time purchase of physical journals and planners including Self Journal (13-week goal planner), BestSelf Planner (6-month undated planner), and related notebooks. Products available in multiple color variants. Also offers subscription/auto-replenishment option with 20% first order discount and 15% recurring discount.
2. Physical Products - Conversation Card Decks: One-time purchase of conversation card decks including Intimacy Deck, Icebreaker Deck, Date Deck, Relationship Deck, and specialty decks for various use cases. Premium 350gsm matte cards in portable format.
3. Digital Downloads: Downloadable digital products including workbooks, worksheets, planners for GoodNotes/Notability apps, and productivity tools. Digital products are non-refundable once downloaded.
4. Bundles and Kits: Pre-curated bundles combining multiple products at discounted rates compared to individual purchases. Includes relationship bundles, productivity bundles, anniversary boxes, and custom summer/bundle offerings.
5. Bulk/Corporate Orders: Volume discounts for bulk purchases: 25% off for 10+ units, 30% for 30+ units, 35% for 70+ units, 45% for 100+ units. Also available via Faire wholesale marketplace for retailers.
6. Shipping Protection: Optional shipping protection add-on for $5 covering damage, loss, or theft during delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

BestSelf Co designs and sells science-backed productivity and personal development tools, including physical journals, planners, conversation card decks, digital downloads, and the Helm physical phone-locking device. Products are built on psychology, behavioral science, and productivity principles and are sold primarily through its own Shopify e-commerce site, with wholesale via Faire and bulk/corporate gifting channels. Over 1.3 million Self Journals have been sold across 72 countries.

Product overview

BestSelf Co offers a portfolio of science-backed personal development products centered on physical journals, planners, and conversation card decks. The core offerings include the Self Journal (13-week goal-focused planner), BestSelf Planner (6-month undated planner), and various conversation decks (Intimacy Deck, Icebreaker Deck, Date Deck, Relationship Deck, etc.) designed for couples, families, and social connections. The product line extends to the Helm device for phone blocking, digital downloads including templates and worksheets, Spanish-language products, and curated bundles. Products are built on psychology, productivity, and behavioral science principles. The company serves 1.3 million+ Self Journal customers across 72+ countries with tools focused on personal growth, relationship building, and productivity. Corporate and bulk ordering options are available through their wholesale presence on Faire.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• placeholder placeholder

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.3 million+ Self Journals sold globally
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationShopify hosts the BestSelf.co e-commerce platform, processes payments, and manages order fulfillment. The services are powered by Shopify infrastructure with data analytics and personalized advertising features. Shopify Consumer Privacy Policy governs data processing.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Papier: Direct peer in personalized stationery and journals, operating a premium D2C model with similar stationery-plus-content merchandising and gift-driven use cases.
• Passion Planner: Direct peer offering goal-setting planners and journals with a similar D2C model and productivity-focused customer base; competes head-to-head with BestSelf's Self Journal and Planner lines.
• Clever Fox: Direct peer producing undated planners, journals, and accessory bundles marketed on Amazon and D2C at overlapping price points; closely comparable product architecture and target buyer.
• Panda Planner: Direct peer selling undated planners and journals with a science/psychology-backed productivity framing, mirroring BestSelf's positioning in the same buyer segment.
• Full Focus Planner: Direct peer in the quarterly goal-planner category founded by Michael Hyatt; same 90-day planning methodology and similar professional productivity buyer overlap with BestSelf.

Emerging players

• Artifact Uprising: Emerging peer in the premium photo books, journals, and stationery space with a science-/sustainability-led brand narrative that overlaps with BestSelf's psychology-backed positioning.
• The Five Minute Journal: Emerging peer in the gratitude and self-development journal category with both physical and digital app formats; competes for the same self-improvement buyer as BestSelf's journals.

Broad incumbents

• Day Designer: Broad incumbent in daily planners and productivity paper goods with deep retail and licensing presence; targets a similar professional planning buyer but with a much wider product range.
• Erin Condren: Broad incumbent in the lifestyle planner/stationery category with a much larger product portfolio and broader retail footprint; competes in planners, but covers far more SKUs than BestSelf.
• Happy Planner (Me & My Big Ideas): Broad incumbent in customizable planners and stationery with mass retail distribution; overlaps with BestSelf on planner buyers but at a much larger scale and lower price point.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/Bestself
• Facebookfacebook.com/BestSelfCo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bestselfco/?viewAsMember=true
• Instagraminstagram.com/bestselfco
• TikToktiktok.com/@bestselfco
• Xx.com/bestselfco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BestSelf Co