Mr. Lid Saves $25,000 Per Year with Shoeboxed

In the cluttered world of kitchen storage, Mr. Lid is founded on the simple yet groundbreaking concept of a plastic container with an attached lid.

Its mission: saving us from kitchen frustrations—one lid at a time.

Pall Musaev, the small business owner and entrepreneur behind Mr. Lid shares his journey of enhancing brand awareness, embracing sustainability, and optimizing his operational efficiency with Shoeboxed.

About Mr. Lid: The Origin Story

Consumers have battled with the all-too-common issue of mismatched containers and lids for years. "You know it's one of those, ‘What the heck? Why wasn't it invented a long time ago?’ ideas," reflects Pall Musaev on the creation of Mr. Lid.

We’ve all been there—rummaging through kitchen closets for that missing lid to a container. And losing lids isn’t isolated to any one country. Musaev confirms, “One of my best friends is Chinese, and he told me that they have the same problem even in China. Everyone has a problem with losing their lids.”

“Everybody has at some point opened up their plastic container drawer, and they can't find the lid, or there's a lid missing, and every 3 months we have to throw everything out. We buy new ones, and it feels good for a minute, and then life happens, and it gets unorganized again.”

Mr. Lid's unique selling proposition—its permanently attached lid—coupled with its commitment to quality and sustainability has fostered a loyal and growing fan base. "It's made in the U.S.A., BPA-free, and customers tell me they still use the same container they purchased in 2013. We love that," Musaev shares.

The Challenge: Creating an Efficient System for Processing Business Expenses

Pall Musaev has been a user of Shoeboxed since 2015. Before Shoeboxed, he would put his receipts into envelopes, and once a year, he would take them all out and type them into Excel spreadsheets.

The process is one that Musaev describes as “painful.” So, his search for a solution began.

“I'm very much a process-oriented person, and when I’m going to implement a process, I do a lot of work to figure out the best thing for me. And I don’t just try to solve my current needs but solve future needs as well,” Musaev reflects.

The Solution: When Musaev Met Shoeboxed

“I remember Googling the heck out of possible solutions and testing many things. And even when I found Shoeboxed, I was like, ‘OK, there have to be competitors’—but there was nobody. I couldn't find anybody else.”

We asked Musaev what his requirements were for choosing a receipt management software. He replied, “You were the only ones who still accepted paper.”

“I didn’t care about price. The main criterion was who the heck will take all these receipts and input them because nobody else was accepting them. So that was my main criteria.”

Luckily enough, Shoeboxed’s Magic Envelope service provided the perfect solution to taming a multitude of expense receipts.

The Magic Envelope is a postage pre-paid envelope that customers can use to send in their physical receipts to Shoeboxed’s scanning facility in Durham, North Carolina. These receipts are then scanned into customers’ accounts and automatically categorized into 15 common tax categories.

“When I go to the gas station, I get a receipt—that has to go somewhere,” says Musaev. “And I just love stuffing them in the Magic Envelopes.”

The Results: $25,000 Saved + Operational Excellence with Shoeboxed

We asked Pall Musaev the value he gets from using Shoeboxed, and he notes that if he were to outsource the work, it would cost from $20,000 to $25,000 in bookkeeping fees.

“I tell everybody about Shoeboxed. What else is there? My whole year-end process—I hate to say this—but I almost look forward to it because I like to know where my business is at, and I love how easy it is. You guys do a great job.”

“I feel so ahead of the game when I do my year-end receipt organization session. It's only once a year. But it's such value for me because it's so easy, and it doesn't disrupt my process.”

“Shoeboxed is the only solution for me and has been for 9 years.”

What’s Ahead for the Remarkable Mr. Lid

Looking ahead, we asked Musaev what’s next for Mr. Lid.

Despite the product's simplicity and utility, gaining traction in a market dominated by established players has posed an exciting challenge.

Additionally, addressing concerns about plastic use and ensuring the brand resonates with a younger, environmentally conscious demographic adds further complexity.

“There's some market hesitance with plastic,” notes Musaev, “because consumers are concerned about when something gets thrown out. But we're making such a quality product it’s less likely to be thrown out quickly. We have had customers using our product for 10 years!”

Mr. Lid is fully recyclable as confirmed by TerraceCycle, further aligning with their sustainability goals and values.

Musaev sees the storage container space as boring and struggling to connect with the younger audience. “That's when it hit me. We do have a cool product, but that's not enough. We need to make our product more relatable to a younger demographic.”

“And that's part of why we want to make cool designs on our containers. I brought home one with some flowers on it, and I got 3 little girls, and they said, ‘I need that for my hair stuff.’ And that’s what we’re shooting for—a cool, relatable brand.”