Our founder
Hi, I'm Lilly.
I was born in China and moved to the United States when I was 11. Growing up between two cultures taught me something that has shaped my whole career: real communication isn't just about language. It's about understanding the culture, the industry, and the product on both sides of the table.
I started my career as a purchasing director at Colorado Timberline, sitting in the same seat my clients sit in today. I know what it's like to wait on a late shipment, open a carton of defective product, or pay too much because you didn't know better. Over the past 14 years, I've worked both sides of the table, and Burgeon has moved more than $25 million in goods and supplied manufacturers serving companies like Shutterfly.
I've seen how much gets lost when understanding is missing. When a client developed a component project for backpacks, the factory needed to understand that we weren't buying finished backpacks, but individual components built to exact specs. A translator can repeat the words. It takes someone who knows the product and how factories think to make sure it's made right.
The same goes for printing. A blank isn't print-ready just because the fabric is. If it shrinks under the press, the image ghosts. If a stray thread is left on, it leaves a white streak. If a seam is puckered, the print won't lay flat. So I built Burgeon around a simple promise: straight from carton to press.
Working with me also means tapping into a network built over 14 years. Even at lower quantities, my clients can access the pricing usually reserved for high-volume buyers. That matters most for new products that need time to grow.
Whether you want to lower what you pay today, stock print-ready blanks, or bring a new idea to life, I'd love to help you build it right.
— Lilly Zheng, Founder