Leadership, Legacy, and the Power of Doing the Next Right Thing: The Nokbox at the Women’s Leadership Conference

We were honored to be part of the 2nd Annual Women’s Leadership Conference hosted by the Littleton Business Chamber—a day filled with insight, inspiration, and an incredible community of women making an impact.

Maria Fraietta, founder of The Nokbox, was invited to speak and share her journey from being a teacher and single mom to building such a fast-growing small business that she has just been named a Small Business Leader of the Year by the Denver Business Journal. In front of a packed room, Maria recounted how a deeply personal loss revealed an unaddressed need in so many families: the chaos of closing out a loved one’s life without a clear plan or organizational system.

From a pile of unfiled papers at her brother’s kitchen table to a simple plastic file box filled with sticky notes and folders, the first version of The Nokbox was born. What followed was a cascade of “next right things”—finding a printer, sourcing materials, finding a 3PL, building a team—and her speech was a powerful reminder that leadership often begins with solving the problem right in front of you.

The audience was primarily local leaders and business women, but The Nokbox also sponsored two tables of students and teachers from the nearby EPIC campus, which offers real-world experiential opportunities to high school students. Maria made a point to remind the young women in the room that you don’t need a business degree, a fancy title, or a million-dollar idea to be a leader. You just need to keep going. Show up, solve real problems, and believe that your work matters.

The Nokbox is now a multimillion-dollar company helping families across the country get organized, prepared, and empowered. But Maria’s message remains rooted in simplicity and impact: a good product that solves a real problem never goes out of style.

We are so grateful to the Littleton Business Chamber for creating a space where women’s stories are valued and amplified. Maria’s journey resonated with attendees because it’s not just a story of entrepreneurship—it’s a story of persistence, purpose, and the very real paper trail of our lives.

In true Nokbox fashion, Maria left the crowd with a challenge: “Do one small thing today that your future self—or your family—will thank you for. Whether it’s labeling a folder, printing a will, or writing down where the spare key is, you’re leading by example when you make life a little easier for someone else.”