From Classroom to Boardroom: How Teacher Maria Fraietta Turned a $50 Investment into a $34 Million Juggernaut

At first, Maria Fraietta considered naming her organizing system the “death box.” After all, the idea for her product arose after her father passed away in January 2021, leaving Maria and her brothers to sort through their dad’s scattered files, financial accounts, bills, titles, and possessions. Eventually, Maria landed on calling her kits Nokbox — N.O.K. box — for Next of Kin. Her vision was to save others priceless hours of frustration trying to piece together the puzzle of their deceased loved one’s accounts and possessions. A high school teacher when she began, Maria invested just $50 to launch her company and ran the business from her living room with help from family and friends. Less than four years later, Maria’s company has grown into a $34 million-a-year success story.  Your homework this week is to learn valuable lessons from a teacher-turned-business-owner on this week’s episode. Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart. Photo: Maria Fraietta, Nokbox Posted: March 24, 2025 Monday Morning Run Time: 43:28 Episode: 13.41 RELATED EPISODES: School Teacher Turned Entrepreneur Collars Celebrities and Their Canines Timolin Langin Teaches How to Live Like a Millionaire…On Any Budget Farm-Fresh Business Insights From Charlotte, Wilbur, and Georgia Lininger