Back on the box building team.

Ive been popping up on social media a bit so thought I better fill you in on who I am and why I'm here.

I started MyTreat back in 2015. I was a new mum, a little bit bored, and quite shocked by the speed at which we go from treating ourselves semi-regularly, to being 24/7 absorbed in the needs of our beautiful children... Don't get me wrong, I loved being a new mum but between the isolation of Cromwell, and the desire to continue my online shopping addiction (TradeMe), creating a monthly box to send to other mums in the mail, filled with full size pamper treats sounded like the dream. 

The business grew quickly and before I knew it I was moving my reluctant hubby out of our family home and into a rental property that was large enough to accommodate MyTreat. 

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

So then it came time for baby No. 2 and while the first time round it happened without really trying, things didn't go to plan this time. I decided to post about the struggles, and I learned that MyTreat was a massively supportive community and sharing my life and my challenges with subscribers helped people relate, and also opened up channels for complete strangers to discuss things among themselves. I was motivated to plan a road trip to meet as many subscribers as possible - and deliver their boxes in person.

The road trip was planned, the videographer locked in and 8 weeks before we were ready to hit the road I discovered after a long 18 months I was finally pregnant. Now at this point MyTreat was sending boxes to 1300 monthly subscribers per month and sending many many one off boxes too. So the workload was significant, and I SUCK at operations. I LOVE the marketing side of it, and building boxes that I knew mothers, grandmothers, and all deserving women would love, but the day to day running of the business was really getting on top of me.

I made the difficult decision to sell MyTreat - it was being run out of our rental and the idea of breastfeeding a new baby on the couch while the team worked around me didn't seem super appealing, and each month operations would be more and more of a challenge with larger orders, longer lead times, and more staff. A few weeks before MyTreat went to the new owners, I hit the road to deliver the boxes by hand...

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

I remember sitting in the car after just visiting an incredible woman in Cust (still a subscriber) on day 3 or 4 of the trip and the videographer turned to me and said 'you don't want to let this go do you?'... it was one of those moments where I wished I had known 8 weeks prior what I knew in that moment. I suddenly knew just what an incredible group of customers I had collected. These boxes meant more than a bunch of products, and I knew that the meaning of these deliveries was excitement beyond all else, and for a moment letting people forget about all the other responsibilities we have on our plate.

MyTreat was never a big plastic company trying to sell you on small samples, we were collecting some of the coolest underground brands in the country and sending them out on-masse. It is great for the suppliers, it is great for the customers, and it is good for the NZ economy.

After I sold it in 2019 I stepped back, and last year in October when MyTreat sold again the new owners got in touch with me (and I cried tears of joy haha). You see their skills are in operations and business. When COVID happened I went off and started a marketing agency (with a MyTreat subscriber would you believe!!) and now Ruth and I provide services to MyTreat through our agency. It also means I get to throw on MyTreat hat and do all the parts of the business that I love without attempting the parts I suck at. It means I can just focus on building the best possible boxes and reminding people that MyTreat is not just a online store... we're a movement, we are the ones teaching our daughters to prioritise self-care and to nurture themselves, and not just run ragged trying to please others. We all deserve treat time, and getting it for a price that is super affordable is always a BONUS.

Thanks so much for having me back, feel free to scroll on by my long chats... I am really excited for the rest of this year and the boxes we have planned and I am just so thrilled that the world works in mysterious ways and I get to experience the creative joy of making your boxes again!

Rosie xxx