Behind The Scenes: Meet The Maker Of Treatbox

For those of you who already love subscription boxes; you'll understand that feeling of pure joy when a new box arrives at your door, full of wonder and surprise. But what about the brains behind the box? What about the creator who brings it all to life, packs every box, sends it off into the world full of special care and consideration? We often don't think about that too much.

That's probably due to a lot of subscription boxes being made by huge, rich companies; keen to flog another product and keep you hooked on their brand. But there are some special small biz gems out there, like Treatbox.

Treatbox is a monthly subscription box which features stationery, homeware, accessories, artwork, jewellery and SO much more! Created by the lovely Zoe, determined to spread joy and happiness on the first of every month to every subscriber; Treatbox is in a league of it's own.

Want to know more about the behind the scenes workings? Let's chat to Zoe...

Can you introduce yourself for the readers?

Hey, my name is Zoe and I am the founder of TreatBoxUk.

How would you decribe Treatbox in 3 words?

I would say… Unique, Caring, Exciting 

Where did you originally get the idea for starting Treatbox?

I wanted to send my friend a care package as she was feeling down and there was nothing out there that was personal, I could of gone online and ordered something random and added a typed out message, making it feel like no real personal touch or effort had been put into that gift. I am not going to lie, we all know subscription boxes are pretty much everywhere nowadays, but I wanted to create something that really made, the individual receiving the box feel special, like the box was wrapped just for them. So whether it is our monthly boxes or our build your own, care and personal touches are added to really pick the recipient up and make them feel special.

How do you decide on the products for each month & how do you source them?

Trade shows, researching new companies and new products with our existing suppliers. We usually plan the themes first for the upcoming months and work around this.

What inspires you?

Quotes, colours, time of year, seasons, feelings, everything, I am always saving ideas and jotting
them down.

Whats an average work day like for you, and how much planning does each monthly box take?

My work day is crazy Monday to Friday is non stop, being a Mum of two, I have to fit everything around them too, so I will wake up, always start to day with a cup of tea, then we have breakfast, get ready for the day, school run, straight to work for 9am, start with emails, print orders depending on whether the ladies are in, I may need to pack orders. Personalise and print any cards customers have added to their boxes. Admin, update the website and check social medias, messages, comments, and schedule posts. Depending on what time of the month it is we may then need to pack boxes, we usually do this the last week of the month, as long as there is no school holidays, we like to pack 100/200 a day. 3pm I pick the children up from school and head home, I will photograph any new products and add them to the website. Dinner time, then I will check and update social medias. Stories and bedtime for the children. Once they are sleeping 8pm if I am lucky. Sit down with tea, cake and my laptop plan and research new ideas, products upcoming monthly boxes, check emails, design any new artwork, more admin and any website updates and then go to bed (pass out) Everyday is different and this is why I love it so much!

How far ahead to you need to prep for upcoming months?

At least 3 months ahead, more if possible.

If you had one piece of advice for small business owners, what would it be?

Focus on one thing at a time, sometimes starting to many task at one time, then never really finishing the first, everything will become overwhelming. TAKE TIME OUT! I may be slightly hypocritical with this one, but I try where possible, and when I do I’m fired up and ready to come back to business, with a fresh outlook and new ideas! It is going to be a rollercoaster and it is going to be HARD, but you can do it!

How do you see Treatbox developing in the future?

We have lots lined up for the new year, we will be expanding build your own TreatBox, giving our customers even more choice when building a box, adding more children and men options. We will also be bringing the Deluxe TreatBox out in 2018, a 3 monthly box, which will be predominantly for high quality accessories and home products, unlike our monthly TreatBox this will be a parcel, more on this coming soon!

Did you have any unexpected issues when you first started Treatbox?

I wouldn’t say any unexpected issues, but sometimes what I jot down on paper or have in my head isn’t always possible on the budget or size and it can be frustrating as I like everything to be perfect.

Do you do all the work yourself, or do you have anyone else hired to help?

I have 2 part time ladies who help me. My Mum and husband bail me out, I mean help me, when we need extra hands.

Can you name your favourite ever product/box you've ever featured?

That is a hard question I love all my boxes the same, but May 2017 was one of my favourites, I just loved the colours of the grey and rose gold scarf!

What would be in YOUR ideal box?

My ideal box would be a bit of everything, I love when there is something edible, something for the home, something to pamper yourself. Home products are my favourite, it is tough to add lots of these to the monthly box as we are held back due to the large letter box. Ooh I love stationary too.

Are there any brands you'd love to work with?

I would love to feature more independent brands in TreatBox, there are so many new ones out there, we are always on the hunt! I have loved every time we have worked with Lisa Angel I love their style, the customer service is brilliant. Made by coopers are lovely too and there salts in May were divine!

Whats the BEST thing about Treatbox, and why should people check it out?

We care, we really do we want to make you happy, I know that sending boxes to thousands we are not going to always make every single person happy but we try, every single month, the same love, care and attention goes into each box, every single month. We really do wrap every box with love!

So there you have it! Hopefully you guys will love Treatbox even more now, after learning just how much time, care, and effort goes into it every month. Visit the Treatbox website to subscribe, or create your own unique box!


Post written by Jemma Humphreys/Dorkface