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 DESCRIBE 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!
Personalised Polaroid and Amethyst Heart | Mini Ready to Go TreatBox
- "Never Forget How Amazing You Are" gift tag | Leave your message below and we'll handwrite it onto the gift tag for you.
- Your Polaroid Photo
- Amethyst Quartz heart, along with a little card explaining about the stone, how it works, and how to use it, all safely placed inside a white organza bag.
- Personalised products are shipped Monday to Friday only.
Upload your photo below using the upload button, make sure the photo is of good quality and portrait so it fits in the template. For more info, please go to the FAQ page.
This box comes with alcohol as an optional add on. By purchasing this add on you verify that the recipient is over the age of 18.
Personalised Just for You | Mini Ready to Go TreatBox
- Just For You photo gift tag | Leave your message below and we'll handwrite it onto the gift tag for you.
- "I hope you know..." ceramic keepsake
- "Making your day brighter one biscuit at a time" Vegan iced biscuit.
- This Box is shipped between Mon and Friday only.
Upload your photo below using the upload button, make sure the photo is of good quality and portrait to fit in the template. For more info, please go to the FAQ page.
This box comes with alcohol as an optional add on. By purchasing this add on you verify that the recipient is over the age of 18.
Surprise me | Ready to Go TreatBox
So now you can a pick a 5, 7 or 10 item TreatBox, you just leave us a little information in the box below about why you need this pick me up or any relevant information we need to know and we will surprise you! We'll pick 5, 7 or 10 items from our Build your own Collection and we will write you a message you make you smile.
This is a one off box, not a subscription we do one of those here. If you would like us to pick a box for your friend or loved one we can do that too, just let us know below.
Please provide your gift message in the space provided below, and we will handwrite it in the card.
Please let us know in the provided field if you would like us to ship your box closer to a special day while ordering. If no preference is specified, your box will be shipped as normal.
Personalised Mini Sending Hugs | Ready to Go TreatBox
- Sending You Big Hugs photo gift tag | Leave your message below and we'll handwrite it onto the gift tag for you.
- "Consider this a hug in a biscuit" iced vegan biscuit
- Amethyst Heart Crystal with information card.
- This Box is shipped between Monday and Friday only.
Upload your photo below using the upload button, make sure the photo is of good quality and portrait to fit in the template. For more info, please go to the FAQ page.
“HAPPINESS DOESN’T RESULT FROM WHAT WE GET, BUT FROM WHAT WE GIVE”