Subscription Boxes for Moms-to-Be: Supplet Interview

Continuing on with our How to Start a Subscription Box Company, today I get to introduce you to one of the latest launches – Supplet. This company offers a subscription discovery service for moms-to-be. Monthly shipments include healthy goodies for pregnant women. Today we are chatting with Supplet’s founder, Jessica Munroe, on her motivation for starting the service and her vision for its future.

What made you decide to start a subscription box service?

I have always wanted to make a profound difference in people’s lives which is why I pursued careers in the healthcare and natural products arenas.  Working in these industries made me realize just how frightening the statistics are for obesity, diabetes and many other health problems. What is even scarier is that many of these problems can be avoided.  To make a long story short, I wanted to put together a thoughtful and creative baby shower gift for my friend. I found myself getting frustrated searching for all natural, organic and helpful luxurious products to not only make her pregnancy experience healthy, but positively impact her child for the long run. It’s amazing that people will spend hundreds of dollars on baby clothes that their child will outgrow in weeks but they will not take the proper precautions to use the right products and eat clean food during pregnancy.

How did you choose your subscription niche?

I knew that there were products and services on the market that help improve outcomes for women and their babies but these products and services are not easy to find. As cliche as it may sound my co-founders and I really want to make the world a better place. Supplet’s socially minded agenda strives to create better health outcomes for children and families. What better way to begin on this mission than by encouraging pregnant women to be healthy?

Do you work out of your home or an offsite location?

Both. I think most entrepreneurs will tell you they work at home a lot (and at crazy hours).  During business hours I usually work out of the Find and Form agency in Boston. I work with the talented Find and Form Agency on the Supplet.com website.

How long did it take between idea and official launch? How long to profit?

We spent about a year before we launched to flush out the idea, create a couple of wireframes, conduct surveys, and really just speak with as many people as we could to receive feedback.  We became profitable at month three. Every profit we make we reinvest into the business in order to grow it into other channels. We are building out an e commerce platform and we are creating a safe and private online community for pregnant women, new moms and women trying to get pregnant.

How do you source the products that will be included each month?

Since I am a ‘health nut’ with a strong background in the Natural Products Industry I had a pretty good grasp of the type of products we needed. However digging for the right products took a lot of time. Since we are in the premium and health markets the products we carry are more expensive than mainstream products and this sometimes presents us with challenges.  In addition we do not verify products as “organic” or “eco-friendly” ourselves, but instead look for third-party certifications when available, or for companies that have a people & planet positive approach in all aspects of their supply chain. I also have assembled a board of expert advisors to help us vet products (and service providers). Finally, we dig into the stories people behind the products and look to promote companies with strong values and a sense of mission so our customers can connect with the ‘why’ behind what you buy.

What would you change if you had to start over?

I would have started the business sooner and not worried about the site “looking perfect.”

Where do you see your business five years from now? Any changes in the works?

We want to be the go to healthy pregnancy marketplace for everything mom and baby related. From fertility treatments, healthy pregnancy diets to doulas.

 

Thanks, Jessica! You can learn more about Supplet and start your subscription by visiting the website. Don’t forget to Like them on Facebook as well.