We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful LaTonya Williams. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with LaTonya below.

LaTonya, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Any thoughts about whether to ask friends and family to support your business. What’s okay in your view?

A few years ago I determined that I needed to focus on self-care but I was struggling to make it a priority. As I talked to my friends about this, I realized that they were experiencing the same thing. We were serving others at work, at home, and in the community, yet we were placing our own care on the back-burner. These conversations with my friends helped me to develop the new business, Renew Box, a self-care subscription box to help women beat burnout and overwhelm. After lots of research and brainstorming I wanted to use a survey to gather feedback. My friends and family graciously completed an online survey and provided me with valuable information. Once I was ready to release Renew Box to the world, I decided to start with a pilot launch. Although I had built a small social media audience for the new business, I didn’t see the sales take off until I shared the details on my personal social media accounts. Due to the support of my family and friends my pilot launch was a success that exceeded my expectations.

In addition to providing feedback and making purchases, my family members and friends make up Team Renew Box. My teenage daughter makes content for our social media accounts, my husband helps with shipping, a friend manages our private social media community and researches new products, a friend meets with me on a regular basis to brainstorm ideas, and a cousin creates content for our email marketing campaigns. During the moments of frustration, disappointment, and overwhelm, my friends and family are there to offer prayers and words of encouragement.

My family and friends play a crucial role with Renew Box and I’m extremely grateful for their support on this journey.

LaTonya, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

The Christmas holiday season is a time for joy, celebrations, and fun. A couple of years ago, during Christmas instead of holiday cheer, I found myself crying often, getting easily annoyed, and quick to snap at those around me. I was dealing with recurring bouts of grief and decided this would be the year that I received professional help. A few weeks later, I walked into the therapist’s office armed with a list of questions. I wanted to understand why I was still experiencing so much grief during the holiday season even though it had been more than 25 years since my mom passed away.

This was my first visit with a therapist so my expectations were based on TV shows and movies. I was surprised that we spent the first few sessions talking about self-care. I was annoyed because I wanted to talk about grief. After explaining my feelings to the therapist, she explained why it was so important for me to learn how to use self-care to cope with grief and other issues.

This was my ah-ha moment.

With my new understanding of the value of self-care, I started talking to other women in my circle. I discovered that I wasn’t alone – many other women that I talked to had a similar story. There was a common theme in these conversations – women were taking care of their families, running businesses, killing at work, volunteering at church or in the community, and so much more. These women were taking care of everyone else but themselves. They were stressed, overwhelmed, and on the brink of burnout.

I started thinking about how I could help myself and other women make time to prioritize self-care to beat the feelings of overwhelm and reduce stress. I also knew that I had to find a way for self-care to be simple. My life is full and if self-care is complicated and time-consuming it’s less likely to happen. That’s how Renew Box started.

Renew Box is self-care made simple. Four times a year we deliver 6-10 self-care products ladies can use to renew their spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, and social well-being. Subscribers also get access to a private community of incredible women who seek renewal and joy. This community that we’ve formed has been nothing short of amazing. We share self-care ideas, encourage each others during self-care challenges, and we’ve learned together during virtual workshops.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

The typical social media platforms are used to share self-care tips and details on the items within each Renew Box. We engage with our social media followers in comments and through polls or quizzes. Although an internet search for self-care ideas can yield thousands of results, we simplify the process by sending tips and resources directly to the inbox of our community members.

When someone subscribes to Renew Box, in addition to the self-care and lifestyle products they receive, they get access to our private social media group. We participate in self-care challenges, share ideas for using our products, and encourage each other. I’m rather introverted so showing up on video isn’t my favorite thing to do, but I enjoy posting videos to the social media group. It’s like talking to a group of friends.

Deciding what products to include in Renew Box each season is one of the most fun activities involved in running the business. Finding items that help my subscribers make time for self-care moments is the goal. I frequently poll them to get a pulse on what items will give them the most satisfaction. Including them in the product selection process has yielded great results. Recently I worked with a graphic designer to revise our logo and branding. It was the subscribers who helped finalize the logo we’re using today.

Connecting with social media followers and subscribers fills me with joy. Receiving emails about how the self-care tips and products have helped them inspires me to keep serving women who want to renew their mind, body, and soul. There’s one email that stands out. One season we included a guided journal with a word, prompts, and quotations to focus on each week. A subscriber reached out to let me know that she and her husband sit down together each week and complete the activity. I love how they’re making time for self-care as a couple!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

“If you build it, they will come.” The line from the classic movie Field of Dreams is often used in business. I quickly learned that while it sounds good in theory, it doesn’t quite work that way in practice.

During our pilot launch we quickly sold out of the Renew Boxes. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. I was very confident that we’d built a quality product that was needed by our ideal customers. While the sales have been steady and we’re continuing to grow, we haven’t experienced the rags to riches, become a millionaire overnight journey that’s often touted on social media.

The last couple of years I’ve learned so much about marketing an e-commerce business. I’ve attended workshops, joined masterminds, completed online courses, and brainstormed with others in the subscription box industry. In many ways social media makes it easy to promote a business. That ease is also what makes marketing a challenge. Millions of businesses are trying to capture the attention of social media users. We’re constantly trying new ways to reach our ideal customers so that more women across the nation can get the Renew Box experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://myrenewbox.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myrenewbox/
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/myrenewbox