We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Meghan Diehl a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Meghan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Millions of Peaches Box is named after a group of girlfriends, “The Peaches,” who met when we were randomly placed in an Atlanta hotel conference room for corporate job training in 2015. The position was high stress and a hybrid work model, so when we finished up training and returned back to our respective cities, we started a group chat to support one another during the workdays. Little did we know that it would lead to lifelong friendships where nothing is “TMI” and we go out of our way to support each other through all of life’s ups and downs.

Fast forward to 2020 where several of us were laid off from corporate jobs and many of us were reevaluating our commitments to our partners and families, as well as our financial positions, as many across the globe were doing the same. I was working at a high volume event planning job and everything came to a screeching halt. I immediately lost my income and my confidence tanked. I took a few months to reflect on what my passions were – I LOVE creative event planning and creating in general, so I decided to break out my boxes of crafting supplies and began selling signs and holiday ornaments to friends and family, and eventually at local holiday markets.

While participating in these markets, I began networking with other talented makers — and realized there are passionate makers out there who are WAY more talented than me, so imposter syndrome was setting in.

At the same time, Maura and I had been working together on some small business ideas and throwing out different options. Pooling our resources and each of our strengths, we were interested in the subscription box model, but didn’t really know how to begin or what niche to focus on. Then one day it hit me — we needed to buy from these talented lady makers from the markets and then some!

I realized that so many women were simultaneously trying to raise families, work a 9-5, all while keeping their creative juices flowing and I could see their talents — and that they could make a full time income on their craft, if only they had the support. We began approaching some of our favorite makers to gauge interest and the response was overwhelming! We set out to curate seasonal boxes (4 per year) featuring a variety of lifestyle items, featuring hand poured soy candles, handmade headbands, jewelry, stationery items, stickers, self care products, small home decor items, and more.

So, we had a subscription box plan and interested vendors, but … we needed a name. It just hit me while I was walking around the house one day. Millions of Peaches. We already had our Peaches, but we wanted to extend that support to MORE women around the US and beyond. (And, of course, if you’re a fan of 90s music, you might know the catchy song.)

We began shipping our first boxes in June of 2021 and are now sending out our Winter 2022 boxes. Every single day is a learning opportunity. Like any small business, we’ve experienced some hits and misses. We learned how to do business taxes and keep the books (why don’t they teach that in school?!). We’ve learned how to write contracts and vendor agreements. We run the social media channels and try to keep an active presence on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn. We’ve started a private Facebook group based on our original group chat, where subscribers and friends can share memes, funny videos, and whatever’s on their minds.

So far, we’ve featured makers from our own cities (Greenville, SC and the Baltimore, MD areas), as well as artisans from San Diego, CA, Michigan, Iowa, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut … and even Canada, India, and Ireland! We strive to collaborate with artists who are passionate about making a difference in their own communities, too. Many of our makers align with specific non-profits and some work in that sector, too.

We strategically curate each box featuring extra small/new businesses mixed with some more established small businesses in hopes that our makers can grow their networks and learn from each other. We’re all about creating an inclusive community.

Another important piece of the business is our give back program. Maura and I both have service industry backgrounds and we know as a business, we’re not successful unless our communities are also thriving. We choose to give back a portion of our proceeds to the Period Project (https://periodproject.org/), a non-profit based in Greenville, SC, whose mission is to provide feminine hygiene products to those in need.

There you have it: Millions of Peaches Box – Women Supporting Women in Small Business.

Meghan, 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?

(some details are on the previous page!)

I guess you could say I have not followed a traditional career path, which makes sense now, since I’ve recently been diagnosed with ADHD.

I’ve worked in the service industry in various restaurant positions since high school and then through college. I majored in Interior Design and have always been a creative, but didn’t know how to apply those passions. (Undiagnosed ADHD made college and classroom experience extremely difficult for me.)

My husband and I met in high school and after we were married in 2006, we decided to begin our family shortly after that. I ended up continuing to work a restaurant job for the flexibility as we were raising babies. Although it was never really a “career plan,” it worked for our family at the time.

I guess I never considered during those years in the industry, but providing excellent customer service, no matter what, and showing empathy, despite the fast paced and high stress environments, were fully ingrained into my work ethic. I also had a boss who went above and beyond in encouraging his staff to volunteer for a variety of community events where we would have a small team providing food, but the planning and camaraderie were the most memorable aspects.

I took on a catering manager position after moving from NJ to Greenville, SC and learned SO MUCH from all the daily challenges and ended up creating a great professional network. As a “brand ambassador,” I set out to forge relationships with local non-profits, colleges, seasonal community events, chambers of commerce, wedding planners, etc.

I ended up working with a local organic farm venue on multiple weddings, farm to table dinners, and fundraiser events. It was here that I found the most hard working and creative people — chefs, wedding planners, florists, bakers, photographers, and, of course, farmers. The work was absolutely physically and mentally exhausting, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. I began to do creative work with the events – designing chalkboard menus, tablescapes, basic graphic design, and even coordinated several weddings myself.

I was eventually approached by the general manager of a new family entertainment venue and took on an event planner role. I thought it was the perfect fit for me. I have always THRIVED in the chaos of the industry — I would rather plan and execute an entire event than attend an event (again, cue undiagnosed ADHD). It was here that I was given a bit of creative freedom when it came to designing menus and event decor. I had taken clients from my former catering job and invited them into the full service venue for $60,000+ family fun day events and multiple holiday parties. I felt like I had finally found the career that I was meant for. Then in March of 2020… that was it.

I was forced to do a lot of self reflection and decided to push myself with creative endeavors on a freelance basis. I have several social media clients, create graphics for small businesses, I’m a handwriting artist for Punkpost, run an Etsy shop, and take on chalkboard + small mural jobs as they arise.

Starting Millions of Peaches Box was a natural progression. I LOVE to provide a service and be a part of something bigger than myself. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Our subscription box model is slightly different than most box businesses, in that we’re not only seeking items to share, but we want to know WHO is behind each item. We take the time to thoughtfully research potential vendors to ensure they’re a good fit for our mission and that they align with our values, as women in business.

It would be all too easy to shop from wholesale sites to select a bunch of pretty things and package them up and send them out, but why would we do anything *easy*??

We want to know WHY our makers are making. What makes them tick. What their values are and who they’re supporting in their own homes and communities.

We love to share each maker’s story with our subscribers in an effort to forge connection and build brand loyalty between our own brand and the brands we feature.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Maura and I met while we were in training for a corporate catering job in Atlanta (on Peachtree Street–hence the Peaches!). We immediately clicked. She’s from NY. I’m from NJ and we both ended up in the South, so we bonded over being “damn yankees” down south.

We both lived and worked in Paramus, NJ at the same time and most likely crossed paths YEARS before meeting — Maura was working in the skincare department at Nordstrom and I would often browse the mall between class and my upcoming work shift. Speaking of small worlds, she went to high school with the best man from my wedding. It was definitely meant to be!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.millionsofpeachesbox.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/millionsofpeachesbox
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/millionsofpeachesbox
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/millionsofpeachesbox/
• Other: TikTok: @millionsofpeachesbox

Image Credits
Amanda Ramirez