Welcome to the official Rebecca Mail blog where we will share with you more about Rebecca Mail (like spotlights on contributing businesses), some of our current favorites, our day to day lives and the occasional random thought. In short... It's your place to get to know us.
First a little of our history... Rebecca Mail started as an idea in early March of 2016. That idea took root and grew into a GoFundMe campaign and in June 2016 we shipped our first 30 boxes... We were so excited!
My daughter Allie and I packed all those boxes in a few hours time in a little corner of our over crowded basement in Rockport, Maine. If that spot was going to serve as our "head quarters" would need a lot of work!
Here is something you didn't know about that first box... My mother passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in late May. She was super excited about Rebecca Mail and wanted to be part of it so when the Stand Tall cards came in she carefully folded each one and put it into it's cello sleeve. Since she had arthritis in her hands it took her about a week. Which at the time was frustrating since I could have done them in a couple hours but in retrospect was a sweet gesture. I like to think a small part of her blessed each of those first boxes.
Over the next couple months we learned, grew and shipped out two more boxes...
July's boxes we packed by myself and my older daughter Katy. We had so much fun chatting and packing each one in the slightly more organized corner of the basement thanks to a huge yard sale.
By August we added Jen Blake to the Rebecca Mail family although we didn't know exactly what her role would be at first. She is a close family friend and someone I have worked with in a past business so it was an easy transition.
Hello Jen!
Thanks to her incredible energy we excavated the rest of the basement (having huge yard sale #2) since we now needed the space as Rebecca Mail continues to grow by 25%-40% a month!
To give you an idea of what a huge job that was the house we live in used to belong to my parents who were hoarders "collectors" of everything and when we moved back to Maine and took over the house the entire contents of our home got crammed into that same basement. When we did a bit of a renovation a few years ago more stuff moved down there... Then I worked in Direct Sales and added my samples, props and inventory to that basement... It was full!
While prepping and packing our August box we decided Jen's role would be permanent and eventually (down the road) full time, but her title is officially Operations Manager. As we grow, Jen's role will grow, for now she is my official #2 and personI run nearly everything by. She helps keep me organized and our brain storming has helped me come up with some of my favorite ideas so far. Most importantly she understands how I work and lets the process happen.
Also in August we said goodbye to our brown boxes with wash tape...
And got our first custom Rebecca Mail boxes.
The increased and organized space also allowed us to set up a little photo studio area so we could take better pictures of our boxes and the items we put in them...
We have had a lot of fun but here is a little secret... The above photos were taken before we had our backdrop frame so poor Jen was standing behind the backdrop, holding it up! (Sorry Jen!)
September marked the end of our soft launch phase. We expanded our "shop" offerings and more importantly we added Lanette as our Finance Manager a role I do not envy because I like to focus on everything up until it launches or ships, then I am off to the next idea. I don't like keeping the books or the numbers and usually end up with the shoebox method at tax time. It is now Lanette's job to sort that mess out.
I knew Lanette from a business I was in previously and we had become close friends who stayed in touch. She was also no longer in that business and looking for some part time work when I jokingly asked her if she wanted to keep the books and deal with the numbers. She was actually looking for just that kind of job she could work from her home in Pennsylvania.
Her addition came as we were planning our September box... Our best yet, if I do say so myself.
And since she and Jen have come on board I no longer feel like I am making it up as I go.
We have big things planned, some that we will be rolling out in the very near future! We have most of the next six months mapped out and I can't wait for you to see what we have in store for you!! So strap in, hang on and get ready for big things from Rebecca Mail!
Thanks for listening,
Rebecca
