Along with her husband, teenage children and their family dog, EKOH founder Dawn Rees is passionate about living a happy, healthy lifestyle and looking after the environment for generations to come – and they want to help you do the same! When it comes to purchasing essential cleaning items for the home, it’s so important to make good, healthy choices for yourself, your family and the environment. However, it can be difficult to know where to start on your eco, waste-free journey, and this is where EKOH can help. They provide you with everything you need to start caring for your home, your body, your pets and the planet. Here, Dawn talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind her business and her desire to make natural, eco-friendly shopping easy and accessible to all.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
Retail has been my career for more than 30 years. My team referred to me as the Corporate Hippy because I questioned manufacturing techniques, packaging, and product end of life management.
I have learned a lot about manufacturing, consumption, marketing and everything in between, while leading merchandise teams for big brand corporates.
There are two key things have driven me to create EKOH:
- The firm belief that our choices about the products and brands we buy from directly influence our environment and wellbeing both today and for generations to come.
- I desire to have a flexible work-life balance and work from anywhere as long as we have a good internet connection.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
I have had this concept about a natural eco-friendly range of essential cleaning items delivered regularly to your front door – products for homes, pets and families – for some time, and I did lots of research on the category before committing to ensure the concept had merit.
I want to give customers the option of shopping for their cleaning stuff like you would subscribe to ‘Hello Fresh’ or ‘My Food Bag’. EKOH is the cleaning version of these services, saving you time, offering healthy options and saving your overspending on essentials.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
I think the most significant breakthrough was late in 2020 when I found a local designer (web and graphics) on Waiheke Island who “got” what I was trying to do. He has been an enormous help in pulling the technical, fun, and happy customer-focused concept together for our brand. EKOH is an acronym for Every Kind Of Happy – a play on what choices make you happy, and that you can choose a more sustainable shopping option 😊.
The second biggest breakthrough was finding a local Kiwi logistics partner who could support us from inception and through our growing pains.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
My goal setting out as an entrepreneur is to have more balance. As a start-up, this has to be the most challenging aspect. Still, I saw a quote that sums up where I am currently: “I left my corporate job of 10-hour days to get a better work-life balance, but I now work 24/7”. 😊
I love what I am doing, and because I have a good home office and support from my husband, my teenage kids and good friends, my work is part of my lifestyle versus separating work and family.
