Founded in the UK in 2016 by Paul and Viv, Essential Oil Supplies came about due to a need to source and supply high quality products for themselves and to ensure essential oil customers were cared for and supported. After the extraordinary success of the business in the UK, family members Richard & Gill opened Essential Oil Supplies NZ in 2017 to provide the same great products and services in New Zealand and for their growing number of Australian customers. They offer everything you need to use your essential oils safely and effectively, along with providing the best level of service for their loyal customers.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
Just like other parents, our children are most important to us! Creating a nurturing environment for them is at the heart of everything we do, and sometimes that has meant we’ve had to deviate a little from the norm.
Running our own business to give us more control of our time is a natural extension of this but, with a large family and a lifestyle block, it sometimes felt like a far-off dream. You can imagine that when we had the opportunity to start a business which would give us more control over our time and could be run from home, we jumped at the chance!
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
Fortunately, we were able to start relatively quickly due to help from friends and family. They advised on everything, from sourcing products to website design, and all in all, we went from idea to launch in about 3 months! We also had help from many of the amazing people within the Essential Oil communities. They were so encouraging and allowed us to run product stores at their events, giving us feedback on products that they needed and had trouble sourcing in New Zealand.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
Engaging with our customers face to face and through social media gave us fantastic feedback. Through these new ideas, we were able to adapt our business and tailor our product range. As we did this, we received encouragement from our customers and our confidence grew. It was great!
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Balancing family and work hasn’t always been easy. If you let it, work will take all of your time and energy! We have learned to schedule specific time for the business and to close the door on it each evening to protect family time. Some of our adult children will help out, and we have fun catching up and working together.
