In and out of doctors’ surgeries and hospitals with her eldest child when she was a baby, Ashley Totton then met a naturopath who recommended homeopathic medication and probiotics to help with her daughter’s immune health. This led her on a journey of discovery to create natural, organic products using essential oils, trialling and creating blends. Here, Ashley talks about the joy of sharing Māma‘s life-changing formulations and products with the world and their exciting plans for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
My children are my inspiration. My eldest was 11 months old and had been in and out of the doctors/hospital with different illnesses. We met an amazing naturopath here in Rotorua who saw her and diagnosed her with a reaction to her 6-week immunisations, which is when her symptoms started. Since then she has not been sick, nor has she seen our GP – yay!! My first product was an immunity blend that I use on her daily. This is one of our number one sellers.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
First it was sharing our products with family and friends, then word of mouth got out into our community about our products. From here, the ball kept rolling from a name, to a logo, to colours, a Facebook and Instagram page, a website and then new ideas started to flow.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
Having a website and seeing the feedback and reviews from people both in New Zealand and Australia was a huge breakthrough. It is my happy place when I get to discuss our products with people, have reviews of our products working and how they have changed people’s lives.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
It took me a long time to get this right (I still have days where I don’t), but I have set days in the week where my phone is down and my focus is my family. Mondays are for my kids and getting organised for our week. Tuesday-Thursday are usually production days where I am bulk creating. Fridays are a more relaxing day for email catch ups, orders, ordering stock etc…
