Today we’re sharing our conversation with Leah Brushett, the Founder and Chief Curator of Mother Snacker.
Whether it’s taking the time to catch up on your favorite TV shows or a quick five minutes to munch on your favorite snack, everybody needs to practice a little self-care. Check out how Leah encourages self-care for moms through her one-time gift boxes and subscriptions!
A Little About Mother Snacker
We’re so excited to help share your story with our readers!
If you wouldn’t mind, could you give us a quick introduction to you and Mother Snacker?
I’m Leah Brushett, the Founder & Chief Curator behind Mother Snacker, a dessert gift and gift subscription box for moms. I am a coffee-obsessed dessert lover that has always enjoyed scouring store shelves, markets, and local boutiques to discover the perfect gift for a loved one. I’m married to my high school sweetheart, Branden and Mama to my one and only, Leo Emery.
My transition into Motherhood wasn’t easy. Like many moms, I felt lost and overwhelmed. Between working full-time in the video game industry, being a present wife and mother there seemed to rarely be any time or energy for me. My go-to moment of self-care was a sweet break for myself. A moment to indulge in a unique dessert, catch up on my favorite shows, and remind myself that I am not doing motherhood wrong, it’s just that hard.
One day it hit me! Why isn’t this something that comes delivered? What if this sweet little break from the chaos was sent right to a Mom’s door? What if I could remind Moms all over the country how amazing they are AND treat them to artisan sweets, all while supporting fellow small businesses, women-owned companies, and brands with a social cause? There wasn’t anything like it available already so I decided to go for it and start the business myself. And here we are almost two years later with Mother Snacker! We now have subscribers in 39 states plus 5 provinces in Canada.
We all know a Mom that rarely takes time for herself. Maybe it’s your sister, your best friend…maybe it’s YOU. And while spa days and mom’s night out are amazing (and highly encouraged) they aren’t always feasible. That’s where Mother Snacker’s curated dessert gift boxes come in. They make it easy for you to gift the modern mama in your life the sweet break she deserves – no babysitter, reservations, or weeks to plan ahead needed.
Each box is thoughtfully curated to help you cultivate a beautiful life and features a decadent mix of artisan-made treats, unique everyday essentials, and a serious dose of “Mama, you got this!”
Mother Snacker believes every mom should have a stash of sweet treats all to herself, plus beautiful reminders of how amazing she is. After all, you never know when they’ll be needed.
Our gift boxes are available as one-time gifts and as a recurring gift subscription. That’s right, recurring…as in delicious treats and beautifully designed products delivered right to a mom’s door, every month.
Talking Business With Leah
I want to go ahead and take this opportunity to thank you for sharing your story with us! What strikes me the most is that you were absolutely right – you weren’t doing anything wrong, motherhood is literally that hard. With everything going on now, it’s important to take that time to hit pause, indulge in a sweet treat, and remind yourself that you’re worth the five minutes.
In regards to owning your business, we know that it isn’t easy. Do you have any words of advice for budding entrepreneurs that you wanted to pass on?
Try your best to get out of your own way. One of my biggest hurdles is focus, I get too caught up in what I should be doing and I end up not taking action at all.
Remind yourself that you don’t need to be doing all the things, all the time. Pick a strategy that makes sense for your business, your customers and you. Follow through then add on more as you continue on. Don’t be bogged down by all the options and marketing strategies available to us these days. Pick a platform where your customers are and focus on that.
With all the different options out there, we totally understand. Finding your voice can be especially challenging! Were there any other particular challenges that stood out to you during your journey?
There are lots of challenges in owning a business and very many benefits too! The challenge that comes to mind for me first is how much I would need to be the face and persona behind the business. As an introvert, it wasn’t something I was entirely expecting. Of course, I knew I’d need to share the how and why of my brand but these days customers really want to know, like, and trust a company. So walking the line of getting visibility for Mother Snacker while also staying true to my introvert roots has been a challenge.
I’ve had to find a balance between what’s best to bring my business forward with what’s best for my personality type. An unexpected benefit of owning a business has been meeting and befriending fellow entrepreneurs. Getting to meet, encourage, and help other business owners get off the ground has been very fulfilling. Like motherhood, entrepreneurship can be very isolating, so having a tribe of like-minded individuals I can turn to has been a huge benefit.
Mother Snacker & Paper Mart
I love it. Alright, let’s get down to you and Paper Mart.
How do we fit in? How do you use Paper Mart to help support your small business?
Paper Mart has been essential in giving Mother Snacker access to unique packaging and shipping products for reasonable prices and lower minimums. Plus, I love that they are located on the West Coast, so turnaround times are quick for me here in Seattle.
I love the variety Paper Mart offers and it allows me to source from a broad range of categories from one vendor. I use them for everything from tissue, gift and mailer boxes, and my signature ribbons that add that extra pop to every gift box that is sent.
And it shouldn’t go without saying that their website makes it really easy to place orders and reorders and their customer service is amazing. If I ever have a question about a product, like it’s dimensions or clarity on the description, I just hop on their chat and get to speak to someone pretty quickly! This is essential to running a business like mine.
If there is anything I get complimented on most about my business it’s the level of detail that goes into my packaging and how beautiful the gifts arrive. I couldn’t do it without help from Paper Mart.
Happy to help! It sounds like you’re well acquainted with our website and packaging products! Do you mind if I press you to pinpoint a few favorite items?
My favorite items include the black Jenna Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (1-1/2″), it’s the perfect thickness and texture to tie a beautiful bow. Your Kraft Covered Setup Mailing Boxes are some of my favorites too. They are sturdy enough for me to mail without an outer box but are so well made they pair perfectly with the striped ribbon and double faced satin ribbon I finish my boxes with.
Shop Leah’s Picks
These images are courtesy of Mother Snacker and Samantha Witt of Lost, Found Design. If you want to follow along with Leah’s journey, check out the Mother Snacker website and shop! Don’t forget to also follow them on social media (Instagram and Facebook).