Pregnancy can be a confusing time, especially for first-time mums and parents. Suddenly the pregnant mumma has to be much more careful about what she eats, drinks or puts on her body! 

Bump Boxes is a pregnancy subscription box business that’s dedicated to making it easier for expecting families to choose safe and healthy products for their growing baby. 

Powered by WooCommerce and WooCommerce Subscriptions, Bump Boxes offers a regular delivery of safe and healthy pregnancy samples or products. 

The founding parents of Bump Boxes are Christine and Leland Deehring. Christine took the time to answer some questions about the inspiration for Bump Boxes, the ins-and-outs of their business and marketing operations, and her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Kirby: Tell me the story of how Bump Boxes came to be.


Christine: My daughter is the bump behind Bump Boxes! I wanted to protect her and keep her healthy and safe from the very beginning. When I was pregnant, I wanted to make sure the products I used were as safe and natural as possible. I was given the speech about no deli meat and watch the fish, but no one said anything about how you shouldn’t use your normal, everyday facewash, or lotion. Finally, I found products that were not only safe and free of harsh chemicals, but that actually work!

My husband jokingly said: “Hey, you should start a business with all of the time you’ve spent on this.” And that was the beginning!

Kirby: Were you inspired by any other individuals or companies?


Christine: There are so many great companies out there that have amazing products that are safe for Mum and Baby. We are inspired by companies that use safe ingredients and also give back in some way. Giving mums a platform to try these products and get introduced to these wonderful brands has been amazing.

Kirby: What should a new subscriber expect to receive in a typical Bump Box? 


Christine: New subscribers can expect to receive safe, healthy products they can feel good about using. Our $10 subscription is perfect for the new mum who wants to test out products before she buys full size. Included in that subscription are a great mix of pregnancy products, mum essentials and baby products. Our $39.99 subscription is actually tailored to the mum’s due date/baby’s birthday and can be started anytime during pregnancy all the way to the child’s first birthday.

Kirby: How did you find the suppliers for all of the products that go into your boxes?


Christine: We spend a lot of time seeking out products and brands we want to work with, whether it’s through tradeshows or social media.  Companies also reach out to us directly to partner as well!

Kirby: Can you tell me a bit about how your affiliate program works?  


Christine: Sure! Anyone can contact us to become an affiliate. You submit your contact information and website, there is an approval process on our end to ensure we’re a good fit, and you can include your referral link and post about us. If customers convert from your referral link, you get a percentage of the sale!

Kirby: How did you reach your first customers? How are you reaching new customers now?

Christine: I remember when we sold our very first Bump Box within an hour of our site being launched and I was so excited! Then, I realized it was my Mum—hahaha—but still, it was an amazing feeling to get that first sale. When you have a great product, your first customers tell their friends, buy gifts for their friends, and their friends buy gifts for others, and so on… it’s a complete domino effect from what we’ve seen, which is a great sign!  It means we’re making our customers happy, which is our #1 goal.

Kirby: How important are your blog, week-by-week guide, and social media accounts to your business? 


Christine: They are very important! It is our way of connecting with our mums and creating our amazing community. We love educating mums and creating resources to make their lives easier. It’s so fun to see mums post about their Bump Boxes on social as well! I love knowing we’re brightening Mums’ day ☺

Kirby: Were you self funded or did you receive investment? 


Christine: We are self funded.

Kirby: Tell me about your experience using WooCommerce Subscriptions to power your Bump Boxes subscriptions?


Christine: We’ve had a great experience, and a pretty seamless integration to our site.  It’s a great out of the box plugin solution for our subscription renewals.

Kirby: Tell me about the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far. 


Christine and Leland: Our biggest challenge, and strength, is the limited budget of a startup.  We’ve had to learn a lot and wear many hats to get where we are today, and we’re a better company because of it.  All hands are on deck packing in the warehouse when subscriptions trigger!

Kirby: What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs?


Christine: Be mentally tough and always push forward. People will tell you no… a lot! Don’t let it discourage you… it will pay off! Expanding your network is crucial as well. Meet with other entrepreneurs and create a support system. Assembling the right team is essential. No one is an expert at everything. If you have a weakness in a particular area, find people with those strengths to work with you to develop your business. You need to get your team in place early in order to grow a successful business.

Kirby: What are Bump Boxes’ plans for the future?


Christine: We want to be the first place expecting mums go to shop for their products, because they know we’ve done the research to ensure they’re safe to use during pregnancy and beyond. We also want to help educate expecting mums on the importance of using safe products.

For first time parents, there’s already so much to learn—childbirth, breastfeeding, car seats, strollers—not to mention how to take care of a newborn! Bump Boxes is a great way to save yourself some time and research and get access to safe and healthy pregnancy products. 

Thanks to Christine and Leland for offering us a little more insight into their experience building and growing Bump Boxes.