Originally published 7 May 2019 by Minty Magazine
Read the full article here
Hands up if you have a kitchen drawer full of notepads and pens or a fridge covered in random post-it notes and party invitations? Well this busy Mum of three, Debora Shultz has designed an environmentally friendly solution, My Family Planner, to keep you well organised!
By cutting out the paper trail, you can reduce your environmental footprint and help support Destiny Rescue with a donation made for every planner sold. Now that’s something to feel good about!
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND HOW MY FAMILY PLANNERS WAS CREATED
‘As a busy Mum of three, I was juggling life and had a million balls in the air. I found myself writing in a diary, on random note pads and shuffling papers around and I knew there had to be a better way to get organised! So I came up with the idea for My Family Planners. I wanted to create something beautiful, but also something environmentally friendly.
My Family Planner is a paper-free system. The planners are printed on a reusable, soft magnet whiteboard and easily cleaned each week. The magnetic backing ensures our planners attach easily to any magnetic fridge keeping the schedule in view. With a large A3 size, the planner is ideal for keeping up to date with your weekly schedule and activities, also to communicate with the rest of the family what is happening during the week. We have a range including Monthly, Weekly and Menu planners. We are Australian designed and made, and our planners will help your busy family stay organised.’
WHAT ARE 3 KEYWORDS THAT DESCRIBE YOUR BUSINESS?
1. Beautiful
2. Simple
3. Ethical
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF OWNING AN ONLINE BUSINESS?
‘A lack of face to face with the customer. I miss seeing and chatting with people.’
WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING PART OF OWNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS?
‘Receiving emails from customers telling me how the planner has helped them get organised and bought more calm into their lives. Also knowing that every month we are funding education for a child rescued from slavery.’
CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR INVOLVEMENT WITH DESTINY RESCUE?
‘We work alongside this leading international rescue organisation to help create change for kids in desperate circumstances. Every planner sold makes a donation to Destiny Rescue providing education for children rescued from slavery. We make a difference, and we give hope.’
HOW CAN WE GET MORE ORGANISED & REDUCE WASTE?
‘Did you know, Australians use about 1.72 million tonnes of printing and writing paper each year – or the equivalent to more than 40 million trees? My Family Planner is doing our part by providing a complete organisation system without the myriad of note pads!’
WHAT IS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD PASS ONTO ANOTHER MUM STARTING UP A BUSINESS?
‘Be prepared to put in the hours. Don’t start with a product you are half-hearted about, or you won’t have the motivation to keep going when things go wrong. You need to believe in yourself, and your product and when things go wrong (and trust me the WILL) pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try again.’