A few weeks ago, I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Megan Quinn, co-founder of Net-a-porter.com and hearing her speak about her incredible career and her thoughts on building a successful business as a female entrepreneur.

The event itself was run by an organisation called ‘EO’ (Entrepreneurs Organisation), which I have proudly recently joined – it has been such a great learning experience so far that has really opened my eyes and mind both personally and professionally. Aside from meeting and sharing experiences with some amazing fellow entrepreneurs, I’ve also been fortunate enough to hear and meet some incredible business-people whom I really admire. Enter Megan Quinn!

Megan’s career is wide and varied; she has worked in some seriously high-profile businesses but also started a few of her own along the way; the most recognisable and probably successful being Net-a- porter.com. Megan and her co-founders really were the pioneers of online retail – they were doing it when no one else was doing it and when the late-comers finally followed suit, Net-a-porter just did it bigger and better and built it to the point where it would sell in 2010 for GBP 350million (!!!).

It really is an incredible success story that merely started off as a simple idea between two friends. I therefore continue to maintain my mantra: “there is no such thing as a bad idea”. Maybe there is such hope for Moxie yet?!

PS – side story… that morning, after carefully planning my outfit for my meet with Megan (who is tall, gorgeous and effortlessly rocks a Givenchy blouse with split sleeves), my husband announces to me that he thinks my look is a bit aggressive: a knee length black leather skirt teamed with stiletto Christian Louboutin pumps that are covered in spiky studs. I would just like to publicly inform hubby that Megan Quinn loved my shoes. She told me so. That is all.

We love a good opportunity to celebrate what it means to be a woman and share that passion with others, so what better day than International Women’s Day to spread the Moxie love and treat our Moxettes?

Last Friday, our team hit the streets of Melbourne in our super cute Moxie-mobile, handing out Moxie samples and delicious chocolates to all the lovely ladies (and some gents!) that we met along the way.

We started off with a “Chap Lap” down the infamous Chapel st shopping strip in South Yarra, followed by a trip down to St. Kilda (any excuse to be beach-side in the beautiful weather!) then onto Lygon St in Carlton (pizza heaven!) and finally over to Melbourne’s iconic Queen Victoria Market. In the midst of that, we also happened to drop into Melbourne University’s Women’s Student Union IWD picnic. Phew what a day! Did you spot us? If not, don’t despair, we’re planning our next road trip as we speak and will hopefully make it to you in your local area soon! (Post on our Facebook page and let us know where you’re all at!)

So, here’s to IWD. Let’s not wait for this one day a year to celebrate our achievements though, let’s do it all the time! It can be as simple as ringing your bestie and telling her she’s awesome. Spread the love!

In light of that, I want to send out a huge thanks to our wonderful team of women who help bring Moxie to life and into your handbags every month and an even bigger thanks to all you lovelies out there all over the world for continuing to support us!

Mia x

I love nothing more than spending my mornings reading and replying to the lovely e-mails we get from our gorgeous Moxettes. Having you guys take the time to write to us and say nice things makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, so I just wanted to shout out a THANK YOU! It makes what I do that extra bit more rewarding!

I’ve compiled a short list of our most frequently asked questions for this week’s blog post, as it seems like there are some things many of you want to know!

1.) Are your products tested on animals?
Absolutely not! We love all things great and small.

2.) Do your tampons contain chlorine bleach?
No! Our tampons are not chlorine bleached.

3.) What is the difference between your Scanty Panty Liners and Slenders Liners?
So, to keep it simple:
Scanty Panty Liners are:
· super dooper thin
· specifically made for everyday use IN-BETWEEN periods
· designed to keep you feeling fresh under your clothes
· not thick enough to absorb any menstrual flow

Slenders panty liners are:
· absorbent
· thicker than Scanty Panty Liners
· designed for use DURING your period (for example, you might use a tampon at the same time, or, might use a Slenders liner at the start/end of your period on those really light days).

Both liners are:
· breathable
· individually wrapped
· complete with a recyclable purse-worthy tin
· awesome

4.) Your pads are really thin – will they be absorbent enough?
Don’t be fooled by their super-slim appearance! Put it this way – our Slenders pads can absorb 44 times their own weight in liquid! They are designed with the highest quality materials we can find and structured specifically so that they remain super thin, yet super absorbent. Same goes for our Sleepovers overnight pads. Some women even use them as maternity pads.

5.) I’ve got too many tins! What should I do with them?
Recycle them! Tin is really really easy to recycle. If you can’t part with your little tinnies yet, you can use them to store other things like hairpins, coins (great for in the car) and buttons. Some Moxettes have used them to plant herbs and make candles!

6.) Can I have a free sample?
We will definitely send you a sample if we have them in stock, but if we have run out we will ask you to check back on Facebook at a later date for when samples will be next available.

7.) Where can I buy your products?
You can find Moxie on the shelves in Australia at Woolworths, Coles, Priceline, Chemist Warehouse, My Chemist, Blooms the Chemist, selected IGA stores and other independent retailers. Please head to the ‘Shop’ tab on moxie.com.au for a full list of Australian and International stockists. Aussie and NZ residents, you can also buy securely online via http://moxie.mybigcommerce.com/

All e-mails from our customer line come directly to my inbox and I will do my very very best to respond to each and every one of them. If you ever have any questions, comments or feedback please drop me a line at info@moxie.com.au

Keep ‘em coming!

Mia x

I am so in love with Hong Kong at the moment, I’ll head there any chance I get. Mum and daughter long weekend? Hong Kong. Romantic getaway? Hong Kong. But best of all… work trip? HONG KONG!

I am so lucky that I get to frequent this spectacular city because of my job. We source our cute tinnies in Hong Kong, so we head over every so often to make sure that they are up to spec and as purse-worthy as they should be!

We were there in early Jan, just after the New Year and just before Chinese New Year – so as you can imagine, the city was buzzing! Here are some of my happy snaps and favourite to do’s in my downtime:
‘Sweat’ gym at the W hotel. The gym is great, but the view from the changing rooms is beyond. (1 Austin Rd W, Kowloon). Head one floor up to the rooftop pool if it’s not too hot.

Pre-dinner drinks at Sevva restaurant. Sweeping, incredible views of Kowloon and Hong Kong. Whenever my biz partner Jeff and I stand on that balcony, we have those “how lucky are we?!” moments. (25th floor, Prince’s building, 6-14A Chater Rd, Central)

High Tea at The Upper House. Once again, stunning views. Their raspberry jam is simply the best. Daily, from 3pm onwards. (Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty)

Shopping at Lane Crawford department store. A shop-a-holics heaven! I especially loved their Liberty Print super sweet Charity Bears where proceeds go to the Children’s Cancer Foundation. (see lanecrawford.com for locations)

Crystal Jade. Cheap and cheerful dumpling house chain found throughout HK. It has become an addiction! (Located at Harbour City, Kowloon, and IFC Mall, Central)

Flannel Flowers florist at IFC mall. Always my first stop. I like to buy hydrangeas to make my hotel room feel a little more homely. (IFC Mall, Central)

Wan Chai and Sheung Wan areas. Heaps of bars, cool eateries and boutiques. Great for just wandering and discovering all the local delights.

Dinner at Yardbird. Best yakitori! Super cute staff, too Sit at the bar. (33-35 Bridges Street Sheung Wan, Hong Kong).

Ahhhh take me back…

Mia x

What a whirlwind week at MoxieHQ! We found ourselves on the red-eye to Sydney first thing Monday morning for a meeting, gift-wrapping on Tuesday, working on our pack designs over a delicious lunch at Melbourne’s ‘Mama Baba’ on Wednesday, a cheeky lunch time jog on Thursday (hello sunny days!) to re-decorating the office with our cute new Marimekko floral cushions (in love!) today. Oh, and we FINALLY took down the Christmas tree!

Lots more to come next week, Moxettes. Enjoy the weekend.

Mia x

Ok, so it’s not Moxie pink, but this year’s Pantone Colour of the Year has been announced and I LOVE IT! Say hello to 17 – 5641 Emerald – it’s likely you will be seeing it a lot this year!

In primary school, emerald green was my favourite colour and I refused to use any other shade of pencil for all of grade four. Everyone used to tease me about it. I even wore solid emerald green eye-shadow to my BFF’s 21st. Well who’s laughing now, haters?! I was on trend way before my time!

So needless to say, I’m very excited to introduce emerald back in to my life. I like that it is a cooler tone – it’s an edgy yet sophisticated shade to bring into things like home-wares and fashion accessories. These are a few of my favourite (emerald) things…

Mia x

Hey there 2013! I’m sensing that new beginnings and exciting times lie ahead…

I had a dream last night that my mum came over and cut all the blooms off my prized hydrangea plants. Violet blue hydrangeas are my absolute favourite flower but their season is really short, so I try to make the most out of them when they are around. Anyway, in my dream, I’m devastated that mum has killed my hydrangeas but she assures me that she has just pruned them and that “they will grow again when it’s time”.

Is that meant to be a metaphor? Is it time for ‘out with the old, in with the new’? Seriously, what a co-incidental dream to have had on the first day of the year! I’m going to assume the universe is trying to tell me something. I’m not sure exactly what as yet, but it’s probably pushing me to do all those things I put off doing last year and assuring me that things will happen when the time is right. After all, “good things come to those who wait” (yikes, sorry, I seem to be FULL of clichés today). Well, 2013, we’re ready now!

Last year was a tough year, I’m not going to lie; but overall I’m so proud to have achieved what we did at MoxieHQ in the last twelve months – our Slenders pads became available at Woolworths and Coles, we launched our entire Moxie range in Chemist Warehouse, we partnered with the Butterfly Foundation to raise awareness of women’s eating disorders (much more of this is 2013, it’s such an important issue), gave away 150,000 Moxie product samples throughout the year to women around the country (many of those being women or young girls in need), sent some Moxie Christmas lovin’ (in the form of gift packs) to our female troops in Afghanistan, and hit 50,000 “likes” on our Facebook page!

It may not sound like much to some, but for us, it means the world. As business partners and founders of Moxie some eight years ago, Jeff and I feel so blessed for the support we’ve received over the years, which has ultimately helped us realise our dream of running our own business and providing Aussie women with a great product they can trust!

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the ride in 2012 and also to those who will continue to in the years to come.

Happy New Year Moxettes. May 2013 deliver everything you wish for, and more.

Mia
xx

Pic courtesy of tarafirma.tumblr.com

It happened. I turned 30. It’s the end of an era (the 20s). On the bright side, it’s the start of a new one, one that everyone that has been there before says is “the best decade of your life”. I wasn’t convinced. Not until my actual birthday week rolled around…

As some of you know, birthdays at Millie & More are a serious business in their own right – it’s mostly thanks to my business partner, Jeff, who I’m almost certain was a party planner in a past life. The planning involved and the lengths he goes to in order to pull off the ultimate birthday surprise is seriously unbelievable. Apparently this year’s party had been in the making since last year.

I was originally told I was having a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles party after mentioning to the team over drunken Friday night drinks that I used to dress up as Raphael along with my boy cousins and “fight the Shredder”, back in the early 90s. I was even asked to wear a disguise and bring nunchucks, if I still had them. Yikes.

Whilst admittedly I had eventually prepared myself and warmed to the idea of fighting crime with The Splinter and the rest of the Turtles, I arrived at work to a party I never would have expected. My darling girlfriends had all been called in to surprise me at MoxieHQ, each of them dressed in skinny jeans, heels and black eyeliner (the dress code was “Mia” apparently – even for the boys – this was hilarious). We had an amazing morning tea with all my fave spoils – scones and fresh jam made by my mum, donuts, champers, strawberries… I was stoked that the girls had taken the day off work, wagged, left the babies with hubby – just to help me celebrate! Team Moxie then whisked me off for a beachside lunch, followed by – wait for it – archery!! Best.fun.ever.

My M&M party was just the start of what turned out to be quite the b’day festival. The fun continued over the weekend – a gorgeous outdoor lunch with my bestie, a very intimate yet chock-full-of-shenanigans Saturday night party with my nearest and dearest, super special gifts, phone calls and flowers and a surprise chopper ride to the hot springs!! Talk about SPOILT ROTTEN!! To be honest it was all really overwhelming, I just couldn’t believe everyone had gone to so much trouble just for me. Simply amazing. I feel extremely blessed and so so fortunate to have such caring people in my life.

You may remember me whining a little while ago about turning 30. Well it turns out that it’s not half bad. In fact, if my b’day week was a sign of things to come, bring on the new decade, I say!!

Mia x

This probably isn’t so much a blog post as it is a show of my support for Losa Morrison, a young woman from Brisbane, who has allowed her facial hair to grow in support of men’s health (her father was recently diagnosed with depression). Losa is only one of two women in the world who are growing facial hair and raising money for the month of Movember. I really wish I had picked up on this one earlier!

Losa says that her aim is to break some social barriers, whilst assisting her dad in getting the help he needs to manage his illness: “I thought if I do this maybe he’ll come out of his shell and discuss it. I feel that men don’t talk about mental health issues because being emotional is considered feminine. In the same vein being able to grow facial hair is considered a masculine thing and therefore women don’t discuss it”, she told Brisbane Times.

What an incredible woman. I certainly wouldn’t be gutsy enough to do it, so I take my hat off to her completely. Kudos to you, girlfriend. You are the epitome of ‘More than just a pretty face’ and have certainly taught me a thing or two about selflessness.

You can donate to Losa’s fund here http://au.movember.com/mospace/5775213

Mia x

So I’m at home sick today. Well, I don’t know if I’d really classify it as sick, but I feel GROSS. Headache, bloated, chin break-out… You guessed it. And for someone who never used to get period pain, I sure am getting my karma!

It’s a real killer this time. It woke me up at 4am (thanks for that) – it’s 11am now and the pain has not subsided. I know a lot of you know what I’m talking about. It’s crap. Periods are crap. Yes sure, being a woman and having your period can feel empowering – it’s a sign your body is working as it should and it’s of course, nothing to be ashamed about. But seriously, Moxettes, we’re not going to lie to you – when it hurts, as it does for so many, it’s the pits and all you want to do (or can do) is lie in the foetal position with a hot water bottle to ease the pain. Familiar? I thought so.

It makes me wonder, then, why so many brands continue to make feminine hygiene ads featuring women running on the beach in white pants or participating in extreme sports, telling us this is how we should feel and behave when we have our periods. Sure, some of us have fuss free periods which may mean we can do all of the above, but ‘snowboarding’ doesn’t come to mind as an activity to do on the day I get my period -nor does wearing a tight, white outfit. For most of us, periods are just not that glam or comfortable, unfortunately. All women know this. It’s not a secret.

It seems customers are more and more savvy these days and people are speaking out against brands or companies who over-promise and under-deliver, particularly voicing their opinions on social media where the audience is mass and their reactions immediate. Issues can erupt within minutes. As such, I think it’s so important to practice what you preach. One particular international sanitary pad giant has, on more than one occasion, been nailed for their tagline “Have a happy period”. Their most recent (sarcastic) response stated “We lied to you… there’s no such thing as a happy period… The reality is, some people simply can’t handle the truth”. Women aren’t stupid, so why treat us like we are? Can we really not handle “the truth”? Will we not figure out for ourselves that periods are often painful, inconvenient and anything but “happy”?

The reality is that there is no feminine hygiene product that can make the bloating subside, or the break-outs disappear (let alone make you want to frolic along the beach in white pants). For those that are blessed with pain-free, hassle-free periods, power to you! But for the rest of us, it’s couch time in your PJs, a hot water bottle, a stack of mags, your favorite sweets and anything else that makes you feel a bit better when you’re feeling your worst.

Moxie will never lie to you about periods, Moxettes – we always promise to keep it real. I am living, moody, bloated proof of that.

Mia xx