Eva Wintersberger

Cause
Tree Hut Village

Website
https://www.treehutvillage.com.au/

Social Media
https://www.facebook.com/treehutvillage.com.au/



What do you do?
TreeHutVillage enables parents to hire baby equipment from each other. This means that a traveling family can enjoy traveling lighter and hire from a local parent instead of risking getting an expensive pram damaged. Or it means that you get to try out the stroller or pram you wanted to buy for a weekend before committing to it and when you end up buying it you can make the money back you spent on it within a few hires. 

Parents can leave reviews for prams they have hired or bought to help others with thier decision making as well. 

What do you love most about what you do?
I love that it means that fewer low-quality items get purchased that end up in landfills quickly. We extend the lifecycle of products and the amount of use parents get out of it. I love that parents and often Mum's can make a bit of money on the side to treat themselves or buy something for themselves they wouldn't have otherwise. Also, we facilitate connections, which probably my favourite part. 

What is the vision for your project/business/cause?
We want to spread the word so that incoming visitors to Australia and New Zealand can hire from a local Aussie family, get to know them a bit, get a few tips for their trip and get to try a brand that they might not be familiar with. I would love to track the amount of items that didn't go to landfills because parents hired instead.

What are some defining moments in your life that got you where you are today?
I moved to New Zealand when I was in my early 20's and the "can do" attitude and the "just give it a go" response when I shared my idea is what encouraged me to get started. The support is overwhleming and Australia in particular has really propelled the business forward. 
Becoming a Mum is a huge change in everyone's life and it was a very defining moment when I changed form corporate to being stay-at-home Mum for 12 months. I went form eanring a lot to earning nothing and so Treehutvillage was also born out of that scenario. 

What inspires you to keep focused on what you love to do?
Our customers are the most critical element of our business. I love their feedback and interacting with them. 

What are some of the biggest challenges you've overcome so far?
Probably self doubt about if it is going to be accepted by the community and if we can grow into a "real business". 

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Is there anyone you haven't met yet who is an inspiration to you? What would you say?
So many Australian women are amazing entrepreneurs that kept inspiring me along the way. Women who grew incredible businesses out of nothing in their living rooms! 

How would you define community and do you feel it is important? Why?
Community is everyting for Treehutvillage. It is the fundamental trust that everything is built on. The collegial environment that motherhood creates was a perfect, fertile ground for Treehutvillage. 

What is your favourite place in the world? Why?
The mountains (Alps) in Europe. The forest calms the soul and makes you notice how small your problems are. 

How can people get in touch or participate in your cause?
The best thing is to connect with us via facebook or register on our site - we also have FB group that I would love to welcome people to: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mums2mumsbabyhire

Please share any words of wisdom that you could offer our readers with the journey you've taken so far?
Trust yourself to know what the best next step is - listen to yourself and be guided by others. Focus on the positives and belief in yourself. It's not easy but it's always worth it.

We'd love to know one more thing you absolutely LOVE about your life :)
I love my family. I love every day that I spend with my son and my husband. They are my everything and I love that I get to see them every day and enjoy parts of my day with them.

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Feel inspired?
​Get in touch with TreeHutVillage to find out how you can get involved!

TreeHutVillage


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© Laura Naomi, 2018

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