It’s almost certain that all girls will go through one miserable week every month. Yep, that’s right, I’m talking about the dreaded period week.

Celia Gercovich from Ballarat, Victoria, wanted to create a product to help young women look forward to their periods instead of running in the other direction and hating the natural cycle of womanhood.

She developed My Monthly, an online business that delivers perfect parcels right on time to help women cope with that special time of the month.
“I created My Monthly because of my own period experiences. I personally dreaded purchasing feminine items from the supermarket, which is something I know resonates with many young females,” she said.

The first parcel Celia thought of was the Period Parcel. Inside the beautifully wrapped package is chocolate, chai tea, lollies, pain relief (paracetamol and ibuprofen), tampons and liners. As well as the necessities, Celia adds a special gift sourced from other small businesses across Australia, such as lip balms, face masks, body scrubs and body washes. “My partner began surprising me with a block of chocolate and pain relief when I would give him the heads up; it brought a smile to my face, and I thought, ‘why isn’t this a thing for everyone’,” Celia said.

As the business grew, so did the choices of period parcels. My Monthly now has four options, the pad parcel, the tampon parcel, the mixed parcel and the customised option.
With delivery right across Australia, Celia said she’d received kind feedback, which was keeping her passionate and motivated to ensure the business ran smoothly and successfully.
“We had some wonderful feedback recently from a mother in Perth, who told us her daughter was now excited to get her period because of our parcels.”
The parcels are a great way to introduce young girls to getting their periods for the first time or explaining what is happening to their bodies. The parcels can be ordered so they arrive just before your period, and can be organised to be sent every month.
Celia also works as a full-time team leader at IBM and owns Eyelash Designs by Celia, which she started in 2012.

A few months after starting My Monthly in September last year, Celia launched the Break Up box. Inside is a copy of the It’s called a break up because you’re broken book by Amiira Ruotula-Behrendt and Greg Behrendt, face masks, a scented candle, body scrub, sweet treats, a bath bomb, chai tea and, of course, a block of chocolate.
The break up box is the perfect gift of goodies to send to your friend’s house if they’re feeling low and need some love.

Celia studied a TAFE course in Resort Management and, although she has not pursued this career choice, she said the course taught her a lot about management, marketing and how to run a successful business.

Social media for a small business, just like My Monthly, Celia says, is crucial. “We used Facebook a lot when we first started, however Instagram is our main social media platform.”
In the modern world of small, online businesses, Celia is inspired by women such as Janine Ellis who created Boost Juices and Jane Lu who started the online boutique clothing store, Showpo. “These are all women who took a risk and it paid off. I find each of them very inspiring and motivating,” she said.

Celia said it was hard to run the online business as well as work full time at IBM and run her eyelash company too, but she has a huge support network with her family, friends and partner.
“It’s lovely knowing something I have created helps so many others,” she said.

You can check out My Monthly’s Instagram; @my_monthly