two women holding soft dolls with varying skin tones

Welcome to our Local Business Spotlight series, designed to give you a behind-the-scenes sneak peek at the journeys that went into creating some of your favorite brands.

Today's guests are Kristen O'Meally and Lamia Haley from Kids For Culture, a kids and baby goods brand selling their products online and in stores across the country.

Our favorite piece of advice: "Never stop learning. There are always ways to grow and scale your business.” It’s the truth! There are so many resources and people and tools out there to learn about that could have a wide impact on your business. The day you stop learning is the day you stop growing!

If you're curious about starting your own kids product brand, learn a little more from Kristen & Lamia and connect with them using the links below!

1. What do you own and why did you start this business?

We are the founders and owners of Kids for Culture. We started this business to help parents and educators teach children about diversity, self-love, and self-awareness.

2. Tell us about your main offer(s).

We offer many different products. Flashcard, puzzles and game, books, and plush toys. We have plans to launch apparel in 2022.

3. What's different or unique about you?

One thing that makes Kids for Culture unique is that our brand and products are designed to include everyone. Our goal as a brand is to be inclusive and have products that represent all races and different ethnicities.

4. What is an early win you had that made you feel like you were on the right path?

An early win for Kids for Culture was when a buyer from Walmart found our business through hashtags on Instagram and contacted us to create a product for their baby department.

alphabet book sitting on ground with blocks

5. What's one of the biggest challenges you’ve had?

The biggest challenges we've faced as a small business is learning how to grow and navigate a new business during the pandemic. With the impact of COVID and supply chain issues, we experienced delays with manufacturing of products and shipping. These new challenges forced us to release product late and push back launch dates.

6. What are three pieces of advice you’d give to aspiring business owners in your industry?

1) Never stop learning. There are always ways to grow and scale your business.

2) Don't be afraid to take on risks when starting a business.

3) Leverage social media as a great marketing tool.

7. What is one of your favorite business books or podcasts?

Podcast: The Product Boss

8. What are three of your favorite business resources you couldn’t live without?

1) Canva

2) Quickbooks

3) Squarespace

9. Where is your business heading next and what are you excited about?

Kids for Culture will be hitting Walmart stores in the Spring of 2022, we are also hitting the shelves in small boutiques around the US. We are super excited about launching a few new products this year.