Is there a specific “aha!” moment you can recall when you dreamed up the idea of Kibou?
Yes! Of course it has evolved over time, but the very first vision I had for what is now Kibou was just a few months after my first son Theo was born in 2015. I was walking around our neighborhood in Brooklyn, wearing him in a baby carrier despising every second of my cumbersome, overstuffed crossbody diaper bag. I had spent months picking out this beautiful, pocket-filled bag to put on our baby registry, but I had no idea that it would be completely incompatible with being a mom on-the-go. The strap got in the way or slid off my shoulder, I could never find what I needed when I needed it (often with a very unhappy baby awaiting whatever I was looking for) and I didn’t need most of what was inside–or worse, I was unaware that I hadn’t packed the very thing I was looking for. Fanny packs hadn’t yet made a comeback so the idea wasn’t so obvious from a fashion perspective, but I was walking home one day when it hit me; the best option for a lightweight, hands-free, organized diaper bag would be a fanny pack with diaper bag functionality. I went straight to Google and found ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Two years later, still nothing. And that’s when I decided to make it happen.
You had a career in education before you launched Kibou, did you always see yourself starting your own business and what gave you the courage to finally go for it? Can you talk about what that process was like, working full-time, raising two boys and trying to launch Kibou on the side?
The short answer is no, I had no idea. But if I step back a bit, there’s a different truth to my path: It may not seem that obvious, but being a teacher and running a classroom is a lot like running a business. There is a big picture goal that you’re working towards, with many components to it. You consult experts to learn the best ways of doing things and then step by step you execute along with your team. You have to be adaptable and in tune with your class and individual children. You make decisions big and small, you set the course and the tone, you determine the success. It’s up to you to celebrate the individuals and the bigger wins. After years in the classroom, I went on to become a school director, and that was when I realized that I really enjoyed higher level strategy, planning, and problem solving. But mostly, I just had this idea that wouldn’t leave me alone. So I went for it.
As for the process, it took time. I started working on nights and weekends, like most other entrepreneurs. I’d take the subway up to Harlem after work and meet with my first designer. I’d go to talks on sustainable manufacturing or social media marketing. I said yes to every opportunity to learn and I asked everyone I knew for introductions and industry wisdom. Of course this also meant I had a super supportive partner and additional child care when we were both busy. And we agreed on a budget that made sense for the short term. That forced me to be scrappy and to make the most of every prototype and learning opportunity.
It wasn’t for a full two years–after the concept was fully fleshed out and I’d brought on a friend as my co-founder to build the brand side–that I took the leap to quit my job and go all in on Kibou. At that time, my second son Charlie had just turned one. I was using and loving my very first Kibou prototype, and our family was planning to move from Brooklyn to Bedford, so it was also a logical time for a career break.
You decided to raise the initial funds for Kibou on Kickstarter, what was that experience like and would you advise other early stage CPG companies to go that route?
We made this decision for two reasons:
1. Proof of concept: Were people actually going to buy this for what it would cost?
2. Funding for our initial inventory: We didn’t have the money to invest in our initial minimum order quantity, so we could either borrow the money or pre-sell our product. We set our Kickstarter goal at $26K to cover all our costs and leave us with inventory to continue selling.
In just 4 weeks, we pre-sold $30,000 in Kibous and we have been profitable ever since. I would absolutely recommend that other CPG companies consider crowdfunding for these two specific reasons. My only word of caution is that running a crowdfunding campaign the right way is truly a full-time job. People told us it’s like a soft launch, and that’s accurate.
And sidebar: If anyone is curious to chat more of the nitty gritty, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. Always happy to share our learnings.
You also participated in a startup accelerator, is that experience something you would recommend to others?
1000%. I’m a person who loves learning – a prerequisite for successful entrepreneurship, I’d argue – and I also love meeting people, so the networking aspect of accelerators and mentor groups is huge. But most recently we invested a small amount of money (rather than equity) into an accelerator for female entrepreneurs preparing to fundraise and I learned a tremendous amount. I also recently became a fellow with the Tory Burch Foundation, arguably one of my proudest achievements since starting Kibou.
Running a business that sells primarily direct to consumer, can you talk about your branding and marketing strategy? What have been the greatest challenges, especially growing the business in the midst of Covid?
Phew, yes! I’ve only been in the business for 4 years, but there’s SO much to say on the topic. Brand is everything. And these days that means so much more than just your logo or your website. As I mentioned before, as soon as I knew I had a viable product idea that I was going to move forward with, I brought on a close mom friend Stephanie to build the Kibou brand. I knew that if this idea was going to succeed, it wasn’t just going to be because it solved a common problem. It also needed to be a brand that people connected with and found aspirational. She initially came on for sweat equity, and we loved working together so much that I eventually brought her in as my co-founder.
After Stephanie, the second person we brought on was a growth hacker to run our Facebook and Instagram ads in addition to a brilliant PR consultant who has gotten us some incredible press coverage. All of this happened pre-Covid, but we actually only launched about 3 months before Covid shut things down, the impact of which is hard to know.
In terms of marketing, there are two other things I’d offer:
1. Direct to consumer (DTC) brands either need to embrace the high costs of marketing in this new era of digital privacy (which as an individual I am grateful for, but as a business owner I find challenging) OR diversify out of DTC to include brick and mortar stores and other retail channels OR find super creative ways to get grassroots momentum.
2. Find an expert who is cost-effective and comes recommended by someone you know and trust, and then trust that person to run your strategy–even if that is just one channel at a time. For our first year, we spent less than $1,000 a month on our Facebook and Instagram ads, working with a growth hacker who was recommended by a friend of a friend. He was our first paid consultant, and we continue to learn so much from him.
Kibou gives 1% of all sales to Hour Children, an organization that provides services to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women in New York State. Can you share why you chose this organization and what the partnership has been like? We chose Hour Children for two reasons:
1. We wanted to work with a local organization where our money would make a real difference.
2. We created Kibou as a way to give parents a hand, and make parenting even a little bit easier. Hour Children’s mission is to lend a helping hand to mothers and their children during and after incarceration as they work to successfully rebuild their lives.
Hour Children is a small, but incredibly mighty organization. Their mission is to maintain family bonds, provide stability, resources, housing, and education to give mothers and their children the very best chance at rebuilding their lives during and after incarceration. Unlike massive nonprofits with huge budgets, Hour Children has a vast network of programs that support a sizable community on a modest budget. We get to see the impact of our contributions and we’ve gotten to know some of the mothers who have gone through the program. And they are amazing. You can read one mother’s story
here on our blog.
Launching your own business, what have been some of the most useful pieces of advice or things you’ve learned along the way you would pass on to others?
Don’t be afraid to ask, has to be the best advice I’ve received. And I think this applies not only to asking someone for something–their time, their wisdom, maybe their investment, but I also haven’t found it worthwhile to pretend to know what I don’t know. Instead I ask so many questions. I tune into every webinar I can, apply for every mentorship opportunity I can. I’ve also written blind emails (or gotten warm introductions) to people I never dreamed I’d chat with. And they wrote back! Rebecca Minkoff is one. Ingrid Carney, founder of Ingrid & Isabel, is another. Fran Hauser! Our friendship started because I asked for 20 minutes of her time. Someday I’ll get up the guts to reach out to Sara Blakely :)
I also ask everyone for their feedback on Kibou, from our customers to friends and family or total strangers. And I listen when I get unsolicited advice. Even if it seems out there, the application of their ideas may actually lead to the next big thing for us!
Your co-founder Stephanie Merks is currently based in Europe which is not just miles but multiple time zones away from Bedford where you’re based. How have the two of you navigated your long distance relationship and how has it evolved since the early days of Kibou?
We were neighbors when we started working together, and I remember vividly the day we both shared with the other that we had plans to move away. It was so much easier knowing we were both taking a bit of a leap into the unknown. And while the time zone difference can be a challenge, mostly because our children need us at conflicting times of the day, we haven’t really skipped a beat. As with most things, strong communication and clear expectations are key. We are friends first, and we have never lost that. Though Covid has certainly made it more of a challenge, we try to see each other for fun at least once or twice a year. Plus, now my family has a perfect excuse to go spend a week in Amsterdam next summer :)
Something you and I have discussed before is how valuable asking for help and feedback is when starting a new venture but something that can often be difficult to initiate. What advice would you give other women when it comes to building a network and seeking help in starting or running their own business?
Beyond what I said above about not being afraid to ask, I’d say just take it one step at a time, and think of each step of the process as an experience unto itself. I knew nothing at all about design or fashion, so my very first meeting was talking with someone who ran a fashion accelerator. I shared my idea with her and asked her where I should start with making this a reality. She recommended several designers and I emailed them all. I started working with the only one who wrote me back. I went to him with a small budget and a super basic prototype, and from him I learned about many materials for making bags and all the different parts of them (did you know, for example, that zippers have seven parts and come in many sizes and types?!) I went to the Garment District and I bought zippers, buckles, fabrics all from different shops. In each store, I asked every question I could think of and took tons of notes. And when I didn’t get a good feeling from someone, or it was obvious they didn’t believe in me, I moved on. Don’t stay put just because you don’t know where else to go. There is a better option out there. Finally, if you’re reading this then you probably are well aware, but the strength, power and value of women’s networks has been the most unexpectedly beautiful and enriching thing I have gained since starting Kibou. The generosity and wisdom is the greatest gift and I hope to give as much as I have received from so many brilliant, vibrant women.
What are you most excited about in Kibou’s future? Any new products in the pipeline?
From time to time my husband Dan will ask me how much someone would have to offer me to sell Kibou. I always give an astronomical amount, but I also say that I would only sell it if I could stay on. While it wasn’t my intention when we first launched our Kickstarter campaign to see if our one product was feasible, now there is so much more that I want to see through.
We just recently hired our very first product designer who has extensive experience in the attainable luxury handbag space. We plan to expand our line, directly in response to what we’ve heard from our customers, and we’re super excited to have someone on board who can take our ideas to the next level! Please follow us on Instagram or sign up for our newsletter if you want to stay in the know.
Lightning Round:
Essentials you keep in your Kibou?
Besides the obvious keys and credit card that literally never leave my Kibou, I always have: a pen, lipstick, a mask, my first aid Bou-Boo Bag with bandaids and a stash of Aleve, a random tchotchke belonging to one of my boys, sometimes my Kindle, often a snack bar, and always wipes in the waterproof pocket.
New business you’d most like to see in our area?
PLEASE can someone find a way to open a casual, spacious, sit-down place to grab a (less than $20) salad or sandwich, and maybe even a coffee or a cocktail? Would be a total game-changer for lunches with friends or nights out with the kids.
Best thing about leaving Brooklyn for Bedford?
I’ve learned to be happy with (even crave) time by myself.
But close runners up: alllll the beauty of nature literally just outside our door…and having a playroom with a mess we can ignore for even a couple of days :)
What would you do with one extra hour everyday?
I’d strategically insert that hour into the morning, when my children would miraculously sleep past 6:30am, and I’d enjoy a quiet cup of coffee while reading the newspaper.
