Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kristen Stoner, Co-Founder of GIRLS CAN! CRATE, located in Tucson, AZ, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
While GIRLS CAN! CRATE is a subscription box; it's really more of a toolkit to inspire future female world changers 5-10 years old to know just how amazing they are by introducing them to real-life women who've changed the world.
Our products are designed for future world changers (girls and boys) 5-10 years old. The customers who purchase GIRLS CAN! CRATE are moms, dads, grandparents, aunts and uncles, teachers, and friends who know just how important it is for future world changers to have real-life fearless female role models in their lives.
Tell us about yourself
Returning to the US after working overseas for a number of years, I wasn't sure what came next. But then, Megan, my business partner, approached two other women and me about starting a business whose aim was to inspire a new generation of world changers by sharing the stories of amazing world-changing women who've come before them. This ignited a spark inside of me as I came to understand and realize that there are so many women who have truly changed the world in the sciences, arts, leadership, and more, and yet, I didn't know they existed. I didn't want this to be true for my niece and other girls. This is what got me started working on GIRLS CAN! CRATE and what continues to motivate me each day.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
The fact that we have shared the stories of world-changing women with girls and their families all across the US and Canada is humbling. Being able to see photos and videos of future world changers excited by what they've learned or the activity they've completed is honestly the best.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The nature of subscription boxes and consumer products can be unpredictable. There are no hard and fast rules around what's going to work or not because people, the economy, and life aren't always black and white. Living in that gray can be challenging.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Don't let fear hold you back, and don't be afraid to fail (failure is your best teacher). Georgia O'Keefe said, "I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life - and I've never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do."
- Seek mentors and others in similar fields to help guide and support you on your journey.
- Your business should be life-giving rather than life-sucking. If it's not, figure out what the problem is and then find a way to fix it.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.girlscancrate.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/girlscancrate
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlscancrate/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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