What would be the first three things to consider when a CEO is thinking about heading toward big box stores with their products?
Number one is to know your why. My why is making sure that children of color see dolls that reflect their beauty, power, and intelligence while they’re at play. The other thing is, know your industry, know your business, and know the key players in that business so you can see what mistakes they made to avoid them and what else you can learn from them. And you also need to know what they need. Meaning going to the store, looking around what’s missing, you know… what you have to offer.
Could you share a story about a moment when your dolls fulfilled your vision for someone?
We were at the Essence Festival and we had the dolls there. And there were a few little girls but it was more of the mothers that came up to me, crying. They were so touched by these dolls, saying to me if they had had these dolls when they were younger perhaps they would not have had the self-esteem issues that they did. They bought them for their children, for their daughters and their sons, because we have a boy line of dolls to just make sure that their children have the tools that they need to be empowered at a young age.
