Celebrating International Women’s Day

For this International Women’s Day, we chatted with six purpose-driven entrepreneurs and founders about their stories and what led them to dream big. At Crate & Kids, we continue to be so inspired by these incredible partners: creative, innovative and determined women whose achievements empower all of us every day. We hope their creativity and determination make you feel inspired, too! Check out our conversations with each trailblazer below, and learn about the work of Kate Berry, Tushbaby duo Tammy Rant and Sara Azadi, Sabrena Khadija, Elizabeth Rees and Marley Dias.

Kate Berry
Mom, businesswoman and tastemaker Kate Berry was inspired by her own SoCal childhood when she helped create the Domino collection for Crate & Kids, featuring pieces that grow with the child through their teen years. A veteran of Martha Stewart Living, Kate is now the chief content officer of Domino and Saveur magazines and creative consultant for Berry + Berry.

Kate Berry, CCO of Domino and Saveur

You created a kids collection with us; how did being a mother affect your design and vision of the collection?
Storage and organization are things that most parents need for their kids’ rooms. As a mother, that definitely influenced the product mix. As far as design goes, it was important to me to make pieces that could grow with your children. I didn’t want to make mini furniture that they’d grow out of, but rather furniture they can live with into their teens, if not their young adult lives.

Shop our Domino x Crate & Kids collection here.

As a print media veteran, what advice do you have to offer to other women or young girls looking to rise in the media industry? What are some things you wish you knew when you started?
I loved working in print. It was a great foundation for learning how to do things thoroughly. The process was much more exhaustive and took a lot more time. Now that I am working in digital, there’s a whole new medium to learn. The subjects and stories are more or less the same, but now they can take on a new life. I’m very interested in subtle movement in pictures, for example. I don’t think I would change anything about the way I started. You need to learn the rules and fundamentals of research, storytelling, and still photography before you can incorporate nuanced techniques. I’m grateful to have had that time and to have worked with the best, and I hope I can pass on some of what I learned to the young people in my industry. I still believe in quality over quantity, which is not always the ask these days.

Kate and her daughter in their living room

As a kid did you always have big dreams and aspirations?
As a child, my mom always told me to make decisions in life that make you content—any more than that is excessive and will not bring happiness. I grew up practicing Buddhism. I was taught to aspire to have true happiness. Without going into it all, I never really dreamed or aspired to become something. I didn’t long to be a designer or be creative or do this or that for a living. I just lived in the moment and did what I did to feel fulfilled where I was at that time.

Tammy Rant & Sara Azadi
Tammy Rant and Sara Azadi are the duo who came up with an ingenious solution to a common problem for new parents—and they’ve had their backs one Tushbaby at a time! They’ve since expanded their motherhood line to include more must-have products that their customers say they never leave home without.

Sara Azadi and Tammy Rant, founders of TushBaby

You created a product that not only helps mothers protect their bodies but helps them be there for their children while not neglecting their health. What was your “aha”moment when you came up with Tushbaby?
We weren’t sure if other parents would love it as much as we do. One day, Tammy took our Tushbaby prototype to a local park and wore it with her baby while she let her oldest daughter run around and play. Within minutes, a few moms came up to her asking about it and shared their own story of how much their backs were killing them. We knew we were on to something that could truly help a parent. Plus, after that day we couldn’t look at another mom readjusting a child over and over again on her hip without wanting to run over and say, “We have a solution!”

Sara and Tammy with their first Tushbaby product

What were some roadblocks you faced as female entrepreneurs, and how did you overcome them?
People can be really unkind, and sometimes even more so, to women in business. We’d have people say to us, “Isn’t that why you have hips?” or “Wow, moms have really gotten lazy if they need this product” or “What do you two know about business?” These things were said to us without knowing our history in business or our own personal struggles as caregivers and working moms looking for better solutions. When encountering these folks in meetings, Sara likes to say, “Well, we have feet for walking too but thank goodness someone, my guess, probably a woman, invented shoes.” It usually gets a laugh or two but also turns this perspective on its head. Just because we’ve been doing something one way for a long time, doesn’t mean it’s the right way.

Tammy and Sara with their families

What advice would you give to other mothers, women, or young girls who have an idea for a business or product?
If you truly believe in the idea, know it will solve a real-world challenge and, most importantly, you’ve sought and gotten great feedback on your idea from other women you trust and admire, then go for it! The one thing about women is that we are naturally attuned to solving problems and are great at building communities. Use those instincts to your advantage and then get the data to back it all up and continue to enhance and grow your idea.

What was the biggest challenge of being a mother and business owner?
The biggest challenge is allowing yourself a day off from it all, including time off from our mom duties. We’ve gotten good at carving out time for family, and we are really active in our children’s schools, sports and hobbies, but we aren’t always great about taking care of ourselves. Tammy and I have decided to implement a “no-ask-day-off” policy where one of us, no questions asked, can take a day off and truly go off-grid. We don’t bother each other, we don’t call, and we don’t even ask how the day off was. You can’t be creative, present and ready to tackle new challenges in business, if you don’t take care of yourselves and your wellbeing. Creativity and problem solving come from socializing and playing.

Sabrena Khadija
An accomplished illustrator and designer whose signature style can be found in the most familiar digital spaces, Sabrena Khadija continues to work with the biggest brands, including Apple, Coca-Cola and Conde Nast. From portraits to children’s illustrations, Sabrena loves creating “art that helps people feel seen and inspired.”

Sabren Khadija, illustrator

How did you get started illustrating?
I’ve loved drawing since childhood. My first inspirations were Pokémon and Sailor Moon. I would spend so much of my days drawing and redrawing the characters to my heart's content. Creating fan art was the first practice I got as an illustrator.

Sabrena at work

Where do you draw your inspiration from?
I draw inspiration from my daydreams, my friends, and the content I consume. Art museums are some of my favorite places to go for inspiration, especially when an artist I admire has an exhibition. But I’m happy to say I still carry the inspirations of my childhood with me today.

You’re big on self-love. In what ways has illustrating and creating art helped you with self-love?
Illustrating and creating art helped me to see myself in the art I created as a way to develop self-love. When I would remove bits of myself from the work I created it almost felt like I was also rejecting the things that made me, me. Embracing those things in my illustrations felt like acceptance. So, when I love something I made it’s a bit like loving myself.

Sabrena’s artwork uses the power of shapes and color to portray a bold, feminine spirit.

What insight and advice would you give to other women or young female entrepreneurs on self-love and building their empire?
It’s so much easier to doubt yourself than to believe in yourself. But that belief is what you need the most. Trust yourself and your voice as you build your empire one brick at a time. The time and work you put in will always pay off when you truly believe in what you’re doing. And I believe in you!

Elizabeth Rees
Chasing Paper, a company co-founded by Elizabeth Rees and her brother, offers removable wallpaper in beautiful colors and patterns that open up a design world of possibility for renters and anyone looking to transform their spaces with something new. Now a busy new mom as well, Elizabeth juggles motherhood with running a successful business.

Elizabeth Rees, co-founder of Chasing Paper

You and your brother are part of a third-generation printing family. Have you always known this is what you wanted? What were your dreams as a kid?
Absolutely not! When I was young I dreamed about being a writer. I think I watched and read many things growing up that depicted writers being travelers and having a life of rich experiences. I have always loved to write and tell stories to those I love so it seemed like a realistic job! I got my journalism degree that people sometimes say that I don’t use, but I actually use it often! So much of building a brand is about telling a great story.

Elizabeth and her daughters

What advice would you give to other mothers running a business and family? I think there are so many transferable skills being a mom and founder.
Stay in your lane. Building Chasing Paper into a seven-figure company in less than 5 years, without funding or industry connection, feels at times like a dream. In some ways I am daunted by how far I have exceeded my own expectations, and in the same moment I am fraught with an alarming level of anxiety about it not being nearly enough. We live in a world of comparison, of never-enough, of scale faster, take more money, grow headcount and work in glossy offices. We live in a world where content of celebrity entrepreneurs makes everything look as simple as a “swipe up” on InstaStories. Even in articles and social-media posts that show the “authentic” side of small business, the hustle and failure feel perfectly positioned. Over the years I have learned to measure Chasing Paper’s success against my own set of parameters, and it forces me to really get quiet and decide what is it that I am after and to take stock of what matters and what I want my professional legacy to look like. Entering motherhood, I had a million ideas of how it would look, how it should feel. I was mostly basing this off of what I was reading, shared experiences of friends, and what I saw every day on social media.

Shop our Chasing Paper removable wallpaper collection here.

Throw the plan out the window. When I started Chasing Paper I had a million ideas, so many expectations about how things would happen, how the business would grow, and how I would feel when it did. Every number I “projected,” every marketing plan I wrote and rewrote, every wallpaper print I was SURE would be a bestseller and every deal I thought would be a career maker happened completely differently then I had imagined, or didn’t happen at all. And you know what? It ended up great; it's still great. Motherhood was the same. I had a plan. After dating what felt like every guy in Manhattan, I found my partner in the city that I grew up in. The plan seemed so simple once I found him, except things did not happen that way. After seeking the help of a fertility specialist, I felt sure that our first IUI had worked. It hadn’t, but 14 months after we started trying I got pregnant and the rest is history. And that is entrepreneurship and motherhood: the balancing of expected outcomes and still dreaming and remaining hopeful of what lies ahead. Unsolicited advice. “You know what you should do?” This is the way thousands of people have started sentences over the last six years as I have built my business. Ninety-nine percent of the ideas that come after (well intentioned I’m sure) lack one thing: A true understanding of the Chasing Paper customer. I know her, intimately. I know where she shops, her annual household income, what influencers she loves, and the ones she loves to hate. When I found out I was pregnant for the first time, the advice started rolling in. From strangers, people in the grocery line, family and friends alike. While it’s always nice to hear others’ experiences, ultimately Mama knows best.

Marley Dias
At just 16 years old, Marley Dias has collected over 13,000 books through her nonprofit #1000BlackGirlBooks that on the stories of Black female protagonists. Initially setting out to find at least 1,000 books, Marley has surpassed her original goal, and her work has been recognized by the White House, the United Nations, Time magazine and more.

Marley Dias, founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks

You created #100BlackGirlBooks. Have you always had an entrepreneurial spirit?
I have always wanted to solve problems, and in some ways that means that I am entrepreneurial. But it wasn’t until magazines started to name me an entrepreneur that I really started to think about myself that way. I like to think I have a strong spirit for wanting to fill gaps, especially those that are challenging for people. So I guess, this description is a fair one.

Marley with her parents

What advice do you have for younger people trying to make a difference?
I think it is important that all people who want to make a difference become informed about themselves and the world around them. It is important that younger people feel passionate about what they want to do. It will give them energy to keep going. I also want them to know that they cannot do this work alone. They need the help of resourceful and kind adults. I also suggest that they stay focused on making a difference in the places where they live. With so much focus on fame, I really want younger people to block out the noise and give their full attention to what goals they are trying to accomplish.

Marley is also the author of her book Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You!

Were there times that were challenging? How did you deal with it?
There are lots of challenging times in my life. I have experienced people’s lack of belief in me and my ideas. My thoughts and ideas have not always been clearly heard and respected. The fact that I am young, Black and a girl has led some people to overlook the significance of the issues I have raised. I choose to deal with challenges all in the same way: I focus on my purpose and my goals. I affirm myself, and I have a loving family that affirms me. My commitment to equity is unwavering, and so I get mad, even sad and frustrated. I also continue to work hard and keep going. I do my very best to ignore those who just simply do not get me or the work.

How does it feel to be a role model for people of all ages?
I am honored to be a role model. I am hopeful that people will see that I am a real person who tries to do her best and who will always work hard for positive social change.