A Real Balancing Act-An interview with SOL Customers, Moms and Business Owners, Kaylea and Dana
Co-Founders of Juju Bug & Co. Kaylea Annen and Dana Crago
Q: Tell us a bit about Juju Bug?
Juju Bug & Co. is a monthly “Mama and mini’s” matching t-shirt subscription. Each month, we design a stylish, fun, matching set and deliver them straight to your door.
Q: What makes Juju Bug unique?
We’ve made matching with your little one as simple as it can be! You get a set delivered each month allowing you to update your account as your little one (or families) grow. You can change sizes, add shirts and update your personal information right from your account. We also give our customers the option to skip this month if they would like with no start up cost for resubscribing the next month. We also have pas designs available as “add-ons” if you’re lucky enough to snag one before they’re gone.
Q: When did you know you wanted to start Juju Bug?
We found that finding cute matching shirts for our kids wasn’t easy and as moms simple is the name of the game, thus, Juju Bug and Co. was born!
Q: Where do your new design ideas come from?
We pull from seasonal colors and trends as well as adding things we would like to see in our own
closets.
Q: Describe your design process?
Well, it’s chaos typically we will meet a few times a month specifically to brainstorm and draft design—always with our three little girls in tow. We find inspiration from the messes they make, the things they say and the snacks we serve up constantly. Honestly, its countless calls, texts and emails back and forth before we land on what we hope will be a winning design! Then it’s digitally finalized and sent to Shout Out Loud Prints for printing!
Q: What tools do you find indispensable for marketing your brand?
We’ve just started experimenting with Facebook ads, Instagram ads and influencer marketing. We also like participating in giveaways that are in line with our brand.
Q: Who are your biggest influences? Who do you admire most? Who or what inspired you to do what
you’re doing now?
Moms! We are surrounded by a village of inspiring, hardworking and creative women. We’ve met some amazing women throughout this journey and it’s truly incredible to see what these mamas are capable of achieving.
Q: What’s the best advice you ever received?
Go with your gut and trust yourself.
Q: What have been your biggest challenges?
Finding the balance between these two worlds. Being full time moms and small business owners.
Both need our love and attention to grow.
Q: What’s your best advice for handling setbacks?
We try to be transparent and keep our customers in the loop if those setbacks affect them. When it comes to behind the scene setbacks, we really rely on each other and team up to find a solution.
Q: What tips can you recommend that you’d only share with a close friend (and everyone reading this blog)?
Nothing comes easy. This has been challenging and at times even frustrating, but fun and rewarding at the same time. We started this as friends and that friendship will always be our first priority.
Q: What surprising lessons have you learned along the way?
This is a very fast-moving industry and we have had to think on our toes more than we anticipated.
Keeping up with the stock and customer demand has been challenging at times.
Q: Looking out 3 to 5 years, beyond the obvious trends, what do you think will be the next big
change in your industry?
More personalization for sure! We know how much our customers love to match and how much they love the unique designs we provide.
Q: What’s the best way to learn more about Juju Bug?
Visit our website at: jujubugandco.com or follow us on Instagram @ jujubugco