Twin Loulou Lollipop Cofounders, Eleanor Lee & Angel Kho
Eleanor was an interior designer before starting LOULOU LOLLIPOP. Unfortunately, she was laid off just before Christmas while she was six months pregnant as the company she worked for went bankrupt. Without a job prospect and a desire to spend more time with her newborn, Eleanor decided that making and selling teething necklaces could be a way to make some money to help support her family. However, Eleanor didn't want to do it alone with a newborn and the risk of starting a business. So, with the help and support from her sister Angel, we started the business. With less than $100 worth of supplies, we opened our shop on Etsy and promoted it through social media. Fast forward to 6 years later, LOULOU LOLLIPOP now offers over 1,000 originally designed items in 4 categories, from silicone tableware, teething accessories to muslin soft goods and eco-friendly baby apparel. It has grown into a global brand with distribution in 10+ countries and 1500+ stores in North America, including Chapters Indigo, Nordstrom, Crate and Kids, Pottery Barn Kids, Anthropologie, Buy Buy Baby and Target.
What challenges did you have to overcome at the beginning of your journey?
Balancing family with growing a business was the most challenging part of our journey. It takes dedication, commitment, patience, and perseverance. We sacrificed a lot of family time, sleep and often found ourselves feeling guilty. It wasn't until we hired help that we made more of an effort to draw clear boundaries between work and family.
Tell us about Loulou Lollipop's new collection, BORN TO BE WILD. What makes it unique?
BORN TO BE WILD is a tableware collection made for kids from four months to five years old. It features six animal characters that kids will love. All non-metal pieces are made with premium, buttery soft and food-safe silicone. With thoughtful details and ergonomic designs, the collection makes mealtime as adventurous as they do easy. The BORN TO BE WILD collection is unique in combining the most adorable and thoughtful designs with the highest quality of material on the market. The entire collection has been tested to be compliant in multiple global markets and many parents and kids love it.
What's the best part of working together, and how has it made your business stronger?
The best part of working together is having support. We think alike and understand each other very well, we don't need to explain things and we both have strengths in different areas. Being previous business owners prior to joining forces and starting LOULOU LOLLIPOP showed us how hard it was to run a business alone. □