We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sandy Bastien a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sandy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

I would eliminate standardized testing. That would be a great start in helping students prepare for a fulfilled life. Students would realize that they are not a number, but unique individuals with special gifts, talents, and abilities that may be different from their peers.

I hated standardized testing. It took being an adult to discover why. One of the biggest challenges for me about those tests is having to read about something I have no interest in and then having to answer a set of questions relating to a topic I had no interest in. As humans, we are designed to be thinkers. Thinking is a natural activity. However, to force one to think about a subject matter where there is no interest, kills creativity and individuality. This is the one negative effect of standardized testing and ultimately why so many kids dread taking them.

There is no standard way to learn. Each person is responsible to understand the ways that spark their innate desire to learn more. Children should be supported in discovering their unique abilities, and educators should be guides and cheerleaders in empowering them.

Sandy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

When people ask me what I do, I often hesitate  to answer. While I am a business owner, most of my waking hours are spent thinking and doing household and mommy-related activities.

I am the wife of my husband, Pierre. He has supported me in everything I’ve wanted to do, including staying at home with the kids. I’ve always desired to be a stay-at-home mom. I know that probably is not the most desired position for a woman these days. But for me, being home with my family means having more quality time with them and showing up as best as I possibly can for my family, my company, and my community. Before being a Stay at Home Mom, my work outside of the home left me exhausted, depleted, and unfulfilled. I didn’t like to show up as her, especially to my family. I knew I needed to find a better way to be more present and fulfilled. I knew I needed more time to do that, and entrepreneurialism offered me that opportunity.

In 2014, I embarked on my full-time stay at home mom and entrepreneurial journey as a Silk Real Touch Floral Designer, where I built beautiful fake wedding bouquets that last forever and are photographed realistically.

In 2015, I became obsessed with organizing and simplifying things in my home, particularly my baby’s products. After losing so many of my baby’s bottle lids and having a countertop cluttered with baby stuff, one morning I had an idea of a better bottle that would solve this problem. I began developing a baby bottle that helps save the lids.

Becoming the person I needed to be to launch this product took me eight years.

In 2020, I founded BabaLID Products, Inc, where I am the CEO.

We are a family and black-owned baby care brand that exists to support and empower parents in confidently caring for their babies at home or on the go with products that are simple, practical, and durable.

Our premier product is a baby bottle that helps save the lid. The lid can be attached to the bottle while the baby is being fed. The bottle is also designed with tethered silicone that keeps the bottle and lid connected.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Being a mom of five and a business owner has taught me so much about resilience. I remember struggling with the idea of being a stay-at-home mom and building a business. Everything in my experience told me it was an impossible venture. I had a secured full-time profession that paid me enough to pay bills and do some exciting things with my family. But something was missing. I didn’t quite understand what was missing until eight years later.   I realized that what was missing was my ability to show up as myself. I now know I needed to be in control of my time and what I did with it. While my job provided me with great benefits, it was also taking a lot of my most valuable commodity – time.

Time to be creative

Time to present

Time to choose

Time to give

Time to rest

Timeto play

Time to be FREE

I realized the only way to truly begin to experience life as I felt it inside of me was that I needed more time. But there was a problem –  I couldn’t go buy more time or ask for more time.

I realized I had already been given all the time I needed. We all are given the same amount of time daily. Twenty-four hours each day is all I got.

When I started to calculate what I did with those hours, I felt robbed.

For five days a week, 16 out of those 24 hours were spent getting ready for work, being at work, and getting home from work. And the worst part was that I only got paid for eight hours. I realized I needed to create a way to make my own money. And starting a business was that way.

Every day, I am learning those things I once thought were impossible are possible. For me, the word “IMPOSSIBLE” has been translated to “I’m Possible”.

I’m possible to be a wife, mom of five, and business owner. I’m possible to have time flexibility to be where I want to be with who I want to be. I don’t have to give up being a contributor to the world to raise my children. I can do both. Yes, it’s possible because I’m possible.

Anyone who knows me knows I am not one to give up. I will fall and get back up. But I have fallen more times than I wanted to, and sometimes I didn’t want to get back up. However, I’ve realized that on this entrepreneurial journey, it’s not about what you’re GETTING; it’s about what you’re GIVING. I am grateful for the opportunity to give the world the best version of me I can be. I am proud of the woman I am becoming in my business, society, and family.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

While we’ve been working on this product for eight years, I first announced it in September 2020 to 15 close friends and family via a text message. In the middle of a pandemic, they cheered us on.

With their loving support, we raised our first $7500 on Kiva’s Crowdfunding platform.

In April 2021, I publicly announced via social media our efforts to raise more funds on Kickstarter’s Crowdfunding platform and raised $12k.

I remember when it looked like the campaign was going to fail. It was friends and family who stepped in and made it a success. Community of friends, fans, and family is everything in building a business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.BabaLID.com
• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/baba.lid
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/babalidinc?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandy-bastien-1242a798

Image Credits
Fredy Mfuko (family images) Danie Webber (colored background bottle images)