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

Kathryn, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their sales to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details.

It was the end of what we call our “Elf Season” when a local Facebook post got my attention that said more than 100 people were completely scammed by somebody that had mimicked the concept of our Elf Kits and advertised online. They had people send them money and promised the customers that they would deliver their kits, but the kits never came. Soon several surrounding neighborhoods and suburbs of Houston had all started to connect the dots that this “person” had stolen hundreds and thousands of dollars all over town with empty promises and pockets. We were devastated to hear of such a thing! Our Elf Kits had sold out earlier that November, and I remember trying to think of what we could do to help. We take our business so seriously, and for somebody to threaten the reputation of other small businesses was something we took to heart. We were able to get to work and package more Elf Kits, but this time we offered them as donations to whomever was able to pick them up, completely free. People were so appreciative of the gesture that they shared our story with local news channels, and that was the first time The Mama Elf had ever been on TV! Most importantly, we were able to help our local community from such a sad situation and bring in some Christmas cheer!

Kathryn, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

It was the Christmas season of 2020 when our family Elf came to visit… and our oldest daughter was so excited about all of the joy the Elf would bring this year! Each morning she would wake up with an urgency to find our Elf, Rosie. It must have been the 2nd night I forgot to move the Elf when I realized just how serious this Elf really is to her… upon witnessing pure devastation, I decided I would not fail at setting this Elf out and crush our girls hopes! I thought maybe if I could go to the store and find things for the Elf to do so I wouldn’t have to think about it every day, and the little crafts and Elf action ideas would already be in my shopping bag so I would just take out and assemble- easy right? I then began to think, surely, I can’t be the only one that forgets the Elf- so what if I could make ALL the parents’ lives easier and create an annual ELF KIT that has all 24 nights of the supplies, instructions, and Elf activities prepackaged for them to use?! That is how our first product, The Elf Kit, came about! Each year we do a big Elf Arrival reveal, which our followers have really enjoyed. That way, when the Elf comes in a giant hot pink hot air balloon, the kids are SO excited to see them come back and truly believe in all the Christmas magic! Originality and value are so important to our business. It takes a lot of time to think through every detail, not taking any shortcuts, and making sure each year, every “Elf Night” is perfectly executed. I always strive for our customers to find the value in each box. I know how hard parents work and want them to feel like they made a rewarding purchase every single time.
The Mama Elf was created to help parents that are BUSY, which is really everybody nowadays! Our goal is to save parents time and energy, while allowing them to create joy, memories, and hands on fun during the holidays!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Relationships! From the first person that ever ordered an Elf Kit to the person that pre-ordered a year in advance, I always want to be available and give a timely response. People want a brand they can trust, so being able to respond to DM’s, emails, and other channels is so important. Nobody wants to feel like they have been ghosted, especially when making a purchase for a small business. By delivering value, having original concepts, and always being transparent with our customers has also created brand loyalty. Taking ownership of every decision, positive or negative, and learning what and how we can improve our operations has also built our business to have a stronger impact each year.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

We have had the most success in growing our clientele over social media! I have been fortunate to have friends, influencers, and customers that have ordered our products and have shared them for their audiences to see, which has in turn helped my businesses grow! People trust personal experiences, and we pride ourselves on delivering a valuable product for each and every person to see! I am so grateful for every single “share” and “shout out” because it has helped us to gain exposure and reach throughout various social media platforms that would not have been possible without them! We have also found that keeping current with new social media platforms, online trends, and analytic review has also been instrumental in our growth!

Contact Info:

• Website: themamaelf.com
• Instagram: @themamaelf
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMamaElf
• Linkedin: NA
• Twitter: NA
• Youtube: NA
• Yelp: NA
• Other: TikTok- TheMamaElf

Image Credits
Kate Robinson Photography