We recently connected with Kim McKee and have shared our conversation below.

Kim, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Everything I make stemmed from a place of need I noticed within my own home.

When my youngest was about 2 years old, she really struggled to open the snack containers that have snap lids or a lid that twists on and off. But she’s second born – so she’s fiercely independent and would watch her big sister open her own snacks, so she would refuse to accept help and would just be hungry. And I think we can all agree a hangry toddler isn’t great for anyone.

She could open ziplocks on her own, but I didn’t want to use tons of single-use plastic. I was ready to invest in some reusable bags, but everything I found in stores or online wasn’t quite what I had in mind. I was looking for something super durable, machine washable, had patterns my kids would love using, and would eliminate single-use plastics. I kept seeing options that were close, but not exactly what I wanted.

So I designed my own snack bag that had a zipper to make it easy for littles to be independent. They have a flat bottom so they can stand up on a flat surface like a desk or table or the bleachers at sports practice. The inside is made with a food-safe, BPA-free, waterproof lining that’s actually made using recycled plastic water bottles.

My favorite feature is that these bags are completely machine washable and dryer safe. Moms are busy enough and aren’t looking to add special cleaning methods to the ever-growing list. It was important to me to make sure they’re not only easy to clean, but easy to actually sanitize – because kids are gross and I didn’t want my solution to turn into little germ boats.

Friends started to notice the new bags and asked me to make some for them too. After plenty of testing, tweaking, retesting, and final adjustments I added eco friendly snack bags to my sustainable shop. I was blown away by the results of my launch. My entire inventory sold out in a single day. I gave my email subscribers 24 hours of early access they ran with the head start, leaving other customers with a bunch of “sold out” markers the next day. I got to work preparing more snack bags and doubled the inventory for a restock. I wish I had captured the look on my face when half of the new inventory was sold out in under 5 minutes of being released online. The remaining stock was gone by the end of the day.

I’m thrilled to be able to offer mom made, mom approved snack bags so anyone looking for reusable options like I was don’t have to settle for something “good enough,” but have an easy solution to ending single-use in their homes.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a mom of two girls living in Spring, Texas. I’ve been married for over 11 years and love to sneak away on quick getaways with my husband when we can. My 2 year old Australian Cattle Dog is definitely the third child (and she knows it).

When I’m not behind my sewing machine or browsing the aisles of a local fabric store, I love reading chick lit or listening to true crime podcasts.

I love a good DIY project and can usually be found with a green tea in hand or Sauv Blanc in the evening – okay, sometimes afternoon ;).

I love to cook and explore new recipes (cocktails included), but don’t be surprised if you catch me in the Chick Fil A drive through on a Friday night after a busy week.

I’m a former teacher and feel a little guilty saying I don’t miss the classroom. I DO enjoy volunteering at the local elementary school planning events, helping the teachers, and can be found on every PTO committee.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Something that I think really helped to build my reputation within my community is having a presence at local markets. I think there’s a bit of education that comes with my specific products, but there’s also a very real “ah-hah moment” that happens when customers are able to see my products in person, ask questions, and feel good about their purchase. They come right up to me at markets and while they may not be ready to overhaul their entire kitchen with reusables, I offer small swaps that help bring sustainability to a level that feels doable.

Not every person who comes across my brand is willing to ditch paper towels entirely, and that’s totally okay. I’m not forceful and don’t shame anyone for not jumping right into the eco-verse. I am simply there with tried and true, tested products when they are ready.

Being supportive and answering questions at markets has helped me build a relationship with people I see go from being skeptical to being loyal repeat customers.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Like I’ve mentioned, every one of my products comes from a place of desire within my own home. I was so tired of going to restaurants with my two girls only to spend the whole time going back and forth to the bathroom with them while my husband got to enjoy a lovely meal at an empty table. Most of the time, the kids didn’t even need to use the restroom, they were just antsy and bored sitting at the table.

If we weren’t in the restroom, we were shuffling around half a dozen coloring books, refereeing arguments over who would get to color which page, and picking up crayons from the floor.

I caught myself thinking, “I really wish we could enjoy meals out.”

So I made busy books – small books that open up to reveal a pocket with 6 dry erase cards on one side and 4 dry erase markers on the other side. From the first time I took a couple of these with us to a restaurant, I felt like I had unlocked some secret mom code. The kids sat quietly and just drew on the cards. They’d make cute pictures, write notes to each other, or play games like tic tac toe. My older daughter even practiced some spelling words and math facts (totally unprompted by me). I was able to eat my entire meal without a single trip to the bathroom.

I was so excited to feel like we’d achieved this whole new level of restaurant peace.

I showed off my new products posting on Instagram and emailing my subscriber list. I was ready to launch after a big build up of what I knew was a home run product that was going to change the restaurant game for lots of families.

Launch day came and … crickets. Zero sales. I was so bummed. I knew I had a great product that was incredible for our family, so why weren’t the sales flooding in?

I was disappointed in the initial launch online, but had an in-person market coming in a few days and was hopeful they’d do better there. While the Busy Books definitely sold well at the market, it was still challenging to get over a flopped launch. But the thing is – it also really helped to have an unsuccessful launch because it was a chance for me to acknowledge that while sales weren’t what I was hoping for, nothing terrible happened either. It wasn’t some massive disaster and Busy Books have been a consistent seller on my website and at markets since the initial launch.

Because of a flopped launch, it’s taught me to not be afraid of potential future failures. No one likes to feel disappointed, but it also wasn’t the end of the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.baublebeeco.com
• Instagram: BaublebeeCo

Image Credits
Amanda Migues Photography Emily Cradduck of Raising Little Ducks