We were lucky to catch up with Madaiko Payne recently and have shared our conversation below.

Madaiko, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Zumamiko origins began as a nesting project between me and my mother. I have always been a pretty crafty person, drawing and scrapbooking were in my wheelhouse; however, when I became pregnant with my second daughter the DIY bug bit pretty hard. Upon finding out that we would soon be welcoming a new baby girl to our family, I had the bright idea to hand make everything for her. I consulted with my mother, who was much more versed than I was in sewing, quilting, and crocheting, to help with this enormous task. She was completely ready for the journey!

Throughout my pregnancy my mother and I made everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING for baby girl. At some point my dining room table (new baby headquarters) was littered with bibs, receiving blankets, burp cloths, pacifier holders, and even a ginormous quilt. One day while carrying on, mom and I looked at one another and had the same light bulb idea. We should turn this passion into a business! The time we were able to spend together and the level of expertise we sharpened was worthy of sharing with others. So we did just that!

The very first thing we did for our new business, which at this point was just an idea, was to create a name. We wanted our company to be very personable, we wanted people to feel the love of our origin story. We decided to piece together the names of our three generations (my mother, myself, and my two daughters) to form the name of our company: Zumamiko.

To date, mom and I remain true to our goal of keeping the Zumamiko family owned and operated while sharing our love with hundreds of people that support our company.

Madaiko, 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?

My name is Madaiko Payne and I, along with my mother, am one of the founders of Zumamiko. Our company started as a nesting project to welcome my second born daughter into the world. During my nesting project, my mother and I handmade everything for her. This was our way of showing her how much we loved her, and through the process the already strong bond that my mother and I had grew.

The goal of our company is to spread the love, the joy, and the passion mom and I shared while nesting with everyone who interacts with our company. In our current world the heart and passion behind brands is sometimes lost with rapid expansion and revenue oriented goal structures. We aim to bring the passion behind the brand back, and we want people to feel our heart with every purchase. Our original catalog included bibs, dresses, receiving blankets, pacifier clips, and pacifier holders. Though many of those items remain, we have expanded our catalog to Amigurumi (crocheted animals – which have become our most popular items), hair bows, hair ties, crocheted dolls, blankets, and more to come! In our current state Zumamiko still makes 100% of our items, and we will continue to do so in the near and distant future.

Through our inception and continued growth, I am most proud that we have stayed true to our original goal to have fun. I have heard so many horror stories of revenue, company structure, and business growth driving a wedge in family owned businesses. My mother and I are still very much best friends, and our company continues to thrive with the love and passion we experienced while sitting at my dining room table sewing together when we decided to create this company. Family is the most important ingredient to our success, and without our family, born and recruited, our company would not still be operational and successful to this day.

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

In recent years being a creative has become increasingly popular, and therefore the market has become quite competitive. To build a solid reputation in my market I network as much as possible while keeping true to my own authenticity. My heart and passion for what I do shines in every interaction; I want others to know that I genuinely love what I do and I stay up at night thinking of more ways to bring smiles to the face of my customers (we like to call them extended family). This, along with ensuring that my product is of good quality supports positive imaging in our field.

The quality of our product is another factor that has given us a positive reputation. For example, generally speaking, for one of our amigurumi creations, we will spend anywhere from 2-10 hours creating to make sure that each stitch is woven just right to ensure the final product is something that we can be proud of and that will last for years to come. Because we stitch everything by hand, the creation process can be very tedious; however, the end result always ends in a smile, both from us and those receiving it.

In addition, I think that patience also plays a pretty big role in building rapport. For most of us, we wish success was immediate. In a perfect world, we think of an idea and wake up to find ourself in a sea of success, but the reality is that it take time and it is not linear. Staying true to your goals, mission, and values while working smart will bring all the glory, but there will be bumps and bruises along the way. Everyone’s journey is unique to them, and no two people, or business, are alike. Preparing yourself for the marathon and ensuring to make each interaction count, no matter how small, will help to create some positive buzz in your market.

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

In the earlier phases of our business, my mom and I relied heavily on friends and family. Our social media platforms were non existent, our website was still in progress, and we rarely attended vendor events. In terms of gain, that sounds scary right? Our friends and family kept our fingers and sewing machines busy! We had orders lined up and made a pretty decent entry into the business world, and for this, we are eternally grateful for everyone who supported us in all capacities. However…we all know that friends and family will only get you so far in terms of sustainability and scale with a successful business. So we needed to think long term.

The next phase for us, in terms of clientele, was diving in and getting our name out there. This meant that social media and ecommerce was a definite, This along with participating in pop ups and connecting with local boutiques to get our product in front of a wider audience has really given us an opportunity to evolve. In our current state, our most successful means of growing clientele is social media and vendor events. Word of mouth through these avenues have given us a huge, and highly welcomed, jump in network, visibility, and sales. In our future state, we welcome all opportunities to partner and continue to scale up!

Contact Info:

• Website: zumamiko.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/zumamiko
• Other: etsy: zumamikogol.etsy.com