EU184: Owned Growth Stories with Krystal Duhaney from Milky Mama

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Company Background

I started Milky Mama after struggling to breastfeed my first child. As a Black mother, the support and resources that were available to me were lacking. I was determined to succeed and began educating myself and was able to successfully breastfeed my son for over two years. When I became pregnant with my second child, I was determined to have a much better breastfeeding experience. I used the knowledge I had as a Registered Nurse and began researching ways to maintain, support, and succeed at breastfeeding. I developed a delicious lactation cookie recipe and did everything I could to prepare for a successful breastfeeding journey. I soon became aware that so many other mothers had experienced the same difficulties that I had. I realized that not only could my knowledge and yummy lactation treats help me, but they could help the countless other mothers that were having breastfeeding difficulty. So, Milky Mama was born! To date, I have obtained certification of an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and am proud to say that we have helped over 100,000 mothers breastfeed their babies. In addition to our delicious products, we offer an amazing support community that includes Lactation Consultations, Online Breastfeeding Courses, an online lactation support group, and monthly tips and certificates to help our email subscribers celebrate their breastfeeding accomplishments (thanks to Klaviyo!).

The Growth Story

Milky Mama started in my home after I gave birth to my daughter. I would wear by daughter in a baby carrier while packaging and shipping orders. Local mothers would could to my door to pick up orders as well. One customer turned into 10, which turned into 50! Soon, I had a line of mothers at my front door. My husband would joke that the neighbors were probably wondering what the heck we were selling! I realized that my little business had outgrown my home and rented a commercial kitchen. From there, myself and my family members would bake, ship, and respond to customer service inquiries during the day. At night, I would go to work as a Charge Nurse at the hospital for a 12-hour shift. I would dream of opening my own bakery with a retail space to service our customers. Approximately 6 months later, we leased a bakery space in Riverside, California that was fully equipped with a retail counter. I was over the moon!! We began to bake and ship and eventually had to hire more staff to keep up with our rapidly increasing order volume. Within a few short months, our little bakery was busting at the seams. We desperately needed more space. In the Fall of 2018, we purchased our very own office space equipped with a warehouse, offices, a classroom, and retail space. The Milky Mama Breastfeeding Support Center, located in Rancho Cucamonga, California provides a safe place for mothers to gain much needed prenatal and postpartum support and education. We’ve shipped over a million orders all over the world and counting.

Top 3 Elements to Growth

Social Media – we use our social media platforms to provide education and support to our followers. Instead of trying to promote and sell our products, we provide free resources like a weekly live Q&A session with our owner, daily tips, and an very responsive team of lactation consultants that are readily available to respond to any questions received via our social media channels.

Email – Thanks to Klaviyo, we’ve been able to create very engaging flows to help our email subscribers feel like part of the Milky Mama Family. Once signed up, our subscribers will receive a monthly email and certificate based on the amount of time they’ve been breastfeeding.

Products – Our products speak for themselves. Who doesn’t love cookies and brownies?! With an extensive product line that includes cookies, brownies, drink mixes, herbal tinctures, breastfeeding gear, and more, we definitely have something for everyone

What would you do with the $25K if you won?

If we won $25,000, it would be used to pay employees, purchase inventory, and help us serve our customers. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve had to make some adjustments that have affected our production and growth. We’re also planning on starting a scholarship fund for Black birth workers to help provide more Black Lactation Consultants, Doulas, and Midwives to help end the low breastfeeding rates in the Black community and end the Black Maternal Health Crisis.

Vote for Krystal and Milky Mama here: https://www.klaviyo.com/ownedgrowthstories

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