Mom Mentor Moment: Starting an Interactive Play Side Hustle from Scratch with Reem Fryling (MMM1)

Mom's Guide to Finding HerselfMom Mentor Moment
Written By Mom Identity Project

Have you ever had an idea that felt so right but had no clue where to begin?

You’re not alone. So many of us have dreams bubbling just beneath the surface, waiting for that moment to take shape. Today, I want to share Reem’s story—a mom and former teacher who turned her passion for play-based learning into something truly special. What started as a simple Instagram page has now become a thriving community of families coming together to learn and play.

Taking the First Step

Six months ago, Reem decided she wanted more than just sharing ideas online—she wanted to bring them to life. The idea? Hosting interactive “Learn and Play” workshops where families could simply show up and enjoy. The thought of stepping out from behind the screen was both exciting and intimidating, but she pushed through the doubts.

“I went from posting play-based learning ideas on Instagram to actually creating in-person experiences for families,” Reem shares.

And just like that, her vision started to take shape.

The Challenges No One Sees

Of course, getting started wasn’t easy. Reem spent hours designing the perfect flyer, only to have barely any sign-ups. It would’ve been easy to call it quits right there—but she didn’t. Instead, she pivoted.

She set up her first event at a local park, inviting families to join in for free. It was completely out of her comfort zone, but the response? Incredible.

“It was a huge leap of faith,” Reem admits. “But seeing the kids engaged and parents excited made all the difference.”

That small win gave her the confidence to reach out to local businesses. And while not every email got a response, one face-to-face conversation changed everything. A coffee shop owner loved her idea and offered their space for a trial event. It was a perfect match—families got a space to play, and the coffee shop got more customers during slow hours.

Growing with Community

Now, Reem hosts two to three events a month while balancing life as a mom of three. Each one is a reminder that consistency and small steps can lead to something bigger. Parents love that they can walk in without worrying about setting up or cleaning up, and the workshops have created a little hub of connection and learning.

“The coffee shop loves the collaboration,” she says. “It’s been a win-win for everyone.”

What’s Next?

Looking ahead, Reem wants to expand—while keeping things manageable. Instead of diving into a full booking website, she’s considering simpler options like a Google form or digital flyers to streamline sign-ups.

And with so many parents asking how to bring play-based learning home, she’s thinking about creating sensory bins and educational kits—maybe even selling them on platforms like Etsy or Teachers Pay Teachers.

The Power of Starting Small

Reem’s story is proof that big things start with small, brave steps. She didn’t wait for the “perfect” moment—she took what she had and made it work. And that’s something I hope inspires you, too.

If you’re sitting on an idea but feel stuck on where to begin, maybe this is your sign to just start. You don’t have to have it all figured out—sometimes, the first step leads you to places you never expected.

Want to hear more stories like Reem’s? Subscribe to the podcast, where we dive into real stories of moms turning their passions into something bigger. Let’s take that first step together—you never know where it might lead!

Want to start your own hobby or side hustle? Schedule a free 15 minute call with me to learn how we can work together.

Connect with Reem on Instagram @The.Mommy.Toolkit

Help Us Grow

The BoldLittleMinds MomCast is made possible by you - the listener. Your support goes directly into making each episode happen—thank you for being part of the journey!

All donations go directly to supporting the production of the Mom's Guide to Finding Herself podcast

For Your Binging Enjoyment…

Reem Coaching 1

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krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Have you ever felt the desire to build something but you weren't exactly sure what you wanted to do? Like you wanted to create something that you were inspired by and excited about, but you weren't really sure where to begin. In today's episode, we're going to hear from a mom who started a small business running activities for local moms at a coffee shop from absolutely nothing. She's going to tell us how she pushed through these uncomfortable feelings of being vulnerable to reaching out, and connecting with people to get this going and make this dream come true.

Today's bonus episode is such a special one. If you've been around since the beginning, then you'll know already that this podcast used to be called The Bold Little Minds Mom Cast, and the very first episode was with my friend Reem. Reem shared her story of becoming a mom, having three boys, one of them with significant medical needs and [00:01:00] her identity,

And how her identity shifted when she went from being a successful teacher to having to transition to becoming a stay-at-home mom, to take care of her youngest boy.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Today, we're about six months after that first interview, and Reem is going to share with us the story of this incredible business that she has built between then and now. The last time we talked to Reem, this wasn't even an idea. We were both running Instagram pages and very happy with that.

But since then, Reem got this idea that what if I share the activities that I'm doing on this page with other moms in real life? She's going to tell us about the steps that she took to get where she is today. Some of them did not work and what did end up working is so far out of her character that even she is surprised that she took those steps.

But what I hope you'll hear through this story is inspiration to start small, start taking teeny, tiny steps to work towards, something that could be bigger than you ever imagined that could leave you feeling more fulfilled than you knew was possible, to feeling more like a complete whole person than you do right now.

And then what I really love is at the end, we're going to talk [00:02:00] about her next six months, and I'm gonna share with her some of the ideas I have for how she can meet her goals while also supporting her family's needs.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: If you're listening to this thinking, gee, I wish I could start something too. I would love to do a call just like this with you.

It doesn't matter where you're starting. Maybe you already have something that's going really well, or maybe you're starting at zero and you don't even know what makes you happy. I've been there. I get it. We can sit down together and really hash it out and figure out what you can do to take those small steps that are going to fit your life. Just love the inspiration and the excitement that I hear in Reem as we have these conversations. And I would love to do that with you. I hope that you are as inspired by Reem's journey as I am.

Oh my gosh, Reem, I am so excited that you are here with me today. Thank you so much. You were the first guest on the original podcast, Bold Little Minds MomCast. And now you're here to meet me, to talk about where you've come and what you've built since that first episode. Thank you.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: Thank you for having me again, Krissy. I can't believe that I was your first guest, and it's just amazing [00:03:00] how, how much we have done since the last time we've talked to each other.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: I know, right? It feels like it's been such a long time since that last episode, but really it was only like six months ago and both of us have created something totally different than what we were doing back then. So it's just wild for anyone listening that your life can be So much different in six months than it is right now.

Just by taking small baby steps towards something that you have no idea where it's really going to go.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah, I

completely agree with you. And it has truly been a one step at a time. has added up to so much.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yes, so tell me and the audience a little bit about your family. How old are your kids and what's going on with you family wise?

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: Okay. So day in and day out is crazy. My oldest is 10. My middle is eight and my baby is three. They are all

in different schools. And my

youngest, if you remember the last time we talked, he struggled a lot with his, medical complications and developmental, [00:04:00] stages, but he's been in developmental preschool since August. And he has literally, it seems like, gone

from making any sounds or sayi sentences overnight. The last few weeks have b it's kind

of like how we the last six months on ou he has grown just the

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: that's incredible. The last time we talked he was just getting his tube removed. So, and now he's speaking full sentences. Amazing.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: it's, it's really crazy how far he's come and we're so proud. We couldn't be happier.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Oh, I can imagine. Wow, that's so incredible. So now tell me about this incredible business that you've built. what are you doing with your time?

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah. So I went from, starting an Instagram page where I was sharing ideas for play based learning and

just [00:05:00] different mom tips and tricks. I just wanted something more from that. I felt like there were so many pages out there that are sharing wonderful ideas and all these beautiful play setups. But that can be a little overwhelming sometimes because even as a mom. who was a teacher. I got to set this up. I have to clean this up. I have to

make it creative and change it up every week. And I

thought, well, what if I could take my

ideas and bring them to life

outside

of Instagram, outside of the virtual world

and just take all my resources that I've been collecting over the

years between having kids and being a teacher

and put them to use again and take them out into the community so that can sign up to a play event.

I set it up.

I clean it up. All they have to do is come and play.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Oh, and I'm calling them learn and play workshops, uh, for now. So yeah,

That's So fun and I can relate to it on So many levels. now first of all, setting up an [00:06:00] activity as a mom, you sometimes just have the mental load and capacity, the capacity to do one thing. whether it's the setup or the cleanup and not both. so that's a barrier. And then just coming up with the ideas and all of these different things, like it's so much that you don't necessarily feel like you're capable of doing them, especially on a daily basis.

But then on the other end of it as a teacher. Doing these kinds of things for a whole classroom is like a totally different mindset. You're, it's invigorating and gives you so much life to do it versus when you're Just, with your two. Are you finding that too?

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: a hundred percent. I feel like the last time we talked, we talked a lot about my changing identity

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yep.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: especially having a medical baby and

how I had to leave my

teaching career, not by

choice and how that kind of

shaped, who I was and refinding myself. And this has brought me back to life. It

really has made me feel like so much purpose and excitement [00:07:00] and

inspired outside

of my home and beyond being just a mom, which is wonderful.

Being just a mom is fulfilling, but it has brought me back to being me.

and it's been really inspiring.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: So amazing. So let's go back to when this first started as these baby ideas and these little seeds that you were planting. Now, I remember our first conversations about it. I had started doing some activities at a local play place for me. and and you were thinking about what you wanted to do next. What was this next big idea?

And we had some really great conversations. So talk about how this started and what we kind of started brainstorming together.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah.

So I just felt like you were

taking so many great risks and evolving and trying to make something fresh. And I knew I wanted something there too. And I

really admired watching you do that. And I remember reaching out to you, Krissy

and asking like, well, how did you start or, know, how did You get the courage to ask around, [00:08:00] like ask some businesses if they would Uh, for example, host one of my play events, and you just really did such a nice job of giving me the confidence go for it, take that leap of faith You also helped

it feel relatable. Like, Hey, you know, I'm building something too, and we can we can do this together. We can support each other and we can

lift each other up

through this. Let's bounce some ideas off each other.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yes. Right? Because there's so much room for everybody and you don't have to do something alone because when you're just sitting by yourself, you can get stuck and thinking like, what is the idea? and it just feels all so big. So what were those first steps that you started taking?

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: So when I first started,

uh,

I started crafting like the perfect flyer. Okay. And I wanted to put it out there and promote these play events. And I, I originally started with the idea of, I'm going to start with a story book, read aloud, and then all these kids are going to come play [00:09:00] and I'm going to walk them through these stations. And it was just a vision in my head. I got all my stations ready to go. Uh, probably like, I don't know, seven stations for the fall time because it was

a seasonal, aim at the time.

And I promoted through

Instagram with my flyer.

And literally

nobody signed up.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yep.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: So I just, I kind of expected that, you know, I wasn't sure how fast it would take off or if, I had built enough trust with people

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: sure.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: sure.

Let's come, you know? so I thought to myself, you know what? I'm not going to get discouraged. It's my very first time, I've already put in the work and effort, so I'm just going to go ahead and all my materials that I've gathered. I'm going to go set up at a park

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yep.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: I'm just going to go for it and see what happens. that's what I did. I

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Amazing.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: I took my eight year old with me and we set out some blankets [00:10:00] and I said, Grayson, go find some kids who want to come play.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: I love it.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah,

and it was great. It was the

best thing I

did.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: That's so great. It's an incredibly brave. I mean, I remember how you were so worried about sending out these emails and, and reaching out to people And you weren't sure where you want to go. You didn't want to sound salesy. and then all of a sudden there you are Reem in the middle of a park inviting people to come to a picnic. You know, you were, I remember how upset You were about nobody signing up and now you're just setting up these activities out in public and people came. Right.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: And you know what, Krissy it was so out of my character to do that it was a huge leap of faith. My husband was so worried before I

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: He's thinking, you're gonna come back discouraged and deflated, and I don't want to see your spirit broken. But it was the complete opposite. I

came home so encouraged and feeling like there is a real market for this.

The moms loved it. They, I had a little QR code with me. They followed [00:11:00] along. They gave me ideas on where I could go next. And, you know, they were, they were just so interested and the kids

were so engaged. And I just felt like there's something

here I

was able to take some

video content while those kids played at the

park and I was able to take that and then re showcase it and re show it. To the, to the Instagram world, to the local community and say, Hey, look, this is what I'm doing. This is what I meant by that flyer.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yes.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: and it worked. And then people started to get an idea of what is this look like and what does this feel like and how they can participate or how it might add value to them.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Amazing. So you did

a couple more at the park, right?

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: We did

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: was

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: I stayed outside at the park because I didn't know where else to go at that point.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Mm hmm.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: But then as the weather started to turn

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: it was going to turn quickly, [00:12:00] was thinking, okay, I need to find a business that would be interested in hosting.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Mm hmm.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: that's when I reached out to you because

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: had drafted this like perfect email, with all my detailed, thorough thoughts in

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: thinking. Okay. I'm going to come off as she knows what she's doing. She's

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: you know, she's got all these different packages she's offering,

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: And it totally backfired.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah. You had like full lesson plans. Ready to go to send to people. It was full teacher mode. Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: It was a lot of work

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: I sent it out to several businesses and I either got, uh, like complete radio silence, or I got a no, thank you. I got, uh, Response is like, well, we already offer a free story time to our customers. So this isn't really what we're looking for.

And I thought, [00:13:00] okay,

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Right? Even though, like, that's not it is.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: yeah, that's

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: is different.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: what this is. But okay, uh, that's fine. So I had to kind of take a step back and reflect. And I thought, you know what, maybe this isn't the way to do it. Maybe I should. You know, maybe that email is coming off as too salesy or too wordy and they just don't have the time. They see this long email of some, some lady, no, thank you. I thought I'm going to pop into this one coffee shop that was recommended to me and I'm just going to talk to them in person and see what happens. And that was so scary for me.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: person working the desk, as anticipated, had no authority to make a decision like this, but she gave me the business card of the owner, and she said, go ahead and give him a call. I think it took me 3 weeks to work up the courage to finally

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: a call.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: And I did, and it was probably a 5 minute [00:14:00] conversation of me just saying, hey, this is, you know, who I am, this is my idea, I've been doing it at the parks. And I was wondering if you'd be interested in hosting kept it real short, real

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: And he said, yes, like

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: just so quickly, just so easily said, yeah, this sounds like a great idea. Let's try it.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: From there, it's been a really great partnership.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Especially when there's nothing to lose, right? So we are so connected and we've been connected online for such a long time now that I think people are sick of it. People are sick of learning about things online and reading your emails. Like what else? My email is so full. I'm literally, I'm looking at a tab right now that's open.

I have 1, 904 emails in this email box because it's just so full of junk that we are now craving this one thing. Personal connection. So going up to people in a park, going up to people, making a phone call. If you want to start something, talk to people. Just, just be a real person.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah. I think [00:15:00] sometimes in your head, you feel like, well, I have all my, my T's crossed and my eyes dotted in this perfect email. and it makes it easy for them to go back and review when they want it. But I think sometimes you just have to be a person, a voice, a face for someone to learn to trust. And that's a little easier to say yes to.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Amazing. So how is it fitting into your life as it is right now?

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah, it is so crazy and so busy. Right now I'm able to do 2 to 3 events per month and that's really all I can handle right now. I have families who ask me, how often are you doing this? You know, will you do more? But that's a good balance for now.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Mm hmm.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: and especially with the weather being cold and having, uh, the business support hosting these right now, it's a perfect fit. I'm hoping that once the weather warms up again and I can do some more activities outside,

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Mm hmm.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: to maybe [00:16:00] pick up a little more.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Sure, yeah, yeah, and you definitely don't want to lose the connection with the coffee shop though, so don't just like jump, jump totally into the park because like next winter you're going to want to be there again.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: for sure. And they're loving it. You know,

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: they've told me like, we really like this partnership. We think it's a great collab. It's bringing customers into them during their quiet hours. and they've actually, this blew me away and made me feel so good, but they said they've, they've mentioned my name and my services to other coffee shops that they are in connection with.

So I thought that was awesome.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Oh, that's so great to know that you're like such a positive impact on their business that they are just want to brag about you. That's incredible. Wow. So let's talk about your next six months. If you had a crystal ball and you were to be able to do anything with this business, where would you be? Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: growth. Uh, I definitely don't want to take any steps backwards, but I [00:17:00] want to keep my speed where it's at. One thing that I've thought about is how informal everything is like right now. I just do everything through Instagram. if someone wants to book, I had a mom group wanted to do a private play event just for their mom group. And it was all just DM and they just kind of notified me that way. So it's been very informal. So I would love to build something like a website where people or businesses can go to to reserve or book types of play events. Like maybe they want to do a birthday party. Maybe they want to do a private event.

Maybe they want to do Maybe it's a preschool who wants to bring in, you know, you know, sometimes they bring in like, Oh, miss, miss Amy does music on every other

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: they want to do sensory every other Tuesday, something like that, but a more formal uh, not venue, but,

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah. A place to, a place to go and figure it out. Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: [00:18:00] And then. The other thing I've been thinking about is like I have so many moms that ask me at my events, do you sell these? Do you sell this station? Do you sell this filler? Where do you get this stuff? And so I thought about offering the activities for sale.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah, those are both really great ideas. Now, knowing you and knowing the conversations that we've had, when I hear you listing off all these private events, you know, I'm hearing you say two things. You're saying right now things are pretty crazy, and you're kind of at max with how you can do it. And I'm also hearing you say, Ooh, I want to make this a more formal way that people can find me and book me.

But I'm not sure where the two things intertwine right now. I'm hopeful for you that over the six months that you're still gonna, you're probably streamlining things already and figuring out things are probably getting faster for you, but that time that you're there doesn't go away, right? You still have some prep time, even if it gets faster every time and the breakdown, and then you're there.

So I don't [00:19:00] want to see you put together this big website because I know for you, it's probably going to end up a huge project. And you'll probably have a lot of different options that people can see. So, what I'm thinking for you, at least to start with, might be, Some sort of PDF, like, I can, I feel, I hear your need to want something formal to point people to, something that feels a little more professional.

But I don't think you need to go so big as creating this whole website, because I think for you that might just get out of hand really fast. You might have different pages for all these ideas. Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: want to do it like to perfection

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Right.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: What do you think about a Google doc?

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yes.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: Okay.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: 100%. Yep. Whether it's Canva or Google Doc, anything like that. Something where you can just put down, maybe just your quick ideas. Something that you could even print out. It could even just be a flyer that has a link to sign up. And maybe that's a Google form or I wouldn't even say a sign up.

[00:20:00] Obviously it would be something more of an inquiry. Like how can I contact you? Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: put in their inquiry requests.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Exactly.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: like what are you interested

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yep.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: You know, what's the date range you're looking for? Kind of tell me what you want and let me tell you if I can do it. Kind of thing.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Definitely. I totally see that. And especially because you're primarily on Instagram, you know, not everybody is. So this might be for the moms that are on Facebook and don't know where to find you there. So their friends can send you the link to this form and they can contact you that way. I think that's a really great idea to simplify it down from a website but also have something more professional and a way to capture things so you're not getting lost in in it.

I think that that's something you're going to want to do.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: DM?

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Right. So putting it in a place where you know where to find it and you can go back to and have that idea and, and even just keep yourself to one page for whatever you're making for this, whether it's a Canva [00:21:00] or a Google doc, a PDF of maybe a picture of a kid playing.

And then these are the kinds of events you'd be open to. so yeah. And, and just be careful to say maybe I do one a month and that could be really cool too when you're pricing this of pricing yourself in a competitive way. This is something that if you are doing it limited on a limited basis, you know, right now you're saying you're doing two or three a month and that's what you can do.

I'm guessing you probably only do one event a month, right? One private event.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah. I mean, you're absolutely right. I, I can't get too far ahead of myself because I can't book birthday parties every weekend,

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: with my own kids on the weekends.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Right.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: and I could see that picking up with word of mouth, it would definitely have to be a limited. Availability for this time period in my life.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Right, and you mentioned, preschools, which I thought was really interesting too, because that, that gives you a whole different range of your daytime availability, [00:22:00] right?

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: True. Yeah.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: that's a whole different ballgame if you're going to maybe go to like a preschool or a daycare and do these kinds of activities.

You could price those different

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: because A, you could be sending home business cards with the kids on a little flyer for the parents to see what you're doing and where.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: smart.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: And, and like if they have a different budget, you know, it's a birthday party is a different than coming into this daycare where the people are, you know, just getting by on the skin of their teeth.

So you can price it differently because you have more availability, you're going to have more exposure and, it's, it's just a different clientele. So I do like this idea. And so maybe we're talking two different things here. We're talking to Google docs, but we're still not talking website. We're talking

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: yeah,

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: daycare package, and we're talking family business, private event thing, and maybe businesses on a day, like another coffee shop, if they wanted to do daytime hours, that's something they could talk to you about.

But I don't think you need to build [00:23:00] something massive and formal for this to feel, still feel professional and still feel really, really solid and cool.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: How does that sound?

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah. No, I agree with you because I tend to get ahead of myself, right? I go

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: with you. Yep.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: big dreams and I just want to make them happen. But pacing myself is important.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah. Yes.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: sanity. And I, I do sometimes have a hard time saying no,

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yes.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: Because I, it feels weird to turn down work or

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yep.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: down opportunities, but sometimes that's what's best.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Mm hmm.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: So I don't want to launch into this huge website and offer all these different things without sure I'm still providing a quality experience for everyone. Right.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Right. Yeah. And you could even start without even doing a flyer, right?

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: yeah.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: talking to the families that come already. Say, I have one opening for April. Is anybody interested? If you're interested or you know [00:24:00] anyone who wants to do a private event, I have one opening available. And, uh, Yeah.

And then go from there.

And then if, if you do want to explore that daytime option, then that could be the thing where you're making phone calls and being more proactive on. Now, the other thing you mentioned was selling kits. Now, I'm sure you already have a lot of prep time and you have a lot that you're lugging in and out of the coffee shop every time.

And the last thing I want to see you have is a bunch of replicas of the kits that are probably seasonal that don't sell. And now you're lugging them back to your car and, and storing them where with all of these materials. Now, one thing you could consider is like a non specific, non seasonal, basic bin that you put together that you could bring with you each and every time, but then maybe you have the same people seeing the same bin.

Or maybe travel size bins, things are, that are smaller and more, or more accessible, like somebody that They can just grab them for a few bucks and take them. But the other thing I see you doing is with these bins, [00:25:00] people really like them. They're playing with the bin and they're like, my kid loves this. I want this exact bin.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: What can I do? I think it'd be really cool for you to have a, QR code next to each bin that they can scan that takes them to some sort of instructions sheet that has links for to your to your Amazon storefront that has links to these products that they could then buy right then and there and go to and see what do you think about that

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: That is a great idea. It's getting my wheels turning because for example, like even at today's workshop there's this one book that parents and kids keep going to over and over and over, and they, they ask me, where did you get this? Where do you get this book? My kid can't get enough of it. Well, I can get it on Amazon, you know, for example. So that would be a perfect. Idea instead of me buying

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Right.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: Right.

Buying 10 of these books or whatever,

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Right.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: they have the option to do that themselves.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Right.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: a great [00:26:00] idea. Thank you.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah. And I, and I love the idea of a QR code for you, like some sort of landing page, somewhere that you can collect their email address and also just get them into your Amazon universe. And so that way, maybe you can make a few cents. I mean, Amazon affiliate links aren't much money, but you know, it can, any little bit is going to start helping you to offset the cost of your time, your effort and your materials here.

Now, once you have something digital made with all of these links on them. I think it would be really cool for you then to just put them up on Teachers Pay Teachers. You could sell them individually for a buck here and there or on Etsy and, and then also put together a bundle of them. So all of the sensory bins that you did in March, you know, you've got pictures of kids actually using them.

You've got the videos of them in use and that you're already making for your social media. So putting that as a marketing tool to then sell for five bucks on Teachers Pay Teachers or on Etsy. I mean, That's a really valuable tool for a lot of [00:27:00] people.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: No, that's a great idea. I really appreciate that advice. And already have all those pages set up. So

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Right?

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: you know, put, put it everywhere

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Put it everywhere! Exactly, right? So now you don't have to think about putting together these kits that people want to buy and take home. You can give them the instructions and hold their hand, truly. Give them exactly what they need. And I'm sure that some of the things maybe come from the dollar store or whatnot.

But sometimes, you know, you could put on their, you got this at the dollar store. But, You could throw in the alternative link because sometimes people are willing to spend a little more on something on Amazon that gets delivered to their door than go to the store.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: run out and find it. Yeah.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Exactly.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: do that with my groceries. So.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Exactly, right? So, so you know you can tell people where to find them and give them an opportunity to help. to buy on Amazon, that's going to help both of you. So I think that is a really great way for you to to. Become more of that [00:28:00] educator to put that hat on of, of teaching other people how to do things and supporting them and really feeding that need while also growing this business in ways that, that you have a lot of different ideas for.

What do you think?

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: I think those are great suggestions, Krissy. I thank you so much for that.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Oh my goodness, well Reem, thank you so much for coming on and sharing your story. I really appreciate your time and, and telling us how you started from literally nothing and doing these teeny little tiny steps and building something that lights you up. Like hearing you talk about it, you, you truly look like you are inspired and fulfilled.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: Thank you. I do. I feel it too. It's really brought me back to life and I honestly, I couldn't have done it without the support of friends like you and being able to bounce ideas off of each other. I think it's just been such a rewarding experience to share each milestone, you know, with you and the sick, the, the steps of success with each other, as [00:29:00] we both build our own thing, uh, it's just been such a wonderful journey.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah, you get stuck in your own head, and you get too close to these ideas. Sometimes just having somebody to talk it out with is what you need. And even if you have no idea where to start, you know, it helps you to sort things out.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: it,

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Yeah.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: who's kind of going through similar feelings or similar identity places that coming from. So it's just been so helpful and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: Oh, well, thank you. Thank you. Well, I can't wait to hear what you do next. So we'll definitely have to do a revisit.

reem_1_02-24-2025_201631: Sounds great.

krissy_1_02-24-2025_201631: You can find Reem on Instagram at the mommy toolkit where you can find all the sensory bins that she uses at her workshop and so much more.

If you're thinking, you know, I wish I had something that I felt as inspired about, as Reem does, we can work together to try to figure out what that thing's going to be for you. We can do a free coaching call just like this one on the podcast, where we talk about where you've come from, what's on your mind, what are you interested in, and we can build something [00:30:00] for you that's going to fit your personal life, your family life, and your dreams, and feed that passion to help you feel more like a whole complete person.

Just send me a message over on Instagram at Mom Identity Project, or email me at Mom Identity project@gmail.com and say, I would love to do one of these free coaching calls on the podcast with you, where we start from zero and figure out what you're interested in, what gets you excited, what you're passionate about, and start building something that's going to fit your life and your family and your goals to help you start to feel more like a whole complete person. You don't have to know where you wanna end up. We can start from zero and really start figuring out what's going to bring you joy and what's going to fit into your life, and create a plan that's actually going to feel doable.

Make sure that you're following the podcast so you can hear more stories like Reem's and other really easy ways that you can start to reconnect with yourself after becoming a mom.

Mom Identity Project https://momidentityproject.com
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