How Two Tampa Female Small Business Owners Joined Forces To Grow & Give Back

Women empowering women to lift each other up so we can all rise together. That’s the sole mission of KNOW, a global community of high impact female leaders, and what brought two new Tampa, FL small business owners together.

Kristin and Johanna first met each other through a KNOW Zoom call this past January in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kristin, whose pen name is K.A. Leigh, had just launched her new children’s book series, Brudders’ Books. Johanna, a former elementary school teacher and mother of three, had just launched her Tampa-based kids’ subscription box service, called Local Mom Box.

While they were listening to each other speak on a Zoom call one evening, Kristin and Johanna realized they shared more than just common ground. They shared similar missions, and for similar target markets.

Kristin had created Brudders the bear and his adventure series with a mission to give kids a forever friend to lean on as they grew through various challenges in life.

Johanna created the Local Mom Box to make mom life easier, by curating kid-friendly crafts and activities that simultaneously support local businesses.

The customer base of Kristin and Johanna’s businesses couldn’t be more aligned.

Kristin loved how the Local Mom Box was filled with crafts and STEM activities to improve children’s sensory and motor skills in a fun and engaging way.

Johanna loved how relatable and sweet Brudders the bear was, and with the Brudders® book theme of emotional intelligence, he’d be the perfect character to introduce to her customers.

Johanna’s Local Mom Box for the month of May

“Johanna, being a former elementary teacher for so long, knows exactly what parents and children need in these critical development years,” explains Kristin. “So she makes it easy for the parents. Different activities for all, planned and prepped for the month! And our little Brudders bear fits in perfectly!”

“Local Mom Box gives children and their parents something to look forward to, and it’s something that’s fun, engaging, and educational all at once,” explains Johanna.

Equally important to their own new business’ growth, is simultaneously supporting the growth of their Tampa Bay community as well.

Johanna’s Local Mom Box includes special deals and activities offered by local Tampa businesses that she knows families will love.

Author, K.A. (Kristin) Leigh doing a Brudders storytime

Kristin intentionally took a grass-roots, ground-up approach to the launch of her Brudders® book series by starting in her own neighborhood. “Like Johanna, my goal wasn’t to chase national level recognition right from the start,” says Kristin. “That could take years. My real goal is to help kids who might be struggling right here and now, with a story that comes from my own heart. So my top priority is getting out into our local communities to give kids that forever friend in Brudders, as quickly as possible. So that’s what I do every weekend.” Kristin says with a smile.

“It’s the perfect scenario,” says Johanna, “We give parents quality content for their kids, which in turn brings these amazing local businesses the visibility that they deserve.”

Kristin and Johanna will be co-hosting a virtual PJ party read-aloud of Kristin’s book, Brudders Learns How to Make Friends, on Tuesday May 25th at 7pm. To join in on the fun, register through EventBrite here.

To learn more about Brudders Books and Local Mom Box, follow them on social media @bruddersbooks and @localmombox.