#4 Role Model Interview: Sarah Kallile
mommies invent things
Hello! Lisa here with a new role model interview.
In the blur of COVID quarantine days, one of my friends from business school was consulting with a startup founder on a mission to make a better nursing bra. Fresh off nursing my first child for (almost) six months and often complaining about exactly that topic, I very enthusiastically said yes to doing a research call for product development.
Flash forward a few years, and that startup concept is now a patented product. Sarah Kallile is the force behind Lunnie, and she may also be the most approachable smartie mother of three you’ll find. At one point during our conversation, she said “I’m no smash success yet,” and that’s the only thing I took issue with during our chat.
I’d argue it’s a wild success to have created a brand that helps women so much during an especially vulnerable time, while in the thick of motherhood herself (her daughters are two, four and six). For more of her story, read on.
Tell us what working like a mother looks like in your life right now?
To me, it’s being able to mentally jump from one task to the next - whether it’s work, kids, errands, etc.
Before having kids, I would take my time settling into work, having a cup of coffee, and getting my mind in the zone. And now after kids, if I have an hour free to myself, my mind is like BOOM. I get so much done.
As a mother, I'm the master of multitasking and being efficient. It's my superpower.
Lunnie serves new moms. How has motherhood intertwined with launching your company?
My inspiration for Lunnie came while I was breastfeeding my second daughter during the midst of the pandemic. It’s said “Necessity is the mother of invention” and this nursing bra is truly a testament to that.
When I was getting ready to launch this business, I was pregnant with my third, and my mindset was, “I'm going get everything I can done before I give birth to her!” While my third pregnancy was tough, I knew postpartum would be harder. I had three daughters under age four and a new business on top of it.
In retrospect, I worked too hard and the mom-work balance felt off. I wasn't as present with my girls like I wanted to be. But the beauty of being my own boss is I was able to quickly course-correct that.
In my previous career, I worked at tech start-ups that were mostly male dominated. When female co-workers got pregnant, they gave birth and never came back because the maternity leave was poor or non-existent. So part of my mindset when I became a mom was, “If I want to work, wouldn't it be great if I were my own boss?”
What’s your childcare set up?
Being my own business owner, I've had the privilege of fluctuating how much I'm working. I’ve tried different childcare routes, from a nanny to a patchwork of college babysitters.
When I first launched my business, I was barely breaking even, so I did everything myself. Now that I’ve scaled my business with a larger manufacturer, I’ve had the ability to hire a few contractors to help with various business tasks.
Right now, I’m a full-time mom and founder. My girls are now 2, 4, and 6 and are all in some degree of schooling. I flex my work hours during school hours, nap time, or after bed-time. I have babysitters help out when needed.
With three kids so young, I need to be in control of my time. When one of my girls gets sick and needs to miss school, I quickly clear my day to be home with them. My husband works a 100% on-site job, so it’s on me to be flexible. In the winter, it’s a constant cycle of at least one girl being home sick.
Only 2% venture capital-backed startups are run by female founders. Given that environment, what’s your fundraising experience been like?
When I first had the idea for Lunnie, I entered a pitch competition and won grant money from the Female Founder Collective.
Since I was speaking directly to other women, my pitch was focused 30% explaining the problem and 70% on solution.
In contrast, I’ve won two other major pitch competitions where the judges were mostly men. I reworked the pitch to 70% explaining the problem and 30% on solution. It is different when pitching people who haven’t been in your shoes.
I've been fortunate to run this business mostly on grant money. And that's not to say I wouldn't pursue VCs (venture capitalist funds) in the future. But I have the experience of working in start ups and I've seen how big funding can lead to unrealistic growth.
Motherhood has changed my perspective on what success is. I’m growing something that's slow and sustainable versus fast like a rocket ship.
I think you could say a sustainable business as an outcome is more important than the speed of launch.
Absolutely. I've created this beautiful, functional product over the course of several years. I secured a utility patent for the product. No one can take that away from me.
I built an organic community of moms - AKA my Lunnie Hive - who have been my product testers, consumers, and brand evangelists. Thanks to them, most of my sales are word-of-mouth.
In addition to direct-to-consumer, Lunnie is also partnering with healthcare systems to gift Lunnie bras to new moms post-birth. Truly, the ultimate gift! Lunnie is helping health systems to shift the focus on treating not just baby, but mothers too. Moms are often forgotten about postpartum.
What are some things that you do to take care of yourself?
[laughs] I mean, not much right now. It's just the reality of being a business owner and having young children.
I will say, though, compared to all the jobs that I've worked before before starting a small business, there are many aspects about Lunnie that don't feel like work to me. This is my passion.
You know that saying, “Do what you love, and you'll never work a day in your life”? Well, that's not true every single day, but there is something to that.
If you could go back in time to talk to a younger version of yourself, what age would it be and what would you tell her?
Probably teenager Sarah. I would say don’t be afraid of what others think of you and pursue your passions.
One of the greatest things about becoming a mom is how much you grow as a woman. All of a sudden, it’s so easy to tune out the noise and focus on what's important.
Motherhood truly is my superpower because it unleashed this confidence in me. It felt like, “If I can grow and raise babies, I can also start a business.”
⚡️ Lightning Round time! ⚡️
What was your first job?
Being a seasonal cashier at Borders Books and Music.
Would you want your children, your daughters, to become entrepreneurs?
Yes! It's fun building this business alongside my daughters because they honestly think what I do is so normal. They don't think it's unique or amazing at all. They’ll say, “Mommies have businesses. Mommies invent things.”
I don't know if they'll pursue entrepreneurship, but at least they know that's an avenue for them.
What are you reading right now?
I used to be an avid reader. That is one thing that fell by the wayside when I started my business as I tend to catch up on work at night.
Do you have a current theme song?
My girls and I listen to a lot of Taylor Swift. They love “Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?” It's so much fun hearing little girls yell the lyrics, especially the “You should be!” line. Don’t underestimate a girl or woman on a mission.
Thanks to Sarah for giving WLAM readers a look at her real life and a discount to use on lunnie.com! Use code WORKINGLIKEAMOTHER for 10% off your entire purchase.