en
Canada
After the birth of her 4th child in 2014, Claudia Marion began the search for something that defined her and her experiences as a mother. A clear focus landed on women-focused products and with that the name Stork and Dove was born, representing both the bird of devotion and that of love. This name has since become the umbrella brand for her growing line.
While on maternity leave and breastfeeding, Stork and Dove was created with a simple mission: to make healthy, safe, convenient, non-GMO products that moms can enjoy and benefit from. Claudia knew she needed to take steps to solidify her products’ success, and she started by attending a WEConnect International event. This event brought her together with an energetic network of other women in business, “It has connected me to a community of over-arching enterprises that really care about investing in and supporting the women-owned business. WEConnect International has connected me to trade partners that I felt my business might not be ready for and it helped me to understand that many (global) businesses do have stewardship programs in place for women and minority-owned businesses. This was a revelation and something that remained invisible to me before WEConnect International.”
While attending this event, Claudia handed out business cards and samples to a few buyers, and within two weeks time, she received a call from a category buyer at Walmart who had received the samples. A meeting was arranged for the following week and Claudia presented her product line. Within months Stork and Dove was rolling out two of their top-selling Booby Boons flavors into over 300 Walmart locations across Canada.
Claudia’s inspiration was birthed by mothers. “Motherhood leaves behind the me and brings in the weforever-more. Women so often go into it with fear and come out with superpowers, or the ability to do what they feared or never thought possible. This is an exceptional metamorphosis that I think too often is not reflected upon. If more would reflect on their journey then I believe more women would continue to pursue their goals and realize they too can conquer the challenge,” she says.
Claudia notes how incredible it is that we live in this time when women are driving purchasing and design decisions like never before. Because of this, she feels increasingly confident in her instincts towards the creation of new and future product lines.
Her advice for young female entrepreneurs?
She has never let the fact that she has 4 children stop her from achieving her goals. Yes, it is harder to wear both hats (motherhood and entrepreneurship) but, Claudia believes that the toughest part is accepting that you can do both without guilt. “It is okay to have passions and goals, outside of traditional roles, goals that are uniquely your own and that define you. It is okay!”
Find out more about Stork and Dove on social media: @storkanddove
