Today we’d like to introduce you to Diana John.
Hi Diana, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am 37 years old, was raised in a suburb of Los Angeles, moved to New York City for college, then to San Diego, where I intended law school. Once I received my law degree, I moved back to Brooklyn, NY for a job. It was in New York where I met my husband Josh, also an attorney. In January of 2019 our son was born, following a terrible pregnancy, where I started having around the clock contractions at 20 weeks gestation. Luckily, after months of bed rest, several middle of the night Labor and Delivery visits, and a countless number of doctor’s appointments and sleepless nights, our son was born healthy at 38 weeks and two days! The pregnancy totally rocked my world. I had to go out on FMLA leave around 29 weeks gestation, and the trauma of the pregnancy really left both my mind and body in shambles. Our son then had a bad case of GERD, which is its own nightmare and then got diagnosed with food allergies. After the pregnancy and dealing with our son’s relatively minor in the scheme of things but still serious health conditions, I decided not to return back to the practice of law and instead tried to focus on recovering mentally and physically and spending time with my son. Josh and I had always planned to move out of NYC and had decided on Austin after visiting in May of 2015 and both falling in love with the city.
However, we needed to get all our ducks in a row, including saving up for a down payment, putting money away for a car, and for me, I needed five years of practicing law in order to waive into the Texas Bar before we felt comfortable moving as I in no way wanted to study for and take another Bar Exam. In March of 2020, right before the world shut down for the pandemic, we flew to Austin, bought a house, and moved in May of 2020 with our then 16 months old baby. It was obviously a stressful time, moving in the middle of a pandemic and all, but for us, it was also a breath of fresh air; to move from our 900 square foot apartment, with no outdoor space, during winter, in what was the epicenter of the pandemic at the time, to a 2000 square foot house, with our own backyard, warm weather (understatement) and where we didn’t have to Uber to get groceries or wear a mask to go out in the hall to throw our trash out. Our quality of life felt instantly better in a lot of ways. Our son was loving playing outside, especially with his new water table, and we enjoyed hanging out with him and just enjoying the space and being around nature. Once it started getting cold, seeing how much he loved the water table during the warmer months, I started looking for safe activities that I could do with him inside since we still weren’t comfortable taking him anywhere with the pandemic and there being no vaccine. One of my more artistic friends in NYC had started doing some sensory activities with her son, which is where I got my first introduction to that world, and there was a local neighbor who would post sensory bins she made for her son who was about a year older than my son. People would write under this mom’s posts that she should make and sell the kits.
After all, we were in a middle of a pandemic, schools and childcare centers were closed and a lot of people, including the majority of my friends, were trying to work from home and take care of their children at the same time; they were desperate for safe, engaging activities that they could easily put together and didn’t involve screen time, because let’s be honest, the kids were getting plenty of that (I know my son was). This other mom had her hands full and it wasn’t a good time for her to start a business, but I thought it was a great idea and decided to try it out. I do like structure so I thought it would be great to focus my sensory bin kits around holidays and seasons. There is inherent structure with following the calendar in that way. The first kit I made was a Christmas one, which I made for my son and then also our friend that we podded with. I made sure to get my domain name, hired a designer off Etsy to make my logo, picked out some Kraft packaging, and then designed and photographed a Valentine’s Day Sensory Bin Kit, which I posted on the local Mom’s Facebook Group. I also started an Etsy shop. I followed up the Valentine’s Day Sensory Bin Kit with a St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Bin Kit, and between the two holidays, I sold over 50 kits, which I considered a major success.
For me, it felt amazing to be doing something for me again, other than just being a mom, and to be using my brain both creatively and analytically. It also felt great to be making some income, even though it wasn’t a lot. Selling locally also helped me meet people, learn about different parts of Austin, and really feel like I was part of the community. Same with being part of the Instagram sensory play community. I was able to connect with other moms who were also running businesses from home while raising their kids, and a lot of the people I was meeting this was also not their first career. I also love shopping at craft stores (Michaels, I’m here for you) and have recently discovered the Dollar Tree. It has been so fun to be able to find and buy products to put in the kits! Once vaccines were available, I decided to expand my business and start hosting themed Sensory Play dates. I currently hold the classes in my backyard, which has lots of shade! They are limited to ten kids and caregivers must be vaccinated and masked! So far, they have been a lot of fun. My goal is to hold three classes a week starting in October!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think it has been relatively smooth, but only because I have had the ability to pay for things up front and then hope I recover the costs quickly! The learning curve and time associated with starting and running a business has really been the hardest thing. I still have a lot to learn and do; for examples, I want to design a website. I need to figure out a simple way to keep track of my finances, and I need to learn how to most effectively market and promote my business on social media. Also, designing, creating, photographing and posting new kits takes a lot of time! I think being patient with myself is the biggest struggle and realizing that it takes a long time to create and grow a business and be okay with the fact it is not all going to get done at once. For me, I see something like Goop or the Honest company and it seems like they just popped up overnight, but then when I step back and think about it, these people have entire teams of people who help them create their businesses, not to mention a lot more money to make things happen quickly. The other struggle has been self-promotion. Not only learning how to market myself effectively but also getting over any feelings that came with putting myself and my products out there and asking people to buy it. Those feelings dissipated once I started getting feedback from customers of how much their kids were enjoying the kits, and especially when I had repeat customers! I do still get a little nervous every time I publicize a new product or new event. It feels like I’m putting a piece of myself out there and just hoping people want it and like it. The other struggle I’ve had is I try to keep my products as green as possible. There are so many convenient plastic options, but I do try to use more earth-friendly products and am always looking for ways to do so. Part of the problem is a lot of the time, the greener the product the more expensive it is, which is hard for a small business. I hope I keep improving this over time.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I design and make themed sensory bins kits. Sensory bins provide people of all ages with the opportunity to explore and learn through hands-on tactile play that engages their senses. This type of play helps to build nerve connections in the brain, encourages the development of fine and gross motor skills, problem-solving, scientific thinking, social interaction and supports language development. My focus is mainly on holiday and seasonally inspired designs, but I have also made custom kits that I love, which include dinosaurs, unicorns, Spiderman, and trains, planes, and automobiles. I love doing custom orders! It’s a fun challenge and makes a unique and thoughtful gift. Once the vaccine became widely available, I also started hosting themed Sensory Play Dates. During the play dates, I set up multiple stations outside, and caregivers can bring their kids and let them get messy and explore. I think the best part of the play dates is I do all the planning, setup and cleanup, meaning the kids can come and have fun and the caregivers can kick back and socialize in a safe setting. I am hoping to hold three classes per week, starting in October and would love to offer a birthday party package in the future. Right now, the classes are limited to 10 kids each, and caregivers must be fully vaccinated and wear masks.
Hopefully, we won’t be living in the pandemic forever, and I can offer more spots! I think what sets me apart is that I try to use high-quality items in my kits, and I think my kits when compared to some others have a more rustic vibe. I love using a lot of wood pieces as well as food bases in their natural state, like popcorn kernels and dried beans. I also try to keep my packaging and designs earth-friendly, whether that means using compostable bags and containers to hold some of the items or using chipboard and Kraft packaging rather than plastic tackle boxes. I am by no means perfect when it comes to waste and avoiding plastic, but I do try to be cognizant and I’m hoping that there will be more and more earth-friendly packaging available to small businesses as time goes on. I am most proud of being able to pivot and find something that brings me joy and is useful for other people! I also use a lot of the skills I learned during law school and while practicing law and for me, that has been important as to not feel like I made a bad decision by going to law school, since I’m not currently practicing law and don’t know when or if I will in the future. Starting and running this business has also helped me feel more like myself than I have in a long time after going through the crazy pregnancy and being a stay at home mom for the past few years.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The biggest trend I have seen recently with sensory play is there are a lot of shops making themed inserts for the IKEA Flisat table, and more specifically the Trofast bins that go with the table. My favorite company who does this is The Creative Learning Co. The owner, Ashley, is really helping to revolutionize sensory play and her boards give me a lot of inspiration for my kit designs and class themes. I can’t wait to see what other inserts are available over the next few years! I also think my designs will change and develop as my son gets older, which I am looking forward to!
Pricing:
- Kits start at $30.00 (custom kits and designs available, starting at $15.00)
- Play dates are $18.00 for 1 hour
- Sensory Party Favors start at $5.00
Contact Info:
- Email: mysensorycelebrations@gmail.com
- Website: www.mysensorycelebrations.com
- Instagram: @mysensorycelebrations
- Other: www.etsy.com/shop/sensorycelebrations
Image Credits
The picture of me was taken by Karla Hernz with Kollective Luv Photography.
