Amplifying the stories of female founders through Gender Vender

Overview

Role: Storytelling lead for Gender Vender, a vending machine turned gift boxes pop-up that partners with local women-run business owners in the Greater Seattle Area.

Duration: January 2020 – January 2021

Key responsibilities:

• Drove product sales and increase awareness of woman-owned small businesses by conducting interviews, writing articles in the “How She Built This” founder feature series, and amplifying stories on social media

• Raised over $5,900 for girls and women in STEM by curating, socializing, organizing inventory, and delivering boxes of products from woman-owned businesses and donating the proceeds

You can’t be what you can’t see: In defense of representation

In 2015, the New York Times reported that there were fewer large companies run by women than by men named John. The male-to-female ratio for CEOs for 19:1 in 2018. However, we know that female CEOs exist, but their stories aren’t always featured in the media. Gender Vender, a Seattle-based pop-up, aims to change that by celebrating the work of female-run local businesses and create a larger dialogue about gender inequality.

While we were determining avenues we could use to raise awareness of woman-owned businesses, we asked ourselvelves, “How can we create an immersive and interactive experience that celebrates the work of female entrepreneurs and encourages others who want to follow in their footsteps?”

From a vending machine to gift boxes: In the name of 2020, we needed to pivot

In partnership with the Pacific Science Center, we had planned to have a vending machine pop-up at an in-person event with a panel highlighting women in STEM. On the day of our launch in March 2020, the Seattle governor mandated the stay-at-home order. Like many of our 2020 plans, we had to pivot from an in-person model to something we could deliver to folks anywhere.

What began as a vending machine pop-up shifted to curated gift boxes of products from women-owned businesses in the Greater Seattle Area, which ranged from tea bath bombs and dog treats to reusable gift wrap. That way, we could continue to get the word out about these businesses, who may have seen reduced sales or opportunities to directly connect with customers during COVID-19. We took inspiration from subscription boxes like FabFitFun and Keep Your City Smiling, hoping to surprise and delight customers with products from local businesses and invite them to learn more about their stories. Thus began the story of how my apartment turned into a fulfillment center to pack, decorate, and ship Gender Vender boxes.

A new model

Partner with 7 woman-owned businesses in Seattle to created curated gift boxes with their products

100% of our proceeds are donated to the Pacific Science Center Girls and Women Breaking Down Barriers in STEM non-profit.

100% of our products are from local, woman-owned businesses in Seattle and beyond

Highlighting the founders, entrepreneurs, and artists behind these products

As the storytelling lead for Gender Vender, I created a series called “How She Built This,” which pays homage to the NPR podcast “How I Built This.” This series celebrated Seattle-based female founders in their own words. I used a combination of journalistic storytelling and quotes to share their origin story, lessons learned along the way, and tips for building their businesses. We hoped that these stories would inspire future female founders, creatives, and designers to start their own entrepreneurship journeys.

I interviewed 4 founders who run local businesses in Seattle (Tokki, Morning Glory Chai, Yemshi, and Emily Nguyen Art).

When chatting with each founder, I asked questions to understand:

• Their product’s origin story: I’ve found that most entrepreneurs are adept at identifying problems and creating products to solve them.

• What gets them out of bed in the morning: I wanted to understand the challenging and rewarding parts of their work, and what kept them moving forward.

• Advice to other entrepreneurs, especially other womxn or womxn of color: I hoped that readers would be inspired by these stories and feel encouraged to start their own projects.

I didn’t shy away from tough conversations about the lack of female founders or entrepreneurs in the industry and how they challenged the mold.

Once I wrote these stories, I published founder stories on a Gender Vender publication on Medium so they’d be available to the public and found through common search terms related to entrepreneurship and founder stories. These stories were also amplified on the Gender Vender Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. We also reached out to local community organizations, or groups with a local presence, who would be interested in offering these boxes to “surprise and delight” their community members in an age of remote and hybrid work.

Taking compelling brand images

I also took photos of the individual products and the boxes, which were featured throughout each story and on the Gender Vender Instagram and amplified by each founder as well as the Pacific Science Center. As a product photographer, I ensured that each product was at the forefront of the story and any connections to the Pacific Northwest like the iconoc “Public Market” song on Chalo bags. I also wanted to highlight the unique character of each item, whether it was the colorful patterns of the Tokki reusable giftwrap, the individual herbs in the Morning Glory Chai home brew kit, or the Seattle-themed locations of the CHALO pouches.

Founder Stories

These are the final stories, which highlight each artist or founder’s journey, what inspired them, and advice for other entrepreneurs and small business owners..

How She Drew This: A Q&A with Emily Nguyen on feeling seen, finding inspiration, and sharing her work

Emily Nguyen is a senior in Interactive Media Design at the University of Washington, Bothell. She’s also an artist who’s driven by community, connection, and the creativity that comes with her drawing tablet. I sat down with Emily to learn more about her journey.

How She Gifted This: An interview with Jane Park, CEO and founder of Tokki

Bridging connection, thoughtful technology, and sustainable design to make gifting unforgettable

Jane Park has always been one to blaze her own trail. It’s something she learned from her parents, who moved from Korea to Canada with two suitcases and rebuilt their lives from scratch. Learn more about her journey as an entrepeneur and how she founded Tokki, a sustainable gift wrap brand.

How She Brewed This: Morning Glory Chai

When Jessica Vidican-Neisius founded Morning Glory Chai, she promised that she would never use an artificial ingredient. Over 20 years later, this still rings true. Now, Morning Glory Chai is available in 265 coffee shops, co-ops, and apothecaries across the West Coast.

How She Built This: Yemshi

An interview with Yuna Shin, founder of Yemshi and sophomore in interaction design at the University of Washington

If you were looking for 12-year-old Yuna Shin, you’d probably find her waking up at 7 a.m. to sew a bag from scrap fabric, cut up scrap cardboard, and spray-paint her Goodwill finds to give them new life. She hasn’t stopped creating things ever since.

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