Meet Cynthia Jackson: Founder of Tiny Tots & Tikes

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cynthia Jackson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cynthia, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
For years, society has taught us that only those of European descent are beautiful, smart, and solely qualified to hold certain job positions. Unfortunately, I experienced this firsthand when my then 3 year old daughter began to question if her skin tone and hair texture were beautiful. After much thought about this surreal moment, I realized that I had completely underestimated the impact on my own daughter’s self-image when I decided to enroll her in a predominately white pre-school and when I was serving as a pastor of a predominately white church. My daughter was receiving conflicting messages about her self-image because everyone and everything around her at the time were white. Therefore, our decals are meant to creatively affirm Black children so they, too, will see themselves as beautiful, smart and equally qualified to hold any job position they desire. Our goal is to produce creative fun products that highlight Black beauty and success so no other parent or child will have the same experience we did.

What should our readers know about your business?
The major difference that sets our business apart from others is our line of wall decals. For months, I researched to see if other companies offered wall decals specifically for Black children and I did not find any. Although, this was disappointing, I was inspired and excited that Tiny Tots & Tikes had an opportunity to fill the void.

I got to where I am business-wise because I finally started to give 100% of my time and energy into making my business successful.Yes. We started our company about 5 years ago. And at the time, my husband and I were putting in about 50% of our time and effort. We kept treating our company like a side hustle or a part-time job but we were wanting to see more results. For years, we were discouraged and discussed closing the business every other week. Although we believed in our products, we underestimated the amount of time and effort that it took to run a business. But when we were at our lowest point, I came across a Netflix documentary entitled, “She Did That”. This is a very encouraging documentary that shows the inspiring and passionate entrepreneur journeys of Black women. As I listened to these stories, I heard women say that they had to stop treating their business like a side hustle and instead they chose to give 100% in order for their businesses to be successful. In that moment, everything changed for me—my mindset, my energy, and my drive. If we wanted to see change then we had to change and that’s exactly what my husband and I did; we changed. We made our business our priority and told ourselves that we were going to give 100%. Since making that decision our sales nearly tripled the next year.

I have learned a lot of lessons along the way. First, starting a business is a marathon and not a sprint. At the beginning, I was so frustrated and impatient because I thought certain things would happen overnight. However, with time, I have learned that obtaining stability and success takes a lot of prayer, love, time, and patience. Second, I learned to build a good team of people. When I first established my business, I did everything I could to cut costs. I did the administrative work, handled the financial spreadsheets, managed my social media, built my website and everything else that was required to operate a business. I was doing all of these myself, but I honestly didn’t have the knowledge I needed to handle some of the business aspects. Not only did I lack some knowledge but I was working around the clock, which led to fatigue and burnout. But during a conversation with one of my closest friends, she encouraged me to start building a good team of trustworthy people. That was exactly the advice I needed at the time and that was exactly what I did. Now, I have more of a peace of mind and I can focus more on things that I enjoy and require my attention. Third, I learned to find a good business mentor. At the start of my business, I didn’t realize the value of having a business mentor and how much I needed one. Early on, I made a lot of mistakes and was unaware of certain things. However, once I found a business mentor, she and I connected so well and she provided a lot of insight. Because of her, she helped me grow individually as well as a business owner.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Due to COVID, plans would be different than normal. But me and all my friends LOVE food lol. So the itinerary would consist of and wine tour. I would definitely take her to Vickerys. Every dish on their menu is absolutely delicious! We would then stroll down to the Bailey Wine Cellar for some tasty wine. We would also visit Milk and Honey because she would definitely need to take home a bag of their biscuits. I would also add Slutty Vegan to the list. I have not been yet so it would be a first for both of us. We would cap off the trip at the Chateau Elan for a day at the spa and wine tasting. The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
This shoutout is dedicated to my husband, Marcus, and my parents, Isaac and Hattie Whitehead. My husband and parents supported me when this business venture was just an idea in my head. I am so thankful to my husband for being on this journey with me and I am grateful to my parents for their continued love and support.

Website: www.tinytotsandtikes.com

Instagram: @tinytotsandtikes

Facebook: @tinytotsandtikes