Meet Leslie Criden | Woman Owned Small Business

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

Hi Leslie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I had been making jewelry when the pandemic hit so I was no longer able to do the festivals I had done before, so I started looking for a business that spoke to me. There was a mom who started an eco-friendly business, designing and selling reusable storage bags – Ziparoos. The thought intrigued me as we were using way too much plastic. After our first few conversations I actually passed on moving forward. As I continued to look at other businesses, I knew I wanted to be in the eco-friendly space, so I circled back to Ziparoos. Since Ziparoos was only an ecommerce store, my brain starting thinking of all the ways to expand this into a true business. Ziparoos reusable storage bags are great for foods, snacks, freezing, travel and more. We sell Ziparoos reusable bags at local Farmers Markets, festivals, and artisan markets. We are currently moving into wholesale, selling to other small businesses, gift shops, specialty markets, and subscription boxes. We have also started doing custom bags for businesses looking for unique employee or client gifts. Ziparoos also does virtual fundraising with schools and other non-profits.
We find one key to success is listening to our customers. We love hearing our customers suggestions and have added some of them already. We have also added new products as an extension to our Ziparoos eco-friendly bags. We are coming up on our first anniversary and it’s been a lot of hard work, but we are growing!!

I truly believe helping the environment starts with small changes.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Did you know by using one reusable storage bag you are saving approximately 300 single use plastic bags from entering our landfills and oceans?

Ziparoos are reusable storage bags that are great for foods, snacks, fruits, vegetables, breads, freezing, school supplies, travel and so much more. I truly believe educating people about being about eco-friendly is important. I was not raised this way, but we have made a lot of changes in our lifestyle. I also believe in making products affordable to make those changes. We have to think about future generations.

At Ziparoos we really believe in customer service! We address our customers questions quickly and ship our products out promptly.

As we have been in business a year, and I have learned a lot. I have learned you can’t be good at everything and social media is not my thing, but I keep trying. I take classes and work with consultants to help me with the things I do not know. I have learned a lot along the way, although it has not always been easy.

When I reflect on the last year, I am very proud of the product we put out and how well it has been received by others. I love being at the Farmers Markets and festivals educating people. Its great when young kids come over and explain to their parents why they need to have Ziparoos reusable bags for their lunches and snacks. This is my small way of trying to make a difference!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Thank you to my dear friend, Kesha Darji, owner of K2 Artisan Boutique, for being a great role model as a woman owned entrepreneur. She is always there to provide support and encouragement to me on my new journey.

Website: www.ziparoos.biz

Instagram: @ziparoos

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ziparoos