Orca Communications Client Spotlight – GIRLS CAN! Crate
Welcome to the Orca Communications PR client spotlight. Each month our clients tell you in their own words why they do what they do and provide tips for other growing small brands and businesses.
GIRLS CAN! Crate is a monthly subscription box created to inspire and empower children (ages 5-10) to DO and BE anything. Each month, a new kit celebrates the life of a strong, diverse female role model such as Ella Fitzgerald, Florence Nightingale, Marie Curie, Frida Kahlo, Malala Yousafzai, Sally Ride, and more. Since working with Orca Communications, the crates have been featured in USA Today, Parents Magazine, Buzzfeed, WIRED, The Pioneer Woman, TrendHunter, Toy Insider, and dozens of other media outlets across America. We sat down with GIRLS CAN! Crate co-founder, Megan Goodman, to learn more about the story behind the brand.
How did you and your co-founders come up with the concept for GIRLS CAN! Crate?
In 2015, when my daughter was 4 years old we were playing and she said, “Let’s play princess and prince – you be the prince and you rescue me.” While there’s nothing wrong with pretending to be a princess, it got me thinking about the role models she had to look up to. I wanted to make sure my daughter was able to see herself as being capable of rescuing herself, too. I approached several women in my life who are awesome, smart, and passionate about empowering girls, too – Alison, Kristen, and Monika – and together we dreamed up GIRLS CAN! CRATE – a monthly learning experience for girls that introduces them to fearless female role models.
You say on your site “Together, we can show girls they can BE and DO anything.” Why is that such an important message for girls between 5 & 10 years old?
Gender stereotypes are solidified at a young age — so, we wanted to ensure girls met role models who helped them dream bigger about all they were capable of from a young age and before they internalized negative messages about what girls are capable of. Most products for girls still center around their appearance and caretaking and the vast majority of people that kids learn about in school are men. I can’t remember learning about a single female scientist or artist in school and only a very small few female activists or leaders. Role models matter – Sally Ride said, “We can’t be what we can’t see.” Empowered girls make the world better and role models empower girls. By introducing girls to women who changed the world, we hope to inspire a whole huge future generation of female change-makers.
How do you decide which women from history to feature in your subscription crates?
We try to look for women whose stories haven’t been told, by women who are underrepresented in history books, or who have excelled in fields that have traditionally been dominated been men. We also look for women who inspire the heck out of us and whose stories we can’t wait to share!
Who is your favorite female role model?
Patsy Mink is one of my very favorites – she was such a fearless trailblazing woman who just kept going after what she wanted, while always thinking of how to make the world more equitable for other women, too.
What’s your one piece of advice for other mission-driven entrepreneurs?
Don’t let fear hold you back and don’t be afraid to fail (failure is your best teacher). Georgia O’Keefe said, “I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life – and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.”
What about a piece of advice for young girls who may want to follow in your footsteps and own their own business someday?
Do it! Trust your instincts, ask for help, look for amazing female role models and mentors, don’t be afraid to fail (failure is a great, great teacher), and go after what you’re passionate about.
Now for a question I ask all of our clients. Name one thing you like about working with Orca Communications.
We’re grateful for the professionalism of all the women we’ve worked with at Orca. When we’ve gone to them with questions or ideas, we get thoughtful answers and can trust they’re highly knowledgeable about their field.
Are there any specific projects or designs you’re working on right now that you’d like to share?
We’re getting ready to launch our digital subscriptions so more girls can access our content and be inspired by fearless female role models.