Note: I believe in supporting young women entrepreneurs — that’s why I’m sharing the inspiring story of twin sisters, Madeline and Gabrielle Pollock, and their childhood best friend Kate Lally, the creators of kit & sis.
Does your granddaughter have an American Girl doll? If she does, then you know what an obsession these dolls can become — making up scenarios with the dolls, collecting clothes, and buying accessories for every possible career or activity you can imagine. I know all about it. My two older granddaughters played with their AG dolls for years. Whenever they visited, we made a trip to the local AG store. I’m a fan of the dolls because they foster healthy values and inspire creativity. I’ve seen it firsthand with my granddaughters — playing with the dolls, reading the AG books, and watching AG videos sparked their creativity and curiosity.
Twin sisters Madeline and Gabrielle Pollock and their childhood best friend Kate Lally not only understood this obsession, they also tapped into it by starting a business catering to little girls’ love for their AG dolls. kit & sis — formerly AG Sisters — was the brainchild of these three girls when they were in high school. Now they’re in college and the twins have joined an elite group — the Cal Poly Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program.
In 2014, they launched a local summer camp to encourage young girls in the Los Gatos, CA community to develop problem-solving skills and self-confidence. They soon branched out into hosting birthday parties, summer camps, and holiday-themed parties.
When COVID-19 hit, they pivoted to Zoom and sent campers boxes with all the materials they needed to complete different craft projects. There’s a coupon at the end of my post to use on their new craft kits.
Since joining the accelerator program, they’ve expanded and rebranded their business. With help from their mentors, they changed their name to kit&sis which plays on the girls’ nicknames for each other — no doubt inspired by AG dolls’ names. After they graduate, they hope to turn their business into full-time careers. Judging from their success so far, they’re well on their way.
They’ve gotten feedback from their customers to learn what’s working and what could be different. The program gives them access to office space, professors, lawyers and mentors to help them navigate in the business world. They also earned a $10,000 grant to use for their business.
The sisters got their start from their mom who encouraged their love of crafting accessories — doll-size food, bedding and clothes. When they babysat, parents were intrigued by their well-constructed crafts and asked for tips on how to re-create them. From those requests grew the inspiration for their business.
Events and Craft Kits
They still hold online events for small groups of girls to maintain the intimacy and hands-on feel. They’ve also launched Subscription Craft Kits delivered in a quarterly model. Their craft kits come with video tutorials to help girls who aren’t reading yet. Here’s their delivery schedule:
- October: Halloween Crafts
- February: Valentines Crafts
- April: Spring Crafts
- July: Back 2 School/ Summer Time Crafts
Click on this link to order your subscription boxes and get your GaGa Sisterhood $5 discount with this code: GAGA5
