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HELLO LALO

Motivated by the belief that parents deserve better, former colleagues and new dads MICHAEL WIEDER and GREG DAVIDSON put their heads together to create generational baby gear brand Lalo that is making quite a name for themselves with both their A+ products and service.

7M I N I 2 s u m m e r ‘21

MINI | We are such fans of Lalo! Can you tell us how the brand came to be?

WIEDER AND DAVIDSON | Of course! We used to work together and were catching up over dinner almost three years ago when Greg (dad to Jace, 15 months) mentioned to Michael (dad to Jemma, 17 months) how much trouble his friends were having navigating what to buy for their new baby and how there has to be a way to solve it. Immediately, we got working surveying parents about their experiences and what brands they loved. What stood out quickly was that there were some products parents really liked, but no brands that really stood out. From there we knew there was a huge opportunity to create a generational brand in this space.

MINI | What makes Lalo stand out in the massive sea of baby gear brands?

WIEDER AND DAVIDSON | First and foremost is our service. We came up with the idea for Lalo because we believed parents deserved better. They deserved a brand that created a genuine connection and listened to their customers. Our team members go out of their way to make every customer feel special. Whether it’s making a house call to help someone learn the best way to use a product or sending a little something extra to brighten their day. One crazy story to show this was, someone received a Play Table that got damaged in shipping just 45 mins from NYC. So Michael went to hand-deliver them a new table. On his way, he unfortunately got in a car accident that totaled his car (he was OK!). He left his car, got in an Uber, and made sure to get the table to the customer. These moments are really memorable and help us stick out amongst the bunch.

MINI | How do you two work together and what makes you a great team?

WIEDER AND DAVIDSON | We are extremely collaborative and we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. From Day One, we wrote down what each of us is responsible for at Lalo which has helped us execute at a powerful level. We also realize that building a business is never easy and that there is a common misconception that co-founders need to be best friends. Best friends however are more susceptible to break ups. To us, we are family and we treat each other with that same level of respect.

MINI | Lalo’s products are as beautiful as they are practical— How do you ensure these two elements stay in sync when developing new products?

WIEDER AND DAVIDSON | As new dads, we have a very practical viewpoint on what parents are looking for. We know safety comes first, but that doesn’t mean parents want to jeopardize their aesthetic sensibility. We have a customer advisory council where our customers apply to be a part of an intimate group that does product testing and gives us feedback all along the way. We also have an expert advisory council made up of pediatricians, educa-

LALO MUST HAVES

THE CHAIR $215; meetlalo.com

FIRST BITES STARTER KIT $28; meetlalo.com

HUMIDIFIER SET $150; meetlalo.com

THE PLAY KIT $250; meetlalo.com tors, dieticians, and other pediatric specialists that validate our product designs to make sure they truly are best in class.

MINI | What has been the greatest lesson you’ve learned in business thus far?

WIEDER AND DAVIDSON | The greatest lesson is to listen intently to your customers. When we started Lalo neither of us were parents, so we were forced to be incredibly objective and listen to parents to make some of our most critical decisions. Now having our own little ones, we have to continue to listen and not just rely on our own experiences.

MINI | What advice would you give to other parents looking to start their own brand?

WIEDER AND DAVIDSON | Only do it if you can have fun. If you are thinking about starting a brand specifically in the juvenile industry and have kids, you need to be able to step back and watch your child use the product and just smile. Whether it’s feeding our kids in the high chair or now starting to do play dough with them at the Play Table, it’s amazing to step back and think, “Wow, we made that for them.”

MINI | How has Lalo evolved and where do you hope to see it go?

WIEDER AND DAVIDSON | We’re really focused on elevating family homes. We don’t think parents need to lose their own identity when they have a child. We want to make sure every room looks great and serves both the baby’s and parent’s needs.

You’ll love being asked, You’ll love being asked, “How’s You’ll love being asked, “How’s the baby “How’s the baby sleeping?” the baby sleeping?” sleeping?”