Kelsey Chen
2023
This week’s Featured BossMama is: Kelsey Chen, Founder and CEO, of Dumplings and Us.
Learning more about Kelsey…
Throughout her life, she has always been the one to be "extra" when giving gifts or planning parties. When gift shopping for friends or family she tries to buy gifts that are intentional, meaningful, and memorable. Therefore, she can never just buy a "one item" gift. Her gifts are usually a "bundle" of small gifts for ultimate excitement and fun. She loves seeing the reaction from her friends and family when they open their presents.
Dumplings and Us is a place where you can find memorable gifts for any occasion, and that is starting with the basics, greeting cards, and note cards. Greeting cards for all occasions and seasons in life. The ability to pick a uniquely designed card from a small shop like Dumplings and Us to write an intentional note and pair it with the perfect gift for your friends and family members. Many of the products are food-designed, and that's because Kelsey loves food! Food is the core of relationships - sweet, salty, and everything else. Food brings people together for a variety of different reasons and seasons! There is always a reason to party, always a reason to celebrate, and always an opportunity to give an intentional handwritten card or note to the recipient. Make giving gifts memorable, make them exciting, and pair them with anything and everything that brings excitement and fun.
One of the challenges that Kelsey faces is getting visibility for her Etsy shop. With the saturated market of handmade and Etsy products, it can be difficult to stand out and attract customers. However, Kelsey remains determined and proactive in finding ways to promote her business in a variety of unique ways. She leverages multiple opportunities to give out her business card or talk about Dumplings and Us.
Launching Dumplings and Us
The inspiration for Dumplings and Us came from Kelsey's twin boys. Being a mom of multiple, Kelsey found joy in designing and creating products for her kids, and she wanted to share those products with others. Her love for making products and designing things with attention to detail and thoughtfulness is evident in her unique offerings.
For Kelsey, success is being able to design and make products with joy. She envisions herself as a customer and strives to create products that are worth the effort of seeking out handmade or Etsy products. She believes in constantly experimenting with selling different products to understand what consumers like and do not like, and using that feedback to inform her product offerings.
One of the business strategies that Kelsey finds helpful in her journey is setting reasonable expectations for handling time. As a busy mom, she puts her family first and works on her business after her kids go to bed. She also makes products on demand, limiting the quantity available in her shop and fulfilling orders as they come in. This approach allows her to balance the business needs with her responsibilities as a parent.
Learn more about them at Dumplings and Us or you can find them on Facebook and Instagram.
Kelsey’s goal for the next 3-6 months
Gain more visibility and increase sales for Dumplings and Us. Kelsey plans to continue experimenting with new products and find ways to promote her business to attract more customers.
Advice to fellow BossMamas
