Putting Allah in the Center of our Kids’ Time
[American Muslim Mom] Please share with us the mission of Little Big Kids, when you started, and how did you come up with the idea.
[Little Big Kids] Little Big Kids designs and produces culturally inspired products for kids mainly centered around Arabic and Islamic themes. These products include toys, storybooks, games, educational products, room decor and more. Our goal is to incorporate a sense of identity in a fun and engaging way into common products that are an everyday part of a child’s life.
The idea for Little Big Kids was born 2007 after my wife and I realized that most Arabic and Islamic themed products for kids were quite dull in many respects as compared with their mainstream American counterparts. These products lacked a certain charm and appeal that we have come to expect as American Muslim parents and that our kids relate to. To provide them with a stronger sense of identity, we felt that the new generation of Muslim American kids needed unique products that would engage and captivate them in the same way they are when they interact with American products. This gap in the market bothered us as we searched for products to introduce our 2 year old son to the Arabic alphabet. We started Little Big Kids under the assumption that there had to be other Muslim American parent with similar frustrations. Based on the popular response to the launch of our first product, the Arabic Alphabet floor puzzle, it seems our hunch was correct.
[American Muslim Mom] Your products are incredibly unique. Please share how you were inspired to make them and why? Please tell us more about the Allah wall clocks for kids. Don’t you just love our title “Putting Allah in the Center of our Kids’ Time”? Do you find it significant as well? If so, how?
[Little Big Kids] I don’t think any parent would deny that their children inspire them to be better individuals; both as parents and as role models to be admired and looked up to. My story is no different and it really is the driving force behind the idea for Little Big Kids. The initial idea was both selfish and grand: create something that would have a positive impact on others so that I can gain what I considered to be the required qualifications to be a role model for my soon to be born son. And it is the spirit of this bigger idea that helps us to think about and create products that are more than just a business. The Allah wall clocks that we just launched are a prime example of this. They are a unique and beautiful daily reminder of God represented through a design that kids can relate to. We knew that if the design didn’t make that kind of connection with the kids then the impact would not be as great. It’s the reason why we remained focused throughout the difficult two years they took to develop and the many obstacles we had to overcome.
Your title, “Putting Allah in the Center of our Kids’ Time” communicates the design of the wall clocks very nicely. Everything we do as Muslims begins in the name of God. Thus putting Allah in the center of every single hour in a day is a fitting representation of how we are to live our lives. And I think the Allah design of the wall clock sends a subtle yet powerful message to our kids who have it hanging in their room.
[American Muslim Mom] Do you manufacture the products yourself? In America? Overseas?
[Little Big Kids] All our products are designed in the United States and we currently partner with factories in the US and China for the manufacturing. Our process for a new product starts with an idea. Then we try to find the most suitable factory to work with regardless of where they are located.
[American Muslim Mom] Do you exciting new products in the works that you want to share with us?
[Little Big Kids] Being that my wife and I are very involved with our kids daily activities, we come up with ideas much faster than we can execute them. We take what we think are the coolest and most interesting of the ideas and that is what we try to bring to life. Oftentimes this requires a lot of research and development which is not always the fastest approach to releasing a slew of products at one time. This is especially true for a young company like Little Big Kids. But then again we have never really been about the quantity of products we have as much as we are about the impact each new product will have on the lives of young kids and their parents. That said, among the ideas we’re currently developing is an amazing story book that tries to answer the very basic of questions: Where is Allah? We’re super excited about this book as it involves very engaging characters and has been written in simple enough terms so that even a 3 year old will follow along.
[American Muslim Mom] Who is your ideal client. Age. Gender. Location (US, particular countries).
[Little Big Kids] Whether it’s your own child, a nephew, a niece, a grandchild, or your friends son or daughter, we like to think that everyone has a child in their life. So we get many aunts and uncles and grandparents also buying for their little ones. Our customers are also not isolated to any one particular ethnic or religious group. That said however, being that we currently sell primarily in the US market, our core customer is an involved American Muslim parent between the ages of 24 and 39 who understands the value behind our brand.
[American Muslim Mom] Where do you sell your products? (Only online? Any stores? Do you hope to be in stores? Online retailers?)
[Little Big Kids] Various online retailers carry our products mainly in the US and Canada and with some presence abroad in places like Singapore. However, more recently our focus has been to reach our fans directly thorough our website at www.littleBIGkids.com. We feel this is the best way to communicate the Little Big Kids story with our customers.
[American Muslim Mom] Do you have any Ramadan specials you want to share?
[Little Big Kids] We expect to be offering an awesome free gift with purchase. So look out for the promotion on our website and facebook page.
[American Muslim Mom] How old are your kids and genders? Are they involved in the development, inspiration, production or marketing of any of these products? If so, how. (Our audience loves kidpreneur stories. Work at home parents teaching business etiquette, skills, tips, etc. as a family business)
[Little Big Kids] We have three kids. Daamin (boy – 7yr), Ali (boy – 5yr) and Yasmeen (girl – 2yr). Although my kids were quite young in the early days of Little Big Kids, they have become much more influential lately as they age. The boys were especially instrumental in approving the design of the rocket ship wall clock. So in essence all the items we launch are kid tested and approved! I also try to take my family to the various events and bazaars we attend to market our products. And when I do, you will often see my the young entrepreneurs in training handing out business cards and flyers and more often than not, climbing on my back as I talk to a customer 
.
[American Muslim Mom] What are Little Big Kids short and long-term goals?
[Little Big Kids] We are currently focused on simply adding to our line of products with the hopes of one day being on the shelves in retails stores across the Middle East and parts of South East Asia.
Brother Omar would love to field any questions you may have regarding any of the various topics we discussed in this fascinating interview. Please share your kind thoughts below!
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Category: Family
