Rosemary Leader, Founder of Connect The Kind, has set out to change the way we gift

Describe your business in a few words:

My name is Rosemary Leader, and I started Connect The Kind in December 2020. At Connect The Kind, we have set out to change the way people gift. Our mission has been to create a more meaningful, impactful way to celebrate the good people in your lives. We have created a line of gift boxes that include a small, tangible, inspiring gift as well as an announcement card sharing a donation has been made to a nonprofit in the recipient’s honor. We also sell apparel with positive reminders on the sleeve, promote nonprofits we believe in, and share the amazing work being done to lift others up.

What was your background prior to starting your own business?

Marketing, philanthropy, mom-ing two kids, and extensive knowledge of Grey’s Anatomy

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

I have absolutely always had an entrepreneurial spirit. When I was a little girl, and my friends were playing with barbies, I was creating businesses. One of my “best” ideas was a brilliant concept of taking rocks from my neighbors yards, washing them, and then setting up stands to sell these new clean and beautiful rocks to the very neighbors I took them from.

Take us back to when you first launched your business, what was your marketing strategy to get the word out, and did it go as planned?

My marketing strategy was just to immediately launch my website and start pushing out content to my network and asking friends to share. I was working quickly to get orders out for Christmas. I think I opened the bank account December 1st! A very grass roots approach. It went as planned.

What is the accomplishment you are the most proud of to date?

Definitely the amount of money that has been donated to some incredible nonprofits. Every gift box built includes a small gift plus an announcement that a donation has been made in the recipient’s honor. The donor chooses which nonprofit to select and how much money to donate. 100% of that donation goes to the nonprofit of his or her choice. We’ve been able to facilitate donations of about $5,000 to our nonprofit partners, plus spread the word about their missions to our audience and introduce the givers in the world to organizations that resonate with their personal values.

Do you believe in work/life balance? What are some of your best tips?

Ha! I’m not sure yet. In my current situation…no. I have a 4 year old, a 2 year old, am 8.5 months pregnant, and have been healing from some serious injuries from a car accident we were in a few months back. Right now, I just do what I can, when I can, try to stay sane and keep somewhat inspired! Maybe down the road, I will be able to find some balance (if that’s even the right word for it!). For now, my tip is just to accept help when you have it!

What have you achieved recently that you’d like to celebrate with our community?

Signed a new nonprofit partner that I am really excited about!

What’s next for your business? What can we expect to see over the next few years?

Our ultimate goal is to connect the givers of the world with amazing nonprofits that resonate with their personal values. We’re excited to add more nonprofit partners, and hope to eventually be a sort of database for vetted nonprofits that you can search through to find perfect matches for your loved ones. We’re also working on new apparel, merchandise, and a new website!

What excites you about being an Entreprenista League member?

I’m so excited to learn from the mentors and other league members, exchange ideas, get my creative juices flowing, gain confidence to share my vision and content, and help other women in business any way I can!

Learn more about the Entreprenista League and join today!