05-05-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Bedtime to business time: The Bay Area couple who built Jade & Kai while their children slept
Janaiah McClure and her husband, Maurice, always knew they wanted to start a business. Both came from families filled with entrepreneurs, and they loved the idea of building something of their own.
But it wasn't until the birth of their second child, son Mala'kai, in January 2022 that their ideas began to take shape.
Like his older sister, Jade, Mala'kai struggled with eczema, a common yet challenging inflammatory skin condition affecting 10% to 20% of children worldwide, according to the National Eczema Association. For the McClure children, certain fabrics worsened their already irritated skin, sending their parents on an exhaustive hunt for new options. That search sparked what is now Jade & Kai Co., a Bay Area clothing brand offering essential children's items made of soft, breathable fabrics.
'It's definitely in our blood,' Janaiah said. 'We've always wanted to have something of our own that we could teach our kids about and have them be proud of.'
Starting small, dreaming big
The McClures launched partway through 2023 with just five products, all hooded towels. They added items carefully and now have more than 50 items, including crib sheets, sleep sacks and pajamas in various prints.
Early on, the McClures searched extensively for the right manufacturing partner, a company willing to produce small batches and work closely with them as they refined each item.
'It took a while to find the right manufacturer,' Janaiah said. 'I wanted someone I could develop an actual relationship with and be able to reach at any time. We finally found a manufacturer that we really enjoy, and I talked to my contact there every single day in the beginning.'
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With products ready to go, the McClures turned to Amazon for sales and fulfillment. They learned that more than 60% of sales in the Amazon store come from independent sellers like their business. Amazon also offers a wide range of tools to help them set up and manage their online storefront.
'Amazon obviously is the biggest marketplace online, and their Fulfillment by Amazon program was really attractive to us,' Janaiah said. 'We wouldn't have to hold inventory, and we wouldn't have to handle fulfillment on our own, but we could still reach our target audience.'
The business strategy worked. In 2023, Jade & Kai generated nearly $50,000 in sales. In 2024, they more than tripled that figure, topping $150,000.
Brand recognition has grown as well. Jade & Kai sees a great response from its Instagram presence, and Oprah's Favorite Things list featured the company's hooded towel for the 2024 holiday season.
At the same time, Janaiah and Maurice are still able to manage the business while juggling full-time careers and raising their family. Janaiah works in fintech, and Maurice is in shipping and logistics. Both handle the day-to-day operations of Jade & Kai Co. during evenings and weekends, squeezing in work after the kids are in bed and social media marketing on Sundays after church.
'The Amazon platform end-to-end has been really helpful for us,' Janaiah said. "We've been able to scale as a small business even though, as a small family, we don't have time to do a lot of the traditional things that come with running an e-commerce brand."
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What's next
The McClures have big plans for Jade & Kai. They are working on new product launches, including adding adult towels to their collection so parents can match their children at the beach and pool. Adult-size towels are a frequent customer request, and Janaiah said listening to customers is a top priority.
'While we created this business with our kids at the forefront and as the source of inspiration for these products, we've found tremendous value in feedback from other families as well,' she said. 'That's been really important in how we've adapted our products and improved each inventory run.'
For now, the McClures are continuing to bootstrap the business as it grows, and they look forward to getting the children more involved. They look at it as building a legacy.
Already, Jade, Mala'kai and their youngest brother, Kenzo, feature prominently in the company's marketing materials, and Jade and Mala'kai sometimes help put stickers on packaging.
Jade, now almost 5, is even learning about sales commissions. When they visit the pool, she will ask people if they would like to buy a Jade & Kai towel. 'She's really into putting things in her piggy bank now,' her mom said with a laugh. 'She knows there's an incentive there.'
To other aspiring entrepreneurs, Janaiah recommends taking your time and starting small.
'Get feedback early and make incremental progress,' she said. 'You don't have to do everything at once. Just keep moving in the right direction.'
