Mommy and Me: The Listers, Crystal Lister
Through SCORE's support, Crystal has achieved many milestones in her entrepreneurship journey, including earning first place and a $20,000 prize in SCORE's 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition held in Houston. With the help of SCORE, Crystal was also able to refine her business strategy and make key decisions that led to significant growth. As a result, she achieved increased revenue, expanded her customer base and scaled to reach even more families and communities in and around the Greater Houston Area.
Mommy and Me: The Listers | The STEMagicians is a business focused on providing accessible STEM education to underserved communities by uncovering the magic of science and sparking a love for learning. Offering expo-style STEM carnivals and Maverick workshops, where kids and families can explore unique science experiences, cutting-edge technology, engineering design challenges and math principles with the help of industry professionals.
What sets Mommy and Me apart is its student-led approach with Crystal's own young children, Krissy and Kinsley, showcasing complex STEM experiments. Her business aims to inspire kids at a young age through early exposure to STEM while bridging the academic gap.
Crystal was inspired to start Mommy and Me: The Listers after witnessing the challenge of parents becoming their children's teachers during the pandemic. As an educator, Crystal saw that she could help by providing resources for both asynchronous and synchronous learning. Crystal's desire to bridge the educational gap and give kids access to STEM education led her to create hands-on learning experiences that inspires the next generation of innovators.
Mommy and Me: The Listers is a unique business combining early childhood education with hands-on STEM experiences in an edutainment fashion that creates a spark and a love for learning. What makes Mommy and Me: The Listers special is its emphasis on serving underserved communities through a student-led, student-centered approach, with Crystal's children showcasing real STEM experiments. It is truly a family-centered organization, with her husband leading the charge behind the scenes.
The company offers interactive STEM carnivals and workshops that bring kids face-to-face with professionals in aerospace, engineering and technology. Crystal's business gives children the tools and confidence to explore STEM fields and career pathways and see themselves in these roles, making it socially-impactful.
Crystal sought help from SCORE when she realized she had more passion than knowledge about starting a business. As a first-generation entrepreneur, she didn't have the resources or understanding of business fundamentals. After joining a pitch competition, she learned about the importance of mentorship, and reached out to the Small Business Administration.
This led her to SCORE, where she found the guidance she needed to turn her passion into a successful business and learned how to scale to reach even more scholars and families in her community and beyond.
Crystal received invaluable support from SCORE mentors in various areas, including business planning and marketing strategy. With their guidance, she refined her financials and set clearer business objectives. She also found the resources and templates helpful for organizing her operations. "SCORE helped me take my business to the next level," Crystal shared.
Crystal's mentors at SCORE were instrumental in guiding her through each stage of her business growth. She worked with a variety of mentors who offered support on business structure, strategic planning and finances, and their expertise and consistent support have been key in her success.
"SCORE has been there from day one, and they continue to be an incredible resource as I grow," Crystal shared.
Crystal encourages other business owners to utilize SCORE's services for growth, emphasizing the value of both training and mentoring. Crystal highlights how SCORE's mentorship has allowed her to gain clarity and make informed decisions. "SCORE helped me figure out how to streamline my business and improve my revenue," Crystal shares, and she advises others to approach SCORE with an open mind and a willingness to learn.
Crystal's advice to anyone considering working with SCORE is to embrace the support and guidance offered by their experienced mentors and to be intentional about implementing the advice given. She emphasized that SCORE mentors are not only knowledgeable, but also committed to helping business-owners overcome challenges and achieve business success.
"If you're looking to take your business to the next level, SCORE will help you get there with the right tools, resources and strategies to move forward confidently," Crystal shared.
I can help with developing Business Plans includiing Marketing, Operations and Financial aspects. My...
