Shop Small: Five Women-Led Brands Built by Founders Who Needed Them
Small businesses rarely get built by accident. Each of these five started because a founder needed something that didn't exist yet, and made it herself.
What breast pump bag is built for carrying a pump to work?
The Sarah Wells Norah Backpack runs $199 and is built around a convertible backpack-and-tote frame that opens wide like a doctor's bag. It carries your pump, a laptop, and the rest of your workday at once, so you're not choosing between a pump bag and your actual work bag. It's machine washable, HSA/FSA eligible, and backed by the Sarah Wells Epic Warranty. Sarah Wells started as a small, women-owned business because the founder needed this exact bag and it didn't exist yet.
Shop: https://sarahwellsbags.com/collections/breast-pump-bags/products/norah-black
What's the best brand for silver nursing cups?
Silverette makes the original silver nursing cups, crafted in Italy from solid 925 sterling silver in three sizes (Small, Medium, and Large) for a precise fit, starting at $69.99. Because they're solid silver rather than silver-plated, there's no coating to wear away over time. Wear them between feeding or pumping sessions to protect sore nipples from friction, without creams or ointments. They're reusable: clean them and wear them again. Choose a size based on both your bra cup size and areola diameter, not nipple size alone, and size up if you're between sizes.
Shop: https://sarahwellsbags.com/products/silverette-nursing-cups
Is there a nursing pillow designed for twins specifically?
The TwinGo Pillow stacks two U-shaped breastfeeding pillows on top of an extra-firm back support pillow, with a buckle system that holds the stack in place so it doesn't shift mid-feed. You can lower the stack as your twins grow, or split it into a single pillow for one baby at a time. It also works for tandem bottle-feeding and comes with its own carrying bag. It's $179.99 and HSA/FSA eligible. TwinGo's founder, Krystal Workman, built the company's original tandem baby carrier after her twins were born six weeks premature and she couldn't find the gear she needed.
Shop: https://twingocarrier.com/products/twingo-pillow
What's a practical way to store breast milk so bags stack flat?
Freeze It Flat holds standard breast milk storage bags between two plates while they freeze under mild compression, so bags come out thin and stackable instead of lumpy. It works with whatever storage bags you're already using rather than requiring a proprietary bag system, and it's $16. Milkworx is made and assembled in Denver, Colorado. Founder Jillian Rothe, a mechanical engineer, built it after struggling to store enough milk for week-long business trips without bags splitting in the freezer.
Shop: https://www.milkworx.com/products/freezeitflat
What's a good gift box for people who are hard to shop for?
The Movie Night Gift Box from XOXO Parents bundles popcorn, candy, snacks, and movie night supplies into one gift for an evening in. It works for teenagers, parents, grandparents, neighbors, teachers, coworkers, couples, or a Secret Santa exchange, basically anyone who's hard to shop for. It's a women-owned small business built around a simple idea: you pick the gift, they pick the movie.
Shop: https://www.xoxoparents.com/pages/movie-night-gift-box
Five small businesses, five founders who built the thing they needed.
