Local Flair

Local Flair Issue 33: MK and M

Local Flair is back! Today I would like to introduce to you Mira Khleif, founder of MK and M. MK and M shares some 21st Century parenting techniques, tools and products to enhance your relationship as a parent with your child. Carry on reading to know more about the business and how it came about.

Tell me about yourself.
I am Mira Khleif, an architect by profession and a mom to 2 boys; Ramzi 6 years old and Eddie 4 years old. I left the corporate world to concentrate on raising resilient and emotionally intelligent boys, little did I know I’d be running my own business a few years later.

Tell me about MKandM.
After having my first born, I felt parenting didn’t come as natural nor as easy as expected, so I started educating myself on modern day parenting techniques and learning about raising emotionally intelligent children. I was implementing what I learnt with my kids at home, teaching them certain life skills; I found myself drawing flashcards to explain a routine to my kids or the different feelings that we may feel everyday. As I shared the drawings on my social media, I started receiving many messages with parents asking “where did u buy this from” and that was the point I realised there was a need in the market and began sharing these with other parents to help with their parenting journey as my core purpose. Printing and selling was the way forward. Then MkandM was born.

What age range are your products aimed towards?
Our products range from 1 year old to around 10 years

How did you go about choosing the name ” MKandM ” and the logo?
MkandM stands for my kids and me, which also happen to be my Initials Mira Khleif and Muna (married name).

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

The most rewarding part is seeing that what I had started as an activity between me and my kids, has generated market appetite and is now helping others in their parenting journey and in schools. It’s the ripple effect that these products had on not just a few families but a whole community.

What’s been the most frustrating aspect of the business and how have you overcome it?
The most frustrating I’d say is working alone. Being a start up, you get to learn about carrying a project through from conception to delivery. I am a creative person as well as a people person; I work best during the design process and brainstorming ideas with others, however having to self-motivate myself to do the more administrative tasks has proven most challenging.

What’s the most unique trait about MKandM products?
MkandM comes from experience and from a need. All products are genuine and tested at home. There’s a message behind each product that contribute to making the parenting journey as joyful, as impactful and as playful as possible.

What product is the current best seller?
Our Feelings cards have been best sellers. Again it’s the need that we all strive to reach at the moment, being more in touch with our emotions to deal with any stressful situation that comes our way.

I see that some flashcards are bilingual, what was the thought process behind that?

Emotional intelligence and mental health is especially neglected in our culture. As an Arab woman, I felt it was my duty and responsibility to change that mindset and help create change for the generations to come.

Why is it so important to have routine in a young child’s life? How do these flashcards help with that?
Routine is an Anchor to every home. It provides structure and predictability for our kids to know what is expected to happen during the day. Kids feel confident and excited to finish those small tasks on the flashcards like; wake up, have breakfast, Brush teeth, put on clothes… it gives them a sense of accomplishment and these mini successes during the day can add to their confidence and bring out their best behaviours.

Tell me about a day in your life, as the owner of MKandM ?

As the owner of MKandM, I everyday think of new ideas, and sketch some designs, I check my email for orders, I package and fulfil deliveries. I also follow up on inventory in stores that have our products listed there. I sometimes visit the workshop to check on production and I get on in front of the camera to shoot some explanatory videos regarding our products to make sure we are marketing the brand well. As soon the kids are back from school business takes a pause and its all about them.

What’s your advice to other mums planning to start a business in the UAE?
Juggling a business and being a full time mom is definitely challenging. My advice would be make sure you love it and believe in it and all else will fall into place.

Where would you like to see MKandM in 5 years time?

I see MkandM being in many homes and communities around the world helping parents and children be the best versions of themselves. All future projects, ideas and products will be posted on our website and social media pages. Stay tuned….

MummyOnMyMind’s Experience with MKandM products…

I was kindly gifted a set of the MKandM flash cards including the Routine Cards, Calm Down Cards, Family Contributions Cards and Feelings Cards. As a firm believer of routine, these cards are great to give a visual understanding of how the day is planned out for the kids. I also love how these cards enable deep conversations with my children, whether it begins by asking about their day at school or how Little Z felt after an argument with his older brother about the new toy. My boys were able to point to the cards that show how they felt best and we were able to expand dialogue. I think these cards are a great parenting tool that can come in handy during difficult times of conversation and can be implemented in so many different ways. I would highly recommend these cards if you have a child that struggles with routine or isn’t forthcoming about how they are feeling as a great way for them to open up.

Thank you so much Mira for giving us an insight into your inspiring business and sharing tools so to make parenting a little easier. For more information and to have a closer look at the range of products, head to their website www.mkandm.com, or follow them for updates on MKandM’s Instagram , Mira’s Instagram and Facebook.