You know the feeling. You’re sitting at your desk, pretending to focus on spreadsheets, but your mind is elsewhere—on the baby who woke up four times last night, on the daycare bill that just arrived, on the nagging question: Is there another way?
The dream of quitting the 9-to-5 to spend more time with your kids while still earning income feels almost too good to be true. But here’s the thing: it’s happening. Real parents, with real mortgages and real diaper bills, are making the leap every day.
This article features parents who started side hustles while raising children and eventually transitioned to full-time entrepreneurship. Their stories aren’t about overnight success or lottery-win luck. They’re about gradual growth, strategic thinking, and the willingness to start small while keeping their day jobs—until they didn’t need them anymore.
From eBay Executive to $1 Billion Kids’ Activity Empire
The Parent: Sandra Oh Lin, 50, Los Altos, California
Former Role: eBay executive who launched PayPal Mobile
Side Hustle Origin: Creating hands-on projects for her own kids
Current Success: KiwiCo has generated over $1 billion in lifetime revenue
The Origin Story
When Sandra Oh Lin’s children were young, she found herself searching for ways to help them exercise their creativity and problem-solving skills. As an engineer by training, she believed deeply in the power of hands-on activities to build what she calls “creative confidence” .
“I drew on my own childhood—I have such fond memories of making and building things with my mom while I was growing up,” she shared in a 2025 interview with Entrepreneur .
What started as a personal mission to engage her kids soon expanded. Sandra began sharing her projects with friends and family during playdates. The response was immediate and enthusiastic—both parents and kids loved the activities .
The Juggling Phase
At the time, Sandra had recently stepped away from seven years at eBay Inc., where she had launched PayPal Mobile and led the eBay fashion business. She was working on a new fashion-related startup idea before pivoting to what would become KiwiCo in 2011 .
She leveraged her network to begin conversations with investors, eventually raising more than $10 million in venture funding. This capital allowed the company to become profitable and cash flow positive—and to fund its own growth .
The Breakthrough
The first shipment was a humbling experience. “I’ll never forget our very first alpha shipment,” Sandra recalls. “We had just 19 crates to send out, and it took a team of five of us the entire day to get them boxed and shipped. By the end, we were exhausted and looking at each other like, There has to be a better way” .
That moment became a wake-up call. The team developed better systems and processes for fulfillment, and KiwiCo grew steadily from there. With a subscription-based model, consistent monthly revenue came from the beginning .
Today’s Success
KiwiCo has now shipped more than 50 million crates to families in over 40 countries and created more than 1,500 hands-on products and activities. The company has generated over $1 billion in lifetime revenue and recently launched in Target and Barnes & Noble .
But for Sandra, the numbers represent something deeper: “millions of moments of creativity and discovery for kids and families” .
Perhaps most meaningful: her own children remain involved. “They were the original source of inspiration for the company, and they continue to be critical testers of our products,” she says .
Key Takeaway
Sandra’s journey shows the power of starting with what you know—in her case, a background in product design and ecommerce—and surrounding yourself with experts in areas where you lack experience. She deliberately sought guidance from people like Mike Smith, former COO of Walmart, to navigate fulfillment, supply chain, and operations .
From Banking to Musical Books: The Mom Who Built a $5 Million Publishing House
The Parent: Carinne “Cali” Meyrignac, 45, Los Angeles
Former Role: Banking and risk management professional
Side Hustle Origin: A problem she discovered during maternity leave in France
Current Success: Cali’s Books projected to reach $5 million in revenue in 2025
The Origin Story
Carinne Meyrignac began her career in finance in Singapore, worked in Paris, then moved to New York for banking. After her husband relocated to Los Angeles, she joined him and eventually landed in risk management at Mitsubishi .
The inspiration for Cali’s Books struck in 2016, shortly after her daughter was born. “I wanted her to love reading,” Carinne explains, “but like most babies just a few months old, it was hard for her to focus” .
During maternity leave in France, she discovered musical books—interactive children’s books with built-in sound—that magically captured her baby’s attention and made reading feel fun. But when she returned to Los Angeles, she couldn’t find anything similar. The only options were bulky plastic books with buttons on the side, lacking the charm of what she’d experienced in France .
That gap became her opportunity.
The Juggling Phase
Carinne traveled to China to meet manufacturers and placed her first order: 6,000 books, representing a $30,000 investment. She kept operations “scrappy,” working with freelancers she found on Fiverr and asking friends and family to help whenever possible .
All while maintaining her day job in risk management.
“I was surprised by how emotional children’s books are for families,” she reflects. “Parents often tell me how our books became part of bedtime routines or how a musical book was the first thing that kept their baby engaged” .
That realization created a responsibility. In the beginning, Carinne took every customer service call herself. “It was fascinating to hear directly from families,” she says. “Their feedback shaped the business, and it’s why the first person I ever hired was for customer service—because earning and keeping that trust was my priority” .
The Learning Moments
Not everything went smoothly. When printing one of their Jewish books, the Hebrew text came out mirrored. Because their quality control agents didn’t speak Hebrew, the mistake passed inspection and made it into production .
“As soon as we realized the mistake, we decided to recall and destroy all of the books,” Carinne says. “It was difficult, but it was the right thing to do to protect the trust of our customers” .
The company implemented new systems, including quality control agents who could review content in multiple languages. “It was a tough lesson, but it made our processes stronger and our commitment to families even clearer” .
The Breakthrough
It took about three years to see consistent monthly revenue. “At first, every sale felt like a small victory, and growth was unpredictable,” Carinne recalls .
The real shift happened when she pivoted to direct-to-consumer sales. Initially, she had invested heavily in selling through physical stores. “It was exciting to see the books on shelves, but the margins were low, the payment terms were difficult, and most importantly, I missed being able to talk directly with parents and grandparents” .
Selling online unlocked everything: “We could share our story, listen to feedback, and support families in making reading fun and engaging” .
In 2020, Cali’s Books crossed $1 million in revenue. By 2024, it reached $5 million, with strong double-digit growth continuing .
Today’s Success
Cali’s Books has sold around 700,000 copies in the U.S. alone, with more than 50 titles available worldwide. The company remains family-run, and Carinne now has the flexibility to spend summers in Europe with her children—even if it means working unusual hours due to time differences .
“The mission began with my own children: I wanted them to love reading, then to love learning and discovering new cultures,” she says. “Now we get to share that with so many other families” .
Key Takeaway
Carinne’s advice to aspiring parent entrepreneurs: “Read, listen to podcasts and keep learning.” She credits books like The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz and Build by Tony Fadell, plus podcasts like How I Built This with Guy Raz, for shaping how she thinks about challenges and creativity .
Common Threads: What We Can Learn
The Spark: Solving a Personal Problem
Both Sandra and Carinne started not with a business plan, but with a personal need. Sandra wanted engaging activities for her kids. Carinne couldn’t find the musical books she’d discovered in France. They solved problems they themselves experienced—a powerful foundation for any business.
The Grind: Keeping the Day Job
Neither woman quit her job immediately. Carinne continued in risk management while building Cali’s Books for years. Sandra had the flexibility of having recently left eBay but still treated KiwiCo as a venture to build systematically. The “juggling phase” is real—and necessary.
The Leap: Knowing When to Go All-In
For Carinne, the pivot to direct-to-consumer sales marked the turning point. For Sandra, securing venture funding allowed her to scale. Both women waited until their businesses had clear momentum before fully committing.
The Reward: Time With Family
Both women emphasize that the ultimate goal was never just money. Sandra treasures that her kids are involved in product testing. Carinne loves that she can spend summers in Europe with her family. Flexibility and presence—that’s what makes the struggle worthwhile.
Success Stories at a Glance
| Parent & Location | Former Job | Side Hustle & Niche | Current Success | The Biggest Win |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandra Oh Lin, Los Altos, CA | eBay Executive | KiwiCo (kids’ activity kits) | $1 billion+ lifetime revenue | Kids are involved in product testing |
| Carinne Meyrignac, Los Angeles, CA | Banking / Risk Management | Cali’s Books (musical children’s books) | $5 million projected revenue (2025) | Summers in Europe with family |
What These Parents Would Tell You
Sandra’s advice: “Finding a community of founders can be so helpful. Sharing the challenges and the opportunities that come from building a business with others who are in the same boat can be so valuable. You can gather everything from tangible, actionable advice to empathetic ears that have been there and done that” .
Carinne’s advice: “Read, listen to podcasts and keep learning. They remind me there’s always something new to learn from other entrepreneurs’ journeys” .
Your First Step
You don’t need a million-dollar idea or venture capital funding to start. You need a problem you’ve experienced, a willingness to start small, and the patience to keep your day job while you figure it out.
Sandra started with playdate activities for friends. Carinne started with one book order and a lot of scrappy freelancing. Both kept working while they built.
Your side hustle might not become a billion-dollar company. But it could become something that gives you more time with your kids, more flexibility, and more control over your family’s future.
And that’s worth starting today.
Sources: Entrepreneur magazine profiles of Sandra Oh Lin (September 2025) and Carinne Meyrignac (October 2025) .
