Find a community of people to support you- people that you can laugh and cry with- and that will become champions for you- no matter what.
Misty Castañeda is a Mom, a Passionate “Do-Gooder” and Founder & Cultivator of Purpose at For Purpose Kids.
As a Mom, she wanted her son to grow up in a kind & compassionate world, so she initially created For Purpose Kids to teach him and other kids how to connect to the world and their communities by giving back and doing good for others, animals & the planet. Now, she’s expanding the vision to creating a community “Where Conversations That Matter, Begin” by delivering products & experiences to help start kid-friendly conversations that matter and inspire the next generation of global citizens.
Misty has always had a passion for working with kids, volunteering and traveling the world. She grew up in Vermont and attended James Madison University, where she graduated with a BA in Interdisciplinary Social Science and a Teaching Certificate in Early Childhood Education. After teaching primary school in the UK after college, Misty returned to the US, knowing that a life abroad would one day be a part of her future. After a successful career in Hospitality Sales & Marketing for over 13 years, Misty left the corporate world in 2013 to both pursue the development of a company focused on doing good in the world and to live abroad in Hong Kong with her now husband and stepson.
With a background in early childhood education, she not only understands the benefits of planting seeds of kindness and compassion at a young age but believes that being a power of example for our kids is one of the greatest gifts we can give to them.
As a passionate global citizen that has traveled, lived and volunteered around the world, she also knows the amazing things that can happen when we learn about others & situations around the world. As we listen to and talk about each other’s stories, we come to understand that we are all much more connected and alike than we are different, regardless of borders, cultures, colors and religions.
Where did the idea for For Purpose Kids come from?
It all started with a video on Facebook of a six-year-old boy named Dane, who was using his artistic skills to “do good” for others in his community. As a passionate “do-gooder” myself, I started imagining how different the world might look if we, as parents, consciously decided to raise our kids to be more like Dane. Although I found some resources online that focused on teaching kids about kindness and helping others, most were geared towards young adults and teens, and largely left out young children.
As a Mom who’s had the opportunity to live abroad and volunteer internationally, raising a kind and compassionate child that thinks of others before himself is one of my most important goals. And at a time when many of us are sinking further and further into technology, we see kids following our example and becoming more detached from the immediate world around them.
In 2017, we launched For Purpose Kids to inspire kids, ages 5-10, to learn about being kind and doing good for others, animals & the environment. Our Subscription and Toolkits engage young kids in meaningful conversations and activities using multi-cultural characters and stories, as we believe there’s no better way to foster kindness and compassion in the world than through education and storytelling that focuses on our similarities, rather than our differences.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
A typical day for me starts with getting (and sometimes wrangling) my 3 year old son to school, followed by 30 minutes of meditation. Then I head into my home office and jump into the to-do list, which includes all aspects of the business, from finances to content creation to order fulfillment. I’d like to say I start with the most pressing of tasks first, but I usually leave those until last- I’ve accepted that this is the way I get things done.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Ideas usually go from my head to my journal before sharing them aloud with a group of female entrepreneurs. Based on how that flow “feels”, I then start working on a process to bring them to life in the marketplace.
What’s one trend that excites you?
The “social good” trend is one that I’m excited about…but I’m often asked if this is a “trend” that’s here to stay. While it may be the cool thing to do now, in my world, doing good has always been, and will always be cool.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
Connecting with a group of like-minded entrepreneurs and female entrepreneurs that are getting things done. While this may not be a daily habit, it is something that not only inspires me, but motivates me to keep going.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Just show up…for everything. And, of course, that it will all work out the way it’s supposed to.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
That the business world is a level playing field for men and women, particularly in the social good space. Just because a company is “doing good” on the outside, doesn’t necessarily mean those values exist on the inside of the company.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Find a community of people to support you- people that you can laugh and cry with- and that will become champions for you- no matter what.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
For me, it’s always about getting out there and connecting with others whether it’s through networking, partnerships or collaborations. Show up and be seen- even (and especially) when it’s hard.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
Just one? There have been so many! For me, the biggest “failure” has been putting my heart and soul into products and not having them be deemed successful from a revenue standpoint. However, I think it’s important to look at, and sometimes redefine, the metrics that I’m using to determine success, especially in the social enterprise space. Thankfully, I’ve had some amazing experts from the industry tell me I’m on the right track and to keep going…I’m just a bit ahead of the curve.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Integrating products AND experiences is what customers are looking for- the products, alone, are no longer enough. For me, it’s giving parents (and other family members/ champions of kids) products to help them start kid-friendly conversations that matter in conjunction with experiences to help them practice those ideas in real life. Whether that’s online or in-person, we’re testing out different experiences to see what will resonate most when accompanied with our products.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
I don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but I bought a ticket to attend an event at The Riveter in LA put on by the Mom 2.0 Community: “Get Ready to Make a Change: How To Use Your Influence for What’s Next. Change the Conversation. Build communities and movements around an issue.”
Listening to others paving the way to “change the conversation” is always extremely inspiring and connecting with those individuals helps me build relationships that will have a lasting impact on my business.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?
Pirateship- it helps me find the best prices for shipping my boxes and products.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
Anything by Brené Brown, but probably “Braving the Wilderness” (Daring Greatly is a close second). In that book, she teaches us how to show up- especially when it’s hard. While not a “business book” per se, it gives me the courage to show up and keep going.
What is your favorite quote?
“True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are: it requires you to be who you are.”
Brené Brown
Key Learnings:
- “Doing good” has always been, and will always be, cool (the right thing to do).
- Just show up, even AND especially when it’s hard.
- Connect with a community of people that will be your champions, no matter what.
- Products combined WITH experiences are what people are looking for.
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Carlyn runs the day-to-day publishing operation here at ideamensch and interacts with our awesome customers and entrepreneurs. She is likely editing this with a cat on her lap.