Daily Inspiration: Meet Paige Guinn

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paige Guinn.

Hi Paige, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been making homemade play dough throughout my 11-year teaching career. It’s always been a hit with students. I was making a Halloween batch for my kindergarten class and I had some extra supplies. I decided to put them out into the world and see if anyone would buy them. I woke up to 15 orders. From there, it snowballed!

Each theme is put to the test with my class of 17 kindergartners, and I pretty much use the kits throughout the day teaching to enrich our learning. I knew there was a need for affordable high-quality kits. There were dozens of times that I went to just go buy a kit from somewhere and just could not pay that high of a price for stuff that’s really just… well, stuff.

I’m not sure whether it was the ambition of being a new parent or the exhaustion, but it was a no-brainer to name the thing after our little 7-month-old girl, Penny.

My husband works in marketing and does web stuff, so he helped me get the foundation. Now I’m running with it and taking and fulfilling orders from all across the country. It’s been so great to see such an interest, positive reception, and littles genuinely enjoying the kits.

We have not done it all ourselves. We got into our first local shop here in Nashville, Patch, which sold our kits during the Holiday season and Yogi’s Pizza and Ice cream hosted our very first pop-up. You know the saying “It takes a village” well I feel like Nashville has been my little village. This city and the people in it have made my entrepreneurial dream come true.

What I never anticipated being such a driving force for me is that I want to show my little girl what her mom can do. Like, look Penny- Mommy did this. I honestly get a little misty-eyed thinking about when she is old enough (and hopefully penny dough is still around) to explain to her that she can do and be ANYTHING she wants. That it will take hard work, but she can do it.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It can be really hard to make something out of nothing. Like, this was nothing two months ago, just a faint idea, a “what if”. Getting from that state to where we’re at now requires a huge leap. It’s scary and definitely has some struggles, but it’s also exciting and fun, and new. At the end of the day, I’m definitely building this plane while I’m flying it — but it’s me flying it, which is really cool!

I have a 7-month-old, and I am a full-time Metro Nashville Public School teacher and very proud to hold both of those titles. I would say the early mornings and late nights have been a little bit more frequent lately, but your adrenaline kicks in, and I find so much joy in thinking about all the fun that people (the kits are not just for kids!) will be having.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I create specialized, themed play dough kits for kids — though I’ve seen adults be entertained by them as well.

What sets me apart from others is that each kit is thoughtfully created and everything is intentionally included to spark imaginative play while helping with critical development. Each kit comes with a QR code that has suggested ideas and different developmental sections you can use the kit to target. However, we know life is busy and not everyone has the time to sit down and read through it: THAT’S OK! The kits are perfect to be used without even looking at that QR code. The teacher in me just HAD to include it with each kit.

Our kits are purposeful. What may look like a cute little unicorn kit is SO MUCH MORE. Early Childhood Education is a true passion of mine, and I hope it shows in my kits. We also just released a line called “Penny Prep”. The idea behind this line is to help little ones get ready for some of life’s biggest events. The first one we released is about going to the dentist. It comes with some dental tools, molds of mouths, and GIANT teeth. I love the thought that my kits could help a child overcome something.

I have worked in early childhood education for the past 11 years. It’s something I love doing and seek to continue getting better at. I recently got my master’s degree in special education, and I’m working toward becoming a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) in 2023.

This background and my general pursuit of helping kids learn and grow are at the foundation of Penny Dough.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Don’t look back and don’t overthink. I had this idea and a week later had my site up, social accounts live, and was selling kits. That’s obviously not feasible for all businesses, but as much as possible, don’t let yourself talk yourself out of it.

Mistakes will happen, but you can learn from them. And if you’re sincere about what you’re doing and approach your customers with empathy, they can be very understanding.

Another thing — Ask the small business for help. I am so thrilled with the community of small businesses in Nashville. I reached out to people and they were so kind and willing and just said “Yeah sure. Come do a pop-up.” People I had never met before were helping me. It’s amazing.

Contact Info:

• Website: pennyplay.co
• Instagram: @pennydoughplayco
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pennydoughplayco 

Image Credits
https://www.instagram.com/jessicafrazierphotography/ – Jessica Frazier Photography