From 20 Million KRW Startup to 30 Billion KRW Company: "Thanks to Meticulous Feedback from Korean Moms" [Power K Woman]

"I named it 'K' for Kim, but now it means 'Korea'
Started with 20 million won... Now the top brand for maternity and baby products
'Small differences' matter?actively reflecting customer feedback in products
Exporting to 18 countries?traveling no

"Why isn't there a zipper bag for babies?"

Back when there were no notable companies specializing in baby products in Korea, mothers often bought American or Japanese products that had gained a good reputation through word of mouth. There wasn't even a proper zipper bag designed for babies. An ordinary working woman, while raising her child, developed a "zipper bag for babies" with just 20 million KRW in startup funds. This zipper bag, equipped with a handle and a sturdy bottom to allow it to stand upright, made it easy to neatly store various baby items. That product became a huge hit, and now, 15 years later, the company has expanded its lineup and grown into a solid small-to-medium-sized enterprise with annual sales of 30 billion KRW. This is the story of Minjung Kim, CEO of Mother-K. Mother-K has become synonymous with "K-baby products," expanding into all areas of pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting, and applying innovative designs and technologies.

Kim Minjung, CEO of Mother-K, is posing ahead of an interview at the Mother-K headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

-After working for over 10 years, you decided to enter the baby products business. Was there a decisive moment?

▲After giving birth in 2009 and raising my child, I found myself asking, "Why isn't there a zipper bag for babies?" At that time, only standardized zipper bags for kitchen use were available. So, I came up with the idea for zipper bags with sturdy bottoms and handles in various sizes. It was difficult at first because no factory was willing to produce this new design, but after much effort, one factory owner agreed to help, saying I reminded him of his own daughter. Back then, mothers were using American and Japanese baby products that were popular by word of mouth. I wanted to grow a Korean baby product brand that would be recognized overseas. I started the business with just 20 million KRW, and last year, we achieved annual sales of 30 billion KRW, which is incredibly rewarding. My last name is Kim, so I included "K" in the company name, but now many people think it stands for "Korea" (laughs).

-What do you consider most important in running your business?

▲Even now, I am always looking for ways to make life a little more convenient for mothers. It's about the smallest differences. I constantly think about how to apply those small differences to our products. For example, when going out with a child, you have to carry a lot, so I wanted to design a compact baby tableware set. That's why we developed a stackable tableware set, similar to a three-tier lunchbox, to reduce volume and make storage easier. Our employees also contribute many good ideas. Since everyone has a different parenting style, opinions are diverse. Also, no matter how busy I am, I always attend a meeting every Monday at 10 a.m. This is our Customer Service (CS) meeting, where we review customer feedback. We gather customer reviews from all e-commerce sites selling our products and review them together. We listen to various voices, including complaints and suggestions, and try to reflect them in our products. Thanks to the meticulous feedback from Korean mothers, our products continue to improve. Even representatives from our partner factories in China say, "Korean mothers have so many requirements that we end up improving as well."

-What is the secret to winning the hearts of mothers, beyond simply selling baby products?

▲We run a supporter program for customers called "Super Mother-K." The goal is to create "parenting comrades" who can share and discuss their parenting concerns. It's important for people raising children at the same time to share their worries and advice. We select about 30 people for each four-month term, and usually 300 to 400 people apply. We are now running our ninth term. Some participants who previously worked as marketers or in content fields are so professional that they surprise us. After completing the program, many say, "I felt a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment, realizing I could do something even while staying at home after having a child." We also operate an application called "Mentory." This platform provides pregnancy and parenting information from experts such as child psychologists, nutritionists, and doctors. Mothers usually look for parenting information in online communities, through ChatGPT, or by asking acquaintances, but we wanted to make it possible to find everything in one app. The longer users stay on the app, the more familiar they become with our brand. Putting this much effort into our brand has also paid off. We currently operate six brands, each with its own design, direction, and identity. It is no exaggeration to say that we have nurtured these brands like our own children.

Kim Minjung, CEO of Mother-K, is introducing various company products and sharing over 10 years of business experience in an interview with Asia Economy at the Mother-K headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

-It is known that Mother-K invests more than 3% of its sales in research and development, showing a strong commitment to R&D. Can you elaborate?

▲Mother-K's slogan is "New ideas for mothers' happiness." Research and development are essential for generating new ideas. For example, when a baby can't sleep and cries, parents often don't know why, but in many cases, it's because the baby's body temperature is too high. When babies develop heat rash, the room temperature needs to be lowered to 24 degrees Celsius with the air conditioner. This is because babies generate more heat than adults. That's why, when making our baby body pillow, we used a special cool and breathable material instead of regular cotton. When we received positive feedback after the product launch, such as "It's amazing how well my baby sleeps," I felt very proud.

-How well are Mother-K products received in overseas markets?

▲Our products are most popular in Asian countries such as Taiwan, Vietnam, and Indonesia. We even have customers in Lithuania, showing that our business has crossed borders. We export to 18 countries and generate annual overseas sales of 4 billion KRW. We mainly use Amazon as our e-commerce platform. There are many loyal customers who trust and buy our products simply because they are Korean. I travel to China at least once a month to inspect production lines, and recently attended baby product exhibitions in Dubai and Japan. I travel frequently, especially when we need to focus on sales or break into new markets.

Minjung Kim, CEO of Mother-K. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

-As a businesswoman and a mother, it must be difficult to balance such a tight schedule. How do you manage work-life balance?

▲Running a business while raising a child would have been impossible without my parents' help. My child is now in high school, but in the early days of the business, when my child was in kindergarten, I had this experience. I used to drop my child off at kindergarten every day before going to work, and one day, the teacher wrote in the communication book, "The indoor shoes are too small, why haven't you replaced them?" At that moment, I burst into tears. I think my child knew I was busy and didn't ask for new shoes. While my child was at kindergarten, I bought new indoor shoes and put them in the shoe cabinet. It was a memory filled with guilt and sadness. Even now, many people around me struggle with parenting. Sometimes employees resign, saying, "I have no one to take care of my child." I hope practical policies will be introduced to reduce the burden of childcare. I believe that simply providing financial support to encourage childbirth is a rather short-sighted policy.

-Do you have any words for mothers who are struggling with parenting?

▲Honestly, parenting is difficult at every moment. It doesn't end just because your child becomes an adolescent or a teenager. The worries change with each stage of growth, and I find myself thinking, "My mother must have struggled this much to raise me." I probably wouldn't have realized this if I hadn't had a child myself. Still, I believe we learn something from each step in the process. It's not just hardship; enduring each day builds up and is eventually passed on to your child. Parenting is tough every day, but if you keep that in mind and live each day with energy, I hope it gives you strength.

▶About Minjung Kim, CEO of Mother-K

Born in 1977, she majored in French Language and Literature and Law at Sookmyung Women's University. After gaining over 10 years of experience in licensing, marketing, branding, and other fields at various companies, she founded Mother-K in 2010. She pioneered the first zipper bag for babies in Korea, which received an excellent response and became the starting point for the company. Currently, she manages a total of six brands by lineup, offering more than 450 products ranging from household goods and bedding to processed foods. Last year, the company recorded annual sales of 30 billion KRW, and sales continue to grow every year. Mother-K has become the top brand in Korea for maternity and baby products, and in 2016, established a subsidiary in China. Now, the company exports to 18 countries overseas. The company's motto is "New ideas for mothers' happiness."